In the U.S., carriers have canceled 1,017 flights, or 4.2 percent of their planned schedule, so far. American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines say they have resumed some flights while Southwest Airlines has remained largely unaffected by the outage.

Other non-U.S.-based carriers, including Air France, KLM, and Singapore Airlines, also reported IT troubles on Friday.

The FAA said it is “closely monitoring” the issue in a statement.

“Several airlines have requested FAA assistance with ground stops for their fleets until the issue is resolved,” the agency added. “For more information, monitor fly.faa.gov for updates.”

U.S. carriers were scheduled to operate 27,000 flights on Friday, carrying up to 3.7 million passengers.

What’s Happening?

Airlines around the world are experiencing major IT issues, leading to widespread flight disruptions. The problems reportedly stem from a software update issued by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike that has caused computers running Microsoft Windows to crash.

CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz announced on social media that the issue had been identified and isolated, and engineers had deployed a fix. However, the outage has already impacted airlines, airports, banks, media companies, and other institutions globally.

The situation is still developing, and it remains to be seen how quickly the fix will resolve the issues.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AirlineGeeks.com.

The post Global IT Outage Spurs Cancellations of Thousands of Flights appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Data from airline career consultancy group Future & Active Pilot Advisors (FAPA) measures hiring trends at 13 major U.S. carriers. The largest year-over-year swing was at Delta Air Lines, which hired 1,667 fewer pilots during the first half of 2024.

• READ MORE: ATP Flight School Program Offers CFI Route to Delta Pilot Careers

Delta announced plans to reduce hiring by roughly 50 percent earlier this year.

“What we anticipate for the coming year is a very strong, yet more normalized, growth pattern,” the airline told pilots in a January memo viewed by the The Wall Street Journal.

According to FAPA’s figures, Alaska, American, FedEx, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit, United, and UPS did not hire in June. Last month, airlines hired a total of 187 pilots, down from the 909 in June 2023. It isn’t uncommon for airlines to slow hiring during the busy summer months, allowing training resources to be moved to the line.

UPS was the only carrier that hired more pilots year-over-year. With a new Postal Service contract in play, the cargo carrier hired 62 pilots between May and June with plans for a total of 300 new aviators.

Several major carriers — including American and Southwest — have announced plans to halt new hire classes through the end of 2024. Ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC) Spirit is slated to furlough roughly 200 pilots in September.

Normalizing Trends

Many major carriers continue to face ongoing aircraft delivery delays, particularly at Boeing. Both Southwest and United have slashed their 2024 737 MAX delivery plans amid the manufacturer’s quality control woes.

Despite the year-over-year decrease, pilot hiring still remains well above pre-pandemic levels. During the first half of 2019, airlines hired 2,519 new pilots for an annual total of nearly 5,000, a far cry from last year’s 12,193.

• READ MORE: The Best Paying Pilot Jobs

“In fact, we hired and trained more pilots in 2023 than we have in the history of this airline, and we did it efficiently enough that we were actually a bit ahead of where we needed to be for the summer of 2024,” Russ Moore, American Airlines vice president of flight operations, shared during a company briefing. “This allowed us to transition from a ‘hire and train as many as you can’ approach to a more traditional approach, which in and of itself reduced our hiring targets for 2024.”

Even with major airlines slowing hiring tempos, many regional carriers aren’t out of the woods yet. Some continue to offer sign-on bonuses for new captains and first officers, including GoJet and SkyWest.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AirlineGeeks.com.

The post Airlines Cut Pilot Hiring Numbers in First Half of 2024 appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Decades later, Captain Rosenkranz returned to LA, where he commanded a specially chartered Airbus A330-900neo for his final flight at Delta. On board were 112 of his friends and family, including fellow pilots who didn’t get a proper retirement send-off due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

“Back when COVID hit, some of my friends…couldn’t get a final flight,” Rosenkranz told FLYING. “My one friend, all he could do was an Orlando [Florida] turn instead of a nice international trip. And I remember thinking, you know, I don’t want to do that. I want to fly where I want to fly.”

To set his plan in motion, Rosenkranz said he pulled some strings in Delta’s charter department. The Atlanta-based airline regularly charters aircraft for sports teams and other special events, but never for one of its own team members.

“I sat down with the charter director…I think it was around October 2022, and I told him my idea, and he says I’ve never done this before,” Rosenkranz said. “I said, ‘Well, I’ll be the first.’”

