(Washington DC - 22May02, 18:14 GMT).
Smaller US carriers are hiring pilots again even though most majors have no plans to add new pilots this year.
US carriers have hired over 2,000 pilots so far this year, according to data compiled by pilot career development firm AIR Inc. The firm's president, Kit Darby, says low-fare carriers and fractional business jet operators have recorded the biggest year-over-year pilot gains. But he adds: "There's winners and losers in each category."
Nearly 8,000 pilots are still on furlough, with the top six majors accounting for half the furloughs and bankrupt or defunct carriers accounting for another 1,000. Low-fares giant Southwest Airlines is the only US major that has so far unveiled plans to hire pilots this year, with about 250 to be added in the fourth quarter. But Darby expects the smallest US major, Alaska Airlines, may also hire late in 2002. Another second tier US major, America West Airlines, plans to recall its last 56 furloughed pilots later this year, but is not yet accepting new applications.
The other six US majors - American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Continental Airlines, Northwest Airlines and US Airways - each still have at least 400 pilots on furlough and have no plans to resume hiring. Darby says demand for new hires has not changed because major airline pilots are not willing to take lower paying jobs at smaller carriers and are instead waiting to be recalled. As a result, regionals continue to fill entry-level positions with pilots that have logged an average of 1,000 total hours, including 100 to 200 hours in multi-engine aircraft. This is the same average as a year ago.
A dozen regionals plan to hire this year, according to AIR Inc tallies. Most of these regionals are looking to fill new positions created from the continued rapid delivery of new regional jets as well as to fill vacancies created by pilots leaving to low-fare carriers.
In addition to Southwest, seven low-fare carriers plan to hire pilots this year: American Trans Air (ATA); Spirit Airlines; Frontier Airlines; National Airlines; Pan American Airways; Vanguard Airlines; and JetBlue Airways.
ATA, the only carrier other than Southwest in this group with over $1 billion in annual revenues, is hiring 20 more pilots next month. Spirit plans to hire up to 100 pilots this year, starting with 18 this month, while Frontier Airlines plans to hire 40 pilots this year.
Spirit and National are both in the national carrier grouping, which includes airlines that generate between $100 million and $1 billion in revenues. AIR Inc also expects another national low-fares carrier, Air Tran Airways, to later unveil plans to hire up to 100 pilots in the fourth quarter.
Fast-growing JetBlue plans to hire 225 pilots this year, Pan Am 200, Vanguard 80 to 100 and National 50. These four carriers now all generate less than $100 million in annual sales, so they fail to qualify as nationals.
AIR Inc says 12 regionals also have unveiled plans to hire at least 1,200 new pilots combined this year: Atlantic Coast Airlines; Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA); Comair; SkyWest Airlines; Piedmont Airlines; Express Airlines I; Chicago Express Airlines; Shuttle America; CommutAir; Gulfstream International Airlines; Island Air; and Colgan Air.
American Eagle and Continental Express still have several hundred pilots on furlough as a result of flow-down agreements with their parent companies that has led to former mainline pilots taking jobs away from the regional pilots. Air Wisconsin, Mesa Airlines, Horizon Air, Mesaba Airlines and Trans States Airlines also now have pilots on furlough, but AIR Inc expects most of these pilots to be recalled by year-end although new hiring is not likely until at least next year.
In the cargo sector, FedEx plans to hire 250 pilots this year while at least five small niche operators - Polar Air Cargo, Air Net Express, Fine Air, Northern Air Cargo and Kalitta Air - have indicated they will also hire. At least five charter passenger carriers also have plans to hire more pilots this year - World Airways, Miami Air, Southeast Airlines, Pace Airlines and USA 3000.
[Source: Air Transport Intelligence].