Professionalism in the Regional Carriers

The looming pilot shortage has been the talk of many in the industry. From trying to find the cause, to trying find a solution to the looming problem. Some say the shortage is due to pay and other says it is due to the actual number of new pilots compared to those retiring. I personally think that the pilot shortage will be real and will happen in the near distant future, due to the lack of new pilots to replace the ones retiring. An article by Brian Prentice on Forbes shows just how important finding new pilots are. “Unless airlines find ways to work with partners to cultivate a pilot pipeline, they could face difficult, even volatile, competition for experienced pilots because the current regulatory and industry situation can only yield about two-thirds of the pilots the U.S. will need in the next 20 years. (Prentice, 2016)” The article goes on to state, “airlines are adding more airplanes just as a wave of pilots nears retirement and regulations on pilot duty times have tightened. (Prentice, 2016)” The regulations released in 2013 have made it harder for pilots to become certified commercial pilots, by raising the amount of hours required to 1,500. This has made it more costly for new pilots, and also a longer process which may have turned people away from being pilots. When the huge wave of pilots does retire, that will lead to the looming pilot shortage. (Prentice, 2016)” However on the other side of the issue some think that the pilot shortage is due to low pay according to an article by Bill Carey, “the average starting pay for a first officer at a regional airline is $23,000, according to ALPA. The five lowest-paying airlines combined operate more than half of all regional flights each day, it says. Meanwhile, candidates entering the field by the academic route face excessive debt, having spent $150,000 to $200,000 for a university degree and flight training. (Carey, 2015)” Which, from what I understand is the truth, pilots fresh out of school are barely making any money, including any extra money to help payoff the student loan. However I think that if someone wants to be a pilot, that is their dream and money is really not an object, which leads to lean on the other side of the argument.

The new regulations for pilots have put a great strain on the regional carriers to get pilots. From talking to other pilots in the airport, as soon as pilots get hired with the regional airlines and get the required amount of hours they are hired to the mainlines which puts the regional carriers needing more pilots again. However regional carriers have to hire out of a smaller pool of candidates with just the required amount of hours. Also these pilots are coming fresh out of school and have great amounts of debt which makes these pilots want to look for higher paying jobs which the regional airlines cannot offer. Possible solutions to widen the hiring pool would be for regional airlines to pay higher starting pay or even lobby to lower the amount of flying hours required if they can prove safety hasn’t been compromised.

ALPA is a union organization that represents most regional pilots, and completes lots of lobbying in order to make pilots lives well. Other parts of the industry are also covered by organizations mainly depending on the company. Some companies have unions and organizations for certain groups, and some just fall in to large organizations like ALPA. Most management positions are not covered by any specific group from what I found. Two big organizations that support the industry is the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace workers, and the Transport workers union which both cover large groups of people in the airline industry (Labor Relations). Each organization helps a variety of people including some management for a variety of different reasons. Another organization that supports mainly just regional carriers is the Regional Airlines Association.

Professionalism is something that is very important for any person in any career. Professionalism means to me to act in your best, showing good conduct and being able to successfully complete your job. In order to act your best, you understand your job and what your expectations our and have the required skills to successfully complete the job.

In the documentary “Flying Cheap” there were several instances when professionalism was lacked by Colgan airways and their pilots. First Colgan was willing to change a pilot’s flying schedule by shortening the amount of time he had already flew by 15 minutes for then legally he could fly the last flight, which would have taken him home to Albany. The company proceeded to try and convince the pilot that he wanted to go home, and this would be his quickest way, however the pilot already understood that he had flew too many hours for the day. Another instance of lacking professionalism was when the pilot changed a loading schedule to make the aircraft under weight and safe to fly. After the first officer stated that the aircraft was too heavy to fly and something would have to be changed like removing passengers, instead the captain altered the loading schedule changing the weight of the flight. Both are examples of lacking professionalism which should have not taken place.

Yes, I do think that pilot pay and the way regional airlines are paid for flights contributed to the way professionalism was lacked in the documentary. The pilots at Colgan did not make much money and were only compensated when the aircraft door is closed. This pushed pilots to fly lots of flights every day, at fast paces, which could require bending the rules. According to the documentary Colgan was paid by the mainline carrier based on the completion of flight. This would push Colgan to do whatever it takes to complete every flight, which means safety could be compromised and choices would be made not in a professional manner.
            I think that it is very important for my self to display professionalism in every job that I have. First I plan to always stick to the rules and regulations that are set forth by the company, including everything in the employee handbook and it is never okay to deviate away from these standards. Second I will continue to expand my learning to help enhance my skill and make sure that I am on the top of my game everyday. If that requires me took go back to school and take refresher courses or take other workshops and seminars to help enhance my knowledge and skill.

Resources

Carey, B. (2015, June 25). Airline Pilots: Low Pay Drives Disputed Pilot Shortage. Retrieved from, http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2015-06-25/airline-pilots-low-pay-drives-disputed-pilot-shortage

Labor Relations - Labor Relations - Southwest Airlines Newsroom. (n.d.). Retrieved, from,http://swamedia.com/channels/labor-relations/pages/labor-relations

Prentice, B. (2016, January 28). Pilot Shortage Threatens To Slow U.S. Airline Growth. Retrieved from, http://www.forbes.com/sites/oliverwyman/2016/01/28/pilot-shortage-threatens-to-slow-u-s-airline-growth/#121e9a81bb6e