Although Rosenkranz wasn’t turning 65 until June, a weekday in late February—often a lull for airline demand—proved more ideal for taking a widebody jet out of commercial service. Having become an Airbus A330 captain three years ago, he asked the airline for an A330-900neo, which is the latest-generation variant of the jet.

Not only did he receive his requested aircraft type, but Rosenkranz also asked for the special “Team USA” livery on N411DX, which Delta also obliged.

The Special Trip

Rosenkranz and his hand-picked passengers jetted off for Kona International Airport (PHKO) in Hawaii on February 27 for a daylong, overnight trip. The chartered A330 flew from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (KDFW) to LAX, where it made a roughly one-hour stop.

Then, the aircraft departed Los Angeles for Kona, arriving at approximately 2:30 p.m. HST. On February 28, the A330neo completed the same routing on the return, arriving back in Dallas-Fort Worth at 10:10 p.m. CST.

• READ MORE: A New Mission to Break Down Barriers

Joining Rosenkranz in the flight deck were longtime friends, one of whom he knew from a high school job at Safeway. The duo were once box boys together for the supermarket and now fly one of Delta’s largest aircraft.

“We had four pilots because you can’t fly a domestic leg and an ocean crossing in the same day,” Rosenkranz said. “So I had two of my friends fly the domestic portions from Dallas to LA, LA to Dallas.”

Rosenkranz said he flew both oceanic crossings to serve as his final two flights. Roughly 50 guests joined him in DFW, while the rest boarded in Los Angeles.

“We showed up in the terminal here at DFW, and about 50 friends and family were already there,” he said. “And it was very emotional for me just seeing everybody there clapping and giving me hugs. When we got to the gate there in LA, and my wife and I walked into the terminal in the gate area, another 60 friends and family were there. I started crying all over again.”

In Kona, Rosenkranz took care of his guests’ transportation to and from the airport, only asking them to pay for their one-night stays at a Hilton resort. The experience was made complete with a customary luau and a surprise renewal of wedding vows with his wife of nearly 42 years.

‘Fini’ Flights: Marking a Milestone

The tradition of the so-called “fini” flight dates back decades, finding its roots in the military. During their final flights, retiring pilots are met with fanfare. For the military side, this send-off can include an affectionate hose-down upon exiting the aircraft for a final time.

But in commercial aviation, retiring captains—who often wrap up their careers with decades of seniority under their belts—are met with grand gate parties and water cannon salutes by local firefighter crews. Some airlines allow captains to select their final flight and allow family members to join with free confirmed tickets.

Rosenkranz’s charter came with three different water cannon salutes, including in Kona, DFW, and most notably LA.

• READ MORE: Which U.S. Airlines Are Hiring Pilots?

The city of Los Angeles—which runs LAX—has long maintained a moratorium on water cannon salutes, citing local water shortages. By a stroke of luck, though, Delta was able to convince the city to make an exception for Rosenkranz’s special flight.

“So a week later, [a member of Delta’s charter team] calls back and said, ‘Well, the pilot’s name is this, and he grew up in Southern California. [He] and the other pilot were box boys at Safeway. His high school’s here,’” he said. “And whoever that person was said, ‘You know what? Let’s make it happen.’ So the FAA approved, the airport authority approved, and the fire department approved. I think I was the second one in nine years to get a [water cannon salute]. So, wow, just great.”

As the pandemic ravaged the airline industry, many retiring pilots lost out on the opportunity for a proper send-off flight. This was especially the case for widebody captains, who primarily flew long-haul flights, which were some of the first to be scuttled in 2020.

With his charter flight, Rosenkranz also sought to provide an additional opportunity for a proper sendoff to some of these pilots, all of whom he knew during his tenure at Delta.

A Decorated Career

Rosenkranz boasts a long and well-decorated aviation career, starting in the Air Force after graduating from an ROTC training course. In the military he flew the F-16.

Later, he would go on to write a book about his experiences flying during the Gulf War titled, Vipers in the Storm: Diary of a Gulf War Fighter Pilot.

“You know, I’m not Tom Clancy or Stephen King, so it certainly didn’t allow me to retire, but I’ve received thousands of letters from all over the world and kids in grade school, high school, and college will read the book and send me a note,” Rosenkranz said.

• READ MORE: Pro Track: Finding Your Way to an Airline Pilot Career

His airline career began in July 1991 when he started at Delta as a flight engineer on the Boeing 727. Throughout his time at the airline, he flew the 757/767, the Airbus A320, and most recently the A330 in the left seat.

