American Airlines has kicked off a training and financing programme for would-be pilots, extending efforts to address a looming shortage of aviators. Students selected for the new American Airlines Cadet Academy would train for as long as 18 months at one of three flight schools aligned with the carrier. The students would have an option to obtain financing for the full cost, including room and board, through Discover Financial Services, American Airlines Group said Tuesday. A US pilot shortage is expected to balloon to at least 15,000 positions by 2026, according to a 2016 study by the University of North Dakota’s Aviation Department, as more captains reach mandatory retirement and fewer young people choose aviation as a career. “The lack of financing options has restricted the size of the pilot pool, leaving some of the most talented people out of the running,” said Kimball Stone, American’s VP for flight. Flight-training for a university commercial-aviation major can cost more than $60,000, before room and board.<br/>
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New data-protection rules being introduced in Europe could create opportunities for airlines, in the view of Finnair commercial chief Juha Jarvinen. Jarvinen on April 18 discussed the challenges presented by the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), as well as recent controversies over harvesting of Facebook data. GDPR, to be enforced from 25 May, could significantly affect airlines and airports as it allows little accessibility to customer's information without prior approval – with implications for loyalty programmes. "It will to an extent limit our ability to utilise the data... We have to ask new consent from our loyalty members," Jarvinen acknowledged. But he adds: "We are utilising the opportunity to get wider opportunities to use the data, so we have turned the challenge into an opportunity there." Notwithstanding the constraints imposed by GDPR, there remains scope for airlines to add value via digitalisation, argues Jarvinen. "I think another area for airlines we have neglected as an industry is the in-flight part, including the long-haul part," he says. "In any other business, you would try to utilise that time efficiently... in a new modern way."<br/>