Pilot shortage tips

During the pandemic, an acute labor shortage stretching from pilots to baggage handlers plagued the airline industry. So they sought to hire thousands of new employees and signed record-breaking contracts with their pilot unions. 

“I assure you that the worst is behind us, and we have already stabilized our operations,” Vistara CEO Vinod Kannan wrote in an internal note to employees Thursday.

Delta Air Lines said it plans to hire far fewer pilots in 2024 than in recent years, signaling a potential end to the airline industry’s post-pandemic hiring surge. 

Australian airline Regional Express on Friday suspended more flights from Sydney and accused competitors such as Qantas Airways of “pillaging” its regional pilots, allegations which the flag carrier dismissed.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Friday, September 15. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Although the U.S. airlines are continuing to make progress in their recovery from the pandemic, the industry is grappling with an ongoing pilot shortage. And it may only get worse in the next decade.

The number of Canadian pilots seeking to fly in the United States tripled in 2022, according to previously unreported U.S. government data, raising fears of deepening shortages in Canada as pilots seek higher wages.

There is a shortage of a critical skilled labor group needed to keep America’s airlines flying: Pilots, particularly captains, are in short supply and that’s resulting in fewer flights to some of the smallest cities across the country.

Spirit Airlines has offered as much as a 43% cumulative weighted average pay raise to its pilots over two years, according to a union memo seen by Reuters.

Travel over the Thanksgiving holiday period was robust, and predictions are for similarly strong demand for air travel during the period between Christmas and New Year’s. For most airlines, that’s good news. For American, however, it’s a potential nightmare.