“So, I would tell any new person…your love of aviation is going to carry you through anything, and then enjoy the job,” he said.

Rosenkranz said the No. 1 question about his retirement charter was the cost. Without going into too much detail, he said it was “probably a good year’s salary.”

“I mean, to be able to go out with your own jet and fly all your family and friends to Hawaii for a big luau, you just can’t put a price on it,” he said. “And you don’t want to be the richest man in the graveyard one day. So, I would do it again a hundred times and never look back. And so, I’ll be OK in life. And my wife and I will never forget this trip.”

This feature first appeared in the May 2024/Issue 948 of FLYING’s print edition.

The post Delta Air Lines Captain Makes the Ultimate ‘Fini’ Flight appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

In a memo to conditionally hired pilots on Thursday, the airline said all new hire classes would be paused through the end of the year as it evaluates ‘commercial and talent needs.’

The Fort Worth-based carrier joins a growing list of major airlines pumping the brakes on recruitment after a record-setting period of pilot hiring. Both Delta and United have substantially scaled back their pilot hiring outlooks this year. Southwest stopped hiring new aviators altogether.

In an April briefing, American Arilines vice president of flight operations Russ Moore initially said the carrier would only pause hiring during peak summer and winter holiday months. Moore added that it plans to hire roughly 1,000 fewer new aviators this year.

“In fact, we hired and trained more pilots in 2023 than we have in the history of this airline, and we did it efficiently enough that we were actually a bit ahead of where we needed to be for the summer of 2024,” Moore said during the briefing. “This allowed us to transition from a ‘hire and train as many as you can’ approach to a more traditional approach, which in and of itself reduced our hiring targets for 2024.”

Among the reasons for the hiring slowdown are aircraft delivery delays at Boeing, Moore said. American is currently awaiting the delivery of 787-9 Dreamliner and 737 Max jets from the embattled manufacturer.

“As part of our previously announced capacity adjustments, we are temporarily pausing new pilot class start dates for September, October and November, American said in a statement Thursday night. “This decision allows us to optimize our capacity and tailor our talent growth plans to best serve the current needs of our airline.”

Last year, American hired around 2,300 pilots, according to data from FAPA. Even with the pause, Moore noted that up to 850 of the airline’s pilots retire annually over the next five years.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AirlineGeeks.com.

The post American Becomes Latest Airline to Halt Pilot Hiring appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

“Part of the safety mission of the FAA is identifying risk early on, and that’s exactly what we’re doing on public charters as usage expands,” said FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker in a statement. “If a company is effectively operating as a scheduled airline, the FAA needs to determine whether those operations should follow the same stringent rules as scheduled airlines.”

In August 2023, the FAA requested comments on the proposed rulemaking, receiving over 60,000 in less than a year. In its comment, JSX called the move “a lobbying-inspired, targeted regulatory barrier to entry, erected to protect influential parties that are prepared to fabricate safety concerns.”

Both American and Southwest along with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) have pushed for changes to public charter operations like JSX, calling on the FAA to close a so-called ‘loophole.’

“Some airlines use the public charter loophole to cut costs by skirting lifesaving safety rules, but if they run similar operations as commercial scheduled airlines, then they are not operating as charter, and that’s an issue,” said ALPA president Jason Ambrosi in an August 2023 statement.

The FAA argues these changes are necessary to ensure consistent safety standards across all passenger air travel. Public charter operators currently adhere to Part 135 regulations, which are less demanding than the Part 121 rules that govern scheduled airlines. This difference applies to areas including pilot training requirements and maintenance protocols.

Opponents of the proposed changes, including JSX itself, argue that their current safety record is “excellent” and that stricter regulations would stifle innovation and potentially limit service options, especially in smaller communities. JSX says that some of its safety protocols even exceed current FAA standards.

“JSX supports the Federal Aviation Administration’s efforts to maintain the safety of civil aviation and applauds FAA Administrator Whitaker’s plans to evaluate a new operating authority for certain Part 135 operations,” the carrier said in a statement on Monday.

Small Community Air Service

JSX has repeatedly added that changes to public charter regulations would “jeopardize” service to small communities. Last year, the carrier committed to ordering over 300 hybrid-electric aircraft. The goal of these aircraft, the company says, is to deploy them in small communities.

“These airplanes are custom built for nine, 19, and 30 seats, and they’ll be much more efficient…than the planes we’re flying today. And that’s going to lower costs, and that’s going to make more of those [airports] available,” JSX CEO Alex Wilcox told AirlineGeeks in a December interview.

