And That's Only Through October!
Airline pilot hiring has more than doubled from 2003 - from
3,978 in 2003 to 8,209 in 2004, and we still have two months
remaining in this year. Hiring for the month of October last year
was 452 compared to 687 this year. The National carriers have had
the highest hiring volume for the past three months, leading with
339 pilots in October, followed by the Non-Jet operators with 113,
and the Majors finished third with 94.
Bad news for ATA sparked good news for AirTran this month. ATA
filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection October 26, with AirTran
Airways picking up some of their most lucrative gates. AirTran will
take over 14 gates at Chicago Midway, 19 slots at LaGuardia, and
eight slots at Washington Reagan. The tentative agreement is valued
at approximately $87.5 million. ATA CEO George Mikelson said the
transition will occur over a one-year period with AirTran operating
the gates/slots through a code share agreement in the interim. The
transaction is subject to bankruptcy court approval.
Pilots unions at US Airways and Delta Air Lines came to
agreements. US Airways pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots
Association, agreed to an 18 percent cut in wages for an annual
savings of $300 million during the five-year contract. US Airways
also announced its plans to transform its hub-and-spoke system to
the more lucrative status of low-cost carrier effective February
6.
"By changing our core business
model, US Airways will be better positioned to successfully compete
in an aggressive competitive environment where declines in yields,
growth of other low-cost carriers, and record high fuel prices are
expected," said Ben Baldanza, US Airways' Senior VP of Marketing
and Planning. US Airways plans to increase capacity by adding 230
daily flights without adding new aircraft. Airline executives say
they'll accomplish this by increasing utilization and by flying
bigger planes in place of regional jets and regional jets in place
of turboprop aircraft. Delta (DAL) pilots, represented by the Air
Line Pilots Association, reached a tentative contract October 27
worth $705 million. The five-year contract, cuts wages by 32.5
percent wage effective December 1, with no planned increase during
the five-year agreement. DAL will also freeze the pilots' defined
benefit retirement plan and give them a new 10% defined
contribution plan. Pilots will also receive about 30 million shares
of Delta common stock, representing a 15% equity stake in the
company.
AIR, Inc.'s Airline Pilot Job Fair and Seminar is scheduled for
November 13 at the Renaissance Concourse Hotel in Atlanta (GA).
FedEx, AirTran, America West, American Eagle, AirNet, ASA, Cape
Air, Comair, Gulfstream, Mesa Airlines, NetJets, Tab Express, US
Airways Express/Piedmont Airlines, and USA Jet are all attending in
addition to a hosts of industry-related vendors.
(ANN sends special thanks -- as always -- to Kit Darby,
President & Publisher, Jet Jobs)
ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (04.15.24)
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