What pilots do when a pandemic grounds half the world’s planes

Flying $450m airliners was once a dream job, and there was no shortage of opportunity. Last year Boeing estimated that airlines would need to add 800,000 pilots over the next 20 years to feed an Asia-led travel boom; some carriers in China were offering salaries of more than $300,000 a year, plus perks, to woo industry veterans. Then coronavirus began to spread and overseas travel halted, grounding 51% of the world’s global fleet. As they wait to see whether they’ll ever get back in the cockpit, pilots have turned to a mishmash of odd jobs and second-choice careers. Few jobs have swung from a stubborn and severe shortage to a vast surplus within a matter of weeks, and it offers insight into how one specialized workforce is adapting to a potential hammer blow. “We will do anything we can by problem solving and managing risks to protect our families,” said Chris Riggins, a pilot for Delta and a spokesman for the Air Line Pilots Association. “If that means working in a grocery store, pilots will do it.” In fact, some are working at supermarkets, others at phone companies, still more learning to drive trucks or working in financial services. Many are finding that the side gigs they’ve developed over the years are now the mainstay. It’s not clear when, if ever, the industry will fully recover. Story has more.<br/>