Southwest Airlines will sharply reduce its pilot hiring for 2024, following record hiring the last two years.
Southwest plans to hire approximately 350 pilots this year, and no new-hire classes are scheduled after this month.
Last year, Southwest hired 1,916 pilots, according to pilot recruitment advisory firm Future & Active Pilot Advisors. The airline hired 1,140 pilots in 2022.
A spike in hiring happened in 2022, when airlines began ramping up service at the end of the pandemic. There had been an acute pilot shortfall caused in part by the 5,000 early retirement packages that airlines provided in 2020. Carriers have also had to replace a steady stream of pilots as they reach the mandatory retirement age of 65. And they've padded pilot workforces to deal with a reduction in the efficiency of the U.S. airspace system in the aftermath of the Covid crisis.
Regional U.S. carriers, which operate flights under the American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express brands, continue to struggle through a shortage of available pilot recruits, in particular captains, which has limited their capacity.
In a statement, Southwest said that it is adjusting pilot hiring in line with its business plan, which calls for capacity growth beyond 2024 in the low to mid-single digits. Hiring is also slowing throughout the company.
"Our published flight schedule is aligned with these staffing levels," the carrier said.
Southwest CEO Bob Jordan telegraphed the hiring slowdown during an earnings call in January, noting that company's head count would be flat to down this year, slowing hiring to levels at or below its attrition rate.