Noting these concerns, the FAA said in a June 17 press release that it would launch a risk assessment panel to “assess the feasibility of a new operating authority for scheduled part 135 operations in 10-30 seat aircraft.”

“At the same time, we want to look at how future innovation might cause us to think differently,” Whitaker said. “Safe air travel options should be available to everyone, not limited to only those living near a major airport. We want to put a safety lens over the options of future innovation, as we work to further connect small and rural communities to open up more options for everyone at the same high level of safety.”

Contour Airlines, which operates public charter flights to several smaller communities, is also likely to be affected by the regulatory change. The company is part-owned by SkyWest, which has a public charter subsidiary called SkyWest Charters.

Security Concerns

Many in the industry have also expressed concerns with the security requirements of public charter operators. JSX and others are not required to screen passengers through a traditional Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint.

Former American CEO Doug Parker called these security protocols a “disaster waiting to happen” during a recent interview on the Airlines Confidential podcast.

The TSA is also reviewing security requirements for these operators, including a security screening requirement for all passengers. The comment period for its proposed rulemaking ends on June 27.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AirlineGeeks.com.

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Of the veterans onboard, the oldest was 107 years old with the youngest being 96. They were also joined by six Medal of Honor recipients along with over 50 cadets and midshipmen from various service branches who accompanied the veterans.

Starting in Paris, the group will venture north over the next several days as they visit memorial sites in Normandy. The 80th anniversary of the D-Day operation is on Thursday, June 6.

“It’s not every day that we get an opportunity to host our nation’s heroes,” said American’s Chief Operating Officer David Seymour during a send-off event at the carrier’s Fort Worth headquarters.

An Army veteran himself, Seymour added, “We fly around this world today because of what you did 80 years ago.”

Veterans from across the U.S. participated in the trip. For many, it was their first time back in France since the war.

Here at @DFWAirport where @AmericanAir is flying several World War II veterans to France on a specially-chartered 787 Dreamliner.

The oldest onboard is 107-years-old. pic.twitter.com/4zakacNlEz

— Ryan Ewing (@FlyingHighRyan) May 31, 2024

“Every one of us here is in your debt. You brought victory to the freedom-loving world and we thank God that you won that war. Where would the world be today if the outcome had been reversed?” said actor Gary Sinise, best known for his role as ‘Lieutenant Dan’ in the film Forrest Gump. His foundation sponsored this trip and many like it.

The airline is no stranger to giving back to the military community. Since 2017, it has partnered with the Gary Sinise Foundation to take Gold Star families to Disney World. Last year, this airlift consisted of 11 charted aircraft and around 1,800 family members.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AirlineGeeks.com.

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This additional funding is part of the FAA’s Aviation Workforce Development Grants program, which provides support to aviation-related education programs. The $80 million in pilot development grants is part of a broader $240 million pool intended to also recruit aircraft mechanics and aviation manufacturing workers.

According to Yahoo Finance, an early version of the bill included $120 million in total funding, but that number was doubled with an amendment introduced by Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock. “This is a long-term issue,” he said during an interview.

‘The Pilot Shortage Myth’

The roughly $55 million in new funding comes as the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) – the world’s largest pilots union representing over 77,000 aviators—says the pilot shortage “isn’t real.” The labor group even goes as far as saying that the shortage is a so-called “myth,” instead pointing fingers at airline leadership.

“So, although we don’t have a pilot shortage, we do have a shortage of airline executives willing to stand by their business decisions to cut air service and be upfront about their intentions to skirt safety rules and hire inexperienced workers for less pay,” ALPA says on its website.

Despite the rhetoric, regional carriers say they aren’t quite out of the pilot supply woods yet with some offering lucrative bonuses for direct-entry captains. In a recent presentation, the Regional Airline Association (RAA)—a trade group—said, “We can’t believe we have to say this, but an abrupt, temporary hiring disruption—driven entirely by an abrupt aircraft delivery disruption—is not the same thing as fixing the pilot shortage.”

Some in Washington also believe the so-called pilot shortage isn’t over. During a press briefing at Austin’s Bergstrom airport on Tuesday, Texas Senator and Senate commerce committee ranking member Ted Cruz said he ‘absolutely’ still believes there’s a shortage, adding that Congress should have done more.

“So this bill…takes modest steps in the direction of addressing the pilot shortage, but I wish we had been able to take more, and I’m going to continue working to take even bolder steps,” he added.

