Many retired during the COVID-19 pandemic, and for two years, no new pilots were trained.
As the shortage of commercial pilots reach a critical level, one regional carrier is offering triple pay for pilots who pick up trips, while other airlines have been cutting back on service.
Now, airlines are scrambling to train new pilots to fill the void.
On the first day of class for rookie pilots at American Airlines, recruits came from all walks of life, with backgrounds in real estate, teaching golf and more.
Airlines are on a hiring binge to combat chaos at airports across the nation. Many retired during the COVID-19 pandemic, and for two years, no new pilots were trained.
To boost their depleted ranks, some airlines have tripled pay. The average salary of a pilot is $93,000.
“We’re recruiting all across the board. We’re recruiting from colleges. We’re recruiting through our cadet program, where we subsidize young pilots’ training. We’re recruiting through a military helicopter transition program. We even have recruited a crop duster,” Michael Herrman of Piedmont Airlines told Inside Edition.
At Piedmont Airlines, a subsidiary of American Airlines, they're churning out 40 new pilots every month.
Most of the newbies come from traditional backgrounds, like flight instructing.
Recruits must have already logged 1,500 hours of flight time and then go through five weeks of classroom instruction, along with 40 hours in a simulator.
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