Regional airlines PSA, Envoy and Piedmont, each of
which is a subsidiary of American Airlines, have launched pilot cadet training
programs.
The programs will provide a pathway to eventual pilot
posts at American while offering financial assistance to promising pilot
candidates.
The announcements came as regional airlines across the
U.S. are experiencing pilot shortages.
“As the fastest-growing regional airline in the
country, it is more important than ever for PSA Airlines to attract the most
promising future pilots from the most prestigious aviation institutions in the
country,” Dion Flannery, president of PSA Airlines, said in a statement. “This
industry-leading program is not only a win for our airline, but for future
participants as they now have a clear and unparalleled career path from
student, to instructor, to PSA pilot and on to American Airlines.”
Each of the programs seeks to recruit promising future
pilots as early as their freshman year in college. Those who are accepted to
the programs are offered tuition reimbursement, placement as flight instructors
and other support as they reach various certification milestones. Tuition
reimbursement can ultimately reach up to $16,000.
In addition, all three carriers have no-interview,
seniority-based promotions that take pilots from second-seat positions at the
regional carriers through to posts in the cockpits of American Airlines.
Each of the cadet programs will work in partnership
with universities and flight schools. Envoy, for example, has partnered with
more than 40 flight schools and universities, it said.
The pilot shortage is driving contractions at U.S.
regional airlines. Just last week, for example, Portland-based Seaport Airlines
cited pilot shortages as it announced the cessation of flights to nine
destinations in California, Kansas, Missouri and Mexico’s Baja Peninsula. On
Thursday, the airline also postponed planned service to Seattle as well as the
Washington destinations of Moses Lake and Port Angeles.
Regional airlines are primarily blaming the pilot
shortage on a 2013 congressionally mandated regulation that increased the
required training hours to serve as a first officer from 250 to 1,500.
Compounding the problem will be the retirement of an estimated 13,000 to 15,000
pilots between now and 2022 at American, Delta, Southwest and United.
However, Air Line Pilots Association International
(ALPA), the world’s largest pilots union, says low pay at the regional carriers
is the cause of their problems. Some regional carriers pay first-year wages of
less than $21,000, ALPA says.