Cruz strongly supported raising the airline pilot retirement age from 65 to 67, which failed after a narrow party-line vote. ALPA and other pilot unions opposed the increase.

“The pilots union has an interesting position on this. It’s one of the very rare circumstances I know of where a union picked some members over other members,” Cruz said at the briefing.

Diversity Push

With the bill now passed, the FAA will be tasked with distributing the funding as grants to flight schools and other institutions. Sen. Warnock said he pushed to include provisions in the bill to distribute some of the funding to ‘underrepresented populations’ in the aviation sector.

“I’m making the business case for diversity,” Warnock told Yahoo Finance. “It’s in our enlightened self-interest to find that talent and create a robust pipeline so that they can become pilots.”

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AirlineGeeks.com.

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“Looking further out, the GTF engine availability issues and the phasing of AOG [aircraft on ground] aircraft being taken out of service, together with limited visibility on when these aircraft will be returned to service, makes it difficult to accurately predict the number of assets we will have to produce capacity,” said Spirit chief commercial officer Matt Klein during an earnings call earlier this week. “For the full year 2024, we estimate we will have an average of about 25 [AOG], finishing the year with about 40 AOG.”

As a result, the carrier expects capacity growth to be flat or slightly up compared to 2023. Last month, Spirit announced it would defer new aircraft deliveries slated for mid-2025 into late 2026 to the 2030s and furlough 260 pilots.

“The impact on our business associated with these Pratt engine issues cannot be understated,” said Spirit finance chief Scott Haralson on the call.

Like many other operators of the issue-plagued engine type, Spirit said it receives credits from Pratt & Whitney for the groundings.

In the first quarter, Spirit received nearly $31 million in AOG credits. According to data from Cirium Fleet Analyzer, the carrier has a total of 207 aircraft in its fleet with 18 A320neos and one A321neos in storage.

So far this year, the airline has seen an average of nearly 18 grounded aircraft each month.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AirlineGeeks.com.

The post Spirit Expects to Ground Nearly 20 Percent of Its Fleet appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

“We understand that there are other quality maintenance providers in the market,” GoJet CEO Rick Leach said in a news release. “However, being one of the few Part 121 operators offering this service, and only one of two regional airlines, GoJet now has a unique opportunity.”

The company noted a “growing need for MRO services,” particularly for regional airlines as aircraft return to commercial service from storage programs. GoJet plans to leverage this growth by offering MRO services to regional carriers and others.

“Our offering of this new service not only highlights our dedication to the regional market but should also provide our prospective airline customers with an additional level of comfort and support,” Leach said.

GoJet’s MRO facility will offer specialized maintenance programs, interior and composite capabilities, and aircraft modifications. The company said it emphasizes “efficient turnaround times, quality workmanship, and personalized service.”

The airline said it is actively seeking clients and securing long-term maintenance contracts. GoJet operates a fleet of over 30 CRJ-550 aircraft on behalf of United Express.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AirlineGeeks.com.

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Called Breaking Down Barriers, the newly minted nonprofit will be helmed by Parker, his wife Gwen—a former American flight attendant—and Dana Donati, who recently led United Airlines’ Aviate Academy near Phoenix. At its core, they say the new charity’s goal is to foster interest, mentorship, and career development for individuals otherwise underrepresented in the aviation sector.

“At least from my perspective, the two biggest barriers were one, this financial requirement, and the other is awareness, just because of the history in the industry,” Parker said during an interview with FLYING at the Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas in December. “I just think there are a lot of

people out there that have the full ability to do this but don’t know it exists. But those people exist in underrepresented communities as well. So what we really want is just to go find those people who have the same skills that the airlines are looking for…and identify them ourselves.”

From CEO to Founder

As the former CEO of three airlines, which eventually all became one, Parker’s industry reputation precedes him. On September 1, 2001—10 days before the 9/11 attacks— he began his tenure as an airline chief at Phoenix-based America West Airlines. He would later go on to orchestrate the airline’s 2005 merger with US Airways.

In 2013, Parker ended up forming the world’s largest airline when he led the merger of American and US Airways. Today, American operates a fleet of more than 900 mainline aircraft to nearly 350 global destinations. Parker later retired from his post as chairman and CEO of the American Airlines Group in 2021 after negotiating blockbuster federal government-backed support packages for U.S. airlines in the wake of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.

• READ MORE: American Scales Back Pilot Hiring Plans

Before taking the helm at these carriers, Parker worked at a handful of other airlines as well, including Northwest and the pre-merger American. Part of the so-called American “brat pack” that shaped several current U.S. airline CEOs, Parker worked under notable industry titans, including former American president and chairman Bob Crandall.

