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.

In a July 1 Form 8-K filing, the carrier announced pay raises for four of its C-suite executives and its CEO. At the same time, 200 pilots received furlough notices—a plan the airline initially laid out in April due to aircraft engine issues and slower growth plans.

• READ MORE: Spirit to Trim Pilot Workforce

According to the filing, Spirit announced the appointment of Frederick Cromer as executive vice president and chief financial officer, replacing Scott Haralson, who left the airline last month. Spirit detailed salary increases and bonuses for other C-suite members who would receive base salaries to the tune of $950,000, $650,000, $525,000, and $500,000, beginning July 1.

• READ MORE: Spirit Expects to Ground Nearly 20 Percent of Its Fleet

Meanwhile, the low-cost carrier made a deal with Airbus to delay all deliveries until 2030-2031 in an effort to save money. Spirit says the move would improve its liquidity by $340 million over the next two years.

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

The post Spirit Hands Out Furlough Notices Amid Pay Raises for Executives appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Despite the overall slowdown in hiring, many airlines are still looking for new pilots. Here are the airlines that are currently hiring pilots in the United States:

Which Major U.S. Airlines Are Hiring Pilots? 

Most major airlines in the United States have stopped or drastically reduced their hiring plans for the year, but there are some that are still recruiting new pilots.

• Delta Air Lines is the largest airline in the country that is currently hiring new pilots. However, the carrier has stated that it is slowing down pilot hiring for 2024 due to a more normalized post-pandemic growth pattern. The carrier operates a diverse fleet of Boeing and Airbus aircraft to destinations all around the world.
• JetBlue Airways is currently accepting applications for new first officers, while also recruiting pilots through its “JetBlue Gateways” career development programs. JetBlue is based in New York but has hubs along the East Coast and in California. The airline primarily flies narrowbody Airbus aircraft, while also having a small number of Embraer 190s.
• United Airlines has resumed hiring new pilots following a two-month pause. The airline has cited delays in the delivery of Boeing aircraft as a key reason for its hiring slowdown. United is another global airline that has a fleet of both Boeing and Airbus jets.

Which U.S. Low-Cost Carriers Are Hiring Pilots?

Many low-cost and ultra-low-cost carriers across the country are actively accepting applications for new pilots.

• Allegiant Air is accepting applications for new pilots from its two pathway programs and from the general public. The airline has around two dozen pilot bases spread across the country and a fleet of Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft. Allegiant is also slated to take delivery of its first Boeing 737 MAX later in 2024.
• Avelo Airlines is hiring both first officers and captains. Avelo has six operating bases split across the East and West Coasts. The airline flies Boeing 737-700 and Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
• Breeze Airways is only hiring direct entry captains for its Airbus A220 fleet. The startup airline has six A220 bases across the country.
• Frontier Airlines is currently hiring new pilots, citing a plan to grow to three times its current size over the next ten years. Using a fleet of Airbus narrowbody aircraft, the airline connects airports across the United States, Central America and the Caribbean.
• Sun Country Airlines is hiring new first officers. The airline also runs a college bridge program in partnership with three colleges throughout the Midwest. Its pilots are all based at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport and fly a fleet of passenger and cargo Boeing 737-800s.

Which U.S. Regional Airlines Are Hiring Pilots?

As major U.S. airlines scale back their hiring, many regional carriers are actively hiring. Some are even offering significant signing bonuses, following a mass exodus of regional pilots to mainline carriers between 2021 and 2023.

• Air Wisconsin is currently hiring first officers and captains. The regional carrier operates a fleet of Bombardier CRJ200 aircraft under the American Eagle brand, out of American’s hubs in Chicago and Philadelphia.
• CommuteAir is hiring first officers and captains. The regional airline flies a fleet of Embraer ERJ-145 jets under the United Express banner, with hubs in Denver, Houston and Washington, D.C.
• Endeavor Air is currently hiring first officers and captains. With bases in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Minneapolis and New York, the Delta Air Lines subsidiary flies Bombardier CRJ700 and CRJ900 aircraft under the Delta Connection brand.
• Envoy Air is accepting applications for pilot positions from the general public and through its cadet program. Envoy is a subsidiary of the American Airlines Group and flies as American Eagle. The airline operates Embraer 170 and 175 jets out of its hubs in Chicago, Dallas, Miami and Phoenix.
• GoJet Airlines is currently hiring first officers and captains. It also has a career development program and a transition program for rotor pilots. The regional carrier flies a fleet of Bombardier CRJ550s under the United Express brand out of Chicago, Newark and Washington, D.C.
• Horizon Air is only hiring experienced first officers for its fleet of Embraer 175s at all its bases across the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. Applicants need to have 200 hours of FAA-approved Prior Qualifying Time.
• Mesa Airlines is hiring first officers and captains. The regional carrier flies Bombardier CRJ900s and Embraer 175s for United Express. It has hubs in Cincinnati, Houston and Washington, D.C.
• Piedmont Airlines is hiring first officers and captains and also operates a cadet program. As a wholly owned subsidiary of the American Airlines Group, the carrier flies under the American Eagle Brand. It operates Embraer ERJ-145s with crew bases in Charlotte, Harrisburg and Philadelphia.
• PSA Airlines is accepting applications for first officers and captains. The carrier, which is another American Airlines Group subsidiary, also has a cadet program. From its bases in Charlotte, Dallas, Dayton, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., its pilots fly a fleet of Bombardier CRJ700 and CRJ900 aircraft.
• Republic Airways is hiring first officers and captains. It is only one of two regional carriers that flies for all the “big three” U.S. airlines: American, Delta and United. It has ten bases throughout the Midwest and Northeast and flies Embraer 170s and 175s.
• Silver Airways is seeking both first officers and captains. The airline has pilot bases in Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, San Juan and Tampa and flies a fleet of ATR 42 and ATR 72 turboprops around the southwestern U.S. and the Caribbean.
• SkyWest Airlines is hiring first officers and captains and also has a rotor transition program. SkyWest is the largest regional carrier and flies under five brands: Alaska Airlines, American Eagle, Delta Connection, SkyWest Charters and United Express. It flies a fleet of Bombardier Regional Jets and Embraer E175s from its bases all across the country.

Which U.S. Cargo and Charter Airlines are Hiring Pilots?

Charter and cargo airlines can offer pilots unique opportunities and dynamic schedules and working conditions. While some of these carriers have paused pilots hiring, others are still actively seeking new hires.

• ABX Air is hiring first officers for its fleet of Boeing 767s. It flies the -200 and -300 variants in all-cargo configurations, primarily for DHL.
• Air Transport International is hiring first officers. The cargo carrier’s fleet consists of Boeing 757 and 767 aircraft. It is the largest air carrier in Amazon’s delivery network.
• Amerijet International is hiring first officers, but only through its flight school pathway programs. The cargo airline flies Boeing 767s for DHL, Maersk and under its own brand.
• Atlas Air is accepting applications for new first officers. In addition to providing charter services, the airline has extensive cargo operations. The airline’s fleet of Boeing widebodies and narrowbodies fly under its own brand and for companies like DHL and Amazon.
• Kalitta Air is hiring first officers. The airline currently flies Boeing 747-400F and Boeing 777F aircraft to destinations across the globe.
• Omni Air International is hiring first officers. Omni is a charter airline with Boeing 767s and 777s in both passenger and cargo configurations.

U.S. Airlines Are Hiring Pilots

Although many large airlines in the United States have paused their pilot hiring efforts, there are plenty of companies that are still seeking new pilots. Despite the headlines of a pilot hiring slowdown, there are still many opportunities for aspiring aviators. 

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

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