American Airlines is on a hiring frenzy to get more pilots into the piloting industry. Major Airlines such as American have been striving to inspire more pilots to become a part of the industry.

After the tragic event of 9/11, the piloting industry took a devastating hit. New and inspired pilots had been cut short due to fear. Airlines had been suffering from the shortage of pilots ever since. The shortage of pilots in recent years was mostly caused by 9/11 and American Airlines is trying to fix the problem by hiring 10,000 pilots over the course of ten years.

Brad Morrison, a knowledgeable pilot who presented this issue last Thursday to AHS Aviation students in a special virtual seminar, had a lot to say about the process of bringing more pilots into the world of aviation.

“There was this fear after 9/11 the population had to get over before they felt comfortable with getting on back on airliners. You know, compare that to today. Now, the fear today is I’m afraid to fly because if I leave my house I’m going to get sick,” Morrison stated.

Opportunities for pilots are greater than ever, and yet the hiring rate has wavered since the pandemic started, due to the fear or inability to go out into public. The hiring rate has gone from 1,300 newly hired pilots to 1,000 pilots per year, which is barely making the 10,000 pilot hiring goal possible. This lack of recruitment is much like the season after 9/11 occurred and is greatly affecting the hiring rate for the airlines.

“Each of those airlines, Delta, South West, and United, were all on pace to hire about 10,000 pilots over the next 10 years\; so about 1,000 pilots per year, over the next 10 years this year for American, you know, when you look at this number on the screen here where it says, 1,000 pilots. For 2020, our hiring number before Corona hit was 1,394,” Morrison said.

The likelihood of being hired into American airlines is promising for pilots with specific requirements. Such as having over 1500 flight hours. In fact, the time to become a pilot and seize the new opportunities is right now. Being hired into an airline like American can benefit a pilot in many ways, such as being paid a large amount of money after working for a few years with the company. The longer a pilot works for an airline, the more they get paid.

“Working at a regional [airport] is going to be about $55,000 to $60,000 a year,” Morrison said.

What is also a benefit for pilots working for airlines is the amazing places he or she can visit on their routes. As a pilot gains experience, the routes they fly can get easier, and the pay increases. Although at first the routes and pay are not astronomically high the airlines can guarantee very promising pay after five to ten years.

If it weren’t for 9/11 or the Coronavirus pandemic, these piloting opportunities wouldn’t even be possible. This will greatly inspire many young pilots to work for American Airlines and other companies alongside them.

“My interest in aviation started when I was about a junior or senior in high school. Seeing my father fly was a huge inspiration,” Morrison stated.

It is crucial to promote pilots to get into the airline industry, regardless of the COVID-19 pandemic. It will keep companies in business and important routes across the world active. Especially before the COVID-19 Pandemic, hundreds of pilots were trying to get a job with the airlines.

“It’s really kind of amazing how many pilots were trying to get in our doors and get flying for us mainline,” Morrison said.

It is essential for more pilots to strive to be a part of the industry, Airlines are begging young pilots to join their fleets to keep business rolling smoothly. Over the course of ten years, the hiring frenzy will continue, stronger than ever.