With the creation of Breaking Down Barriers (BDB), Parker is shifting from a well-known CEO to that of a founder. The CEO title at Breaking Down Barriers belongs to Donati, who also has an impressive résumé with decades-long experience as a professional pilot and chief pilot at a major regional airline. Aviate maintains a similar mission to BDB in its quest to usher in the next generation of professional aviators from diverse backgrounds.

“So, we’re providing the scholarships to do the training, but it’s also about the coaching and the mentoring,” Donati said during the Dallas interview. “I currently have my CFI, so I’ll be on these students, making sure that they’re studying.”

A Continuing Shortage

Although the U.S. is producing pilots with airline transport pilot (ATP) certificates at a record rate, a shortage of those heading for the airlines continues, largely because of clogs in the training pipeline and post-COVID woes. Some experts—including Oliver Wyman, a consultancy firm that works with several air carriers—expect the global aviation sector to run short by nearly 80,000 pilots by 2032.

Parker opined on the continued pilot shortage.

• READ MORE: Pilot Shortage ‘Isn’t Real,’ ALPA Says

“I think, for all these members of Congress that are upset about how they don’t have small community service, we don’t have pilots,” said Parker. “They ought to be beating on the FAA to go get some more DPEs [designated pilot examiners] in place. It is my understanding anyway [that] it is creating a real backlog to the airline’s abilities to get pilots that are qualified and ready, actually certified, because they’re just waiting for someone to give them the test or to prove that they can do it.

“It’s a huge backlog in the pipeline. But, anyway, that’s my old job.”

In 2023, U.S. airlines are on track to report record-setting hiring trends, according to data from Future & Active Pilot Advisors (FAPA), a pilot career consulting group. Alongside this continuation of hiring, major U.S. airlines American, Delta, and United also signed new collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) with their respective pilot groups, some worth up to $10 billion.

At these major airlines, pilots can earn upward of $450 per hour at the top of the pay scale, making a career increasingly compelling. Parker and his team say they want to provide access to these high-value careers for those who may not otherwise know it is an option.

While Parker acknowledges that Breaking Down Barriers isn’t in the business of fixing the pilot shortage, he does recognize the ongoing demand.

“We just know because that demand exists,” Parker said. “It’s a real opportunity to make sure that we don’t miss this opportunity to open it up to the best of the best. [For] those that have barriers in front of them, we want to help pull those barriers down so they can succeed to their full potential.”

Opening the Door

A career as an airline pilot has become gradually more attainable in recent years, partly because of strong demand but also thanks to new programs that make the pathway to an airliner’s flight deck more efficient. Many airlines have introduced cadet academies to take interested individuals all the way from a private pilot certificate to a Boeing 737 type rating, for example.

But even with these programs in place, the cost of training can hinder the process significantly, particularly for those in underrepresented communities. Parker and his team hope that Breaking Down Barriers will not only fund the training component but also garner early interest.

“Taking someone who doesn’t even know that these opportunities exist in aviation, and getting to be an airline pilot is so transformational that it seems like that’s the best place to start where you can make the biggest [and] the largest impact,” said Parker regarding his charity’s approach to taking in individuals that may not otherwise have any sort of aviation-related background.

Parker believes that targeting these underrepresented individuals early will not only help them but also their communities.

“They don’t know, because of the communities in which they live,” he said. “In some cases, they don’t see people that look like them that do this. So, if we do this right, we’ve identified those that have the ability to do it, the potential desire to do it. But also, once they do it, [they can] go back into those communities as examples.”

In the U.S., 93.7 percent of professional aviators are white, and 92.5 percent are men as of 2020, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The BDB group says it is looking at a solution to bringing in the next generation of pilots from a longer-term lens.

“Generational change, that’s what we’re hoping [for],” Gwen Parker said.

Currently, the charity’s initial primary focus area is in Dallas, where they say that meetings have already taken place with a handful of local schools. Pilots are also the primary profession, but the trio did not rule out other industry career paths.

Doug Parker is already looking toward the future of what’s next for Breaking Down Barriers.

“I suspect we’ll start moving into other communities,” he said. “And we’ll start moving into other professions as well. I just think there’s this huge upside here. And the amount of excitement that we get when we talk about this is really kind of hard to believe.”

This feature first appeared in the January-February 2024/Issue 945 of FLYING’s print edition.

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