American Airlines captain explains why it may take 12 months to bring back furloughed pilots

The process of bringing back furloughed pilots can take 15 months due to the industry’s extensive and intricate training system, according to an airline pilot who is also a labor union official. “It’s a very large ship and when you stop it, it takes a lot of energy to get it back up and running,” Dennis Tajer of the Allied Pilots Association told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Thursday. American Airlines, where Tajer is a pilot, and United are beginning to furlough more than 32,000 workers in the absence of additional coronavirus relief from Washington. Of the 19,000 employees American is set to furlough, around 1,600 will be pilots. “It takes months and months on the down cycle and back up to get these pilots back up and flying, and the public is ready to fly when it is safe to fly,” said Tajer, spokesman for APA, which represents American Airlines pilots. Carriers have been lobbying lawmakers and the White House for another $25b in support on top of the assistance that was granted as part of the $2.2t package approved in March. There is bipartisan support to extend aid to airlines, which continue to face travel declines due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The first batch of federal grants and loans prevented the airlines from cutting jobs through Sept. 30. Both American and United said they would reverse course on furloughs if lawmakers and the Trump administration reach a deal for a new relief package that includes more airline payroll support.<br/>