United has an answer to the pilot shortage: Its own flight school
The United Aviate Academy officially opened Thursday outside Phoenix, putting the school's first class of about 60 students on a streamlined path to a new career. United says its in-house flight training operation is the first for any major airline in the United States. Consulting firm Oliver Wyman says airlines worldwide need an estimated 34,000 new pilots by 2025 to meet growing demand and keep up with retirements, and United CEO Scott Kirby said the traditional models are not adequately feeding the demand. "The pilot shortage is real, but it's really real at the regional airlines," Kirby said. "If it's a crisis, it's a crisis for small communities." Traditionally, airlines looked to the military to provide a steady stream of qualified candidates. Civilian pilots had to come to the table with thousands of flying hours cobbled together on their own — the FAArequires a minimum of 1,500 hours of piloting experience to earn an Airline Transport Pilot certificate. "This is the model really about creating that economic opportunity to let people come in who don't have $100,000 to spend on their certification, but have great potential, great ability — to let them get through the whole process of becoming a commercial airline pilot," Kirby said. United says its academy costs $71,250, with scholarships available. Delta Air Lines recently dropped its requirement that pilot applicants have a four-year college degree, too. While the industry average pay for pilots is more than $190,000, according to the Labor Department, entry-level pay is notoriously low and training costs are high, frequently exceeding the limits of federal student loans. A 2018 report by the Government Accountability Office found cost to be one of the largest recruitment challenges for flight schools. Airlines that cut costs by asking veteran flight crews to take early retirement packages during the depths of the pandemic are now staffing up. United expects to train 500 pilots through the Aviate Academy every year over the decade.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2022-02-01/star/united-has-an-answer-to-the-pilot-shortage-its-own-flight-school
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United has an answer to the pilot shortage: Its own flight school
The United Aviate Academy officially opened Thursday outside Phoenix, putting the school's first class of about 60 students on a streamlined path to a new career. United says its in-house flight training operation is the first for any major airline in the United States. Consulting firm Oliver Wyman says airlines worldwide need an estimated 34,000 new pilots by 2025 to meet growing demand and keep up with retirements, and United CEO Scott Kirby said the traditional models are not adequately feeding the demand. "The pilot shortage is real, but it's really real at the regional airlines," Kirby said. "If it's a crisis, it's a crisis for small communities." Traditionally, airlines looked to the military to provide a steady stream of qualified candidates. Civilian pilots had to come to the table with thousands of flying