First they started bringing back their flight attendants, luring them with increased pay and overtime incentives.
Now U.S. airlines are going shopping for more pilots in an effort to avoid being caught short-handed by the resumption of international travel to the U.S., which began Monday, as well as the looming holiday season.
In fact, according to the Wall Street Journal, the airlines are set to hire more pilots over the next several months than they have in the last three decades.
And it's a desperate situation.
"There are not enough pilots out there right now to go around," Tim Genc, chief adviser at FAPA.aero, told the Journal.
FAPA.aero is a Nevada-based career and financial adviser for professional pilots. According to its statistics, U.S. airlines are poised to hire 4,200 pilots this year and more than 9,000 next year as they try to offset the loss of pilots due to mandatory retirement, incentivized retirement from the pandemic, buyouts and layoffs.
Airlines were suddenly caught short back in the spring and summer when the pent-up travel demand exploded. Between the lack of staff, weather problems and technical issues, several airlines experienced big delays and cancellations.
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