Republic Airways CEO says labor accord has halved pilot losses

US regional carrier Republic Airways, which warned last year it could be forced to file for bankruptcy-court protection amid a pressing pilot hiring and retention challenge, has seen a significant slowdown in pilot losses after sealing a new pay accord. “Our attrition rate is half what it was prior to the pay accord,” airline President and CE Bryan Bedford said. The majority of Republic Airways’s 2,100 pilots in October backed a three-year labour pact that raises pay and improves working conditions. The pilot shortage meant Republic wasn’t able to meet contractual schedules for major airline customers American Airlines, United Continental and Delta. “We are starting to come back into balance,” Bedford said of the pilot situation. The airline begins the year around 300 pilots short and will have to work throughout 2016 to fill the positions. Still, Bedford worries the pressure on retaining pilots will remain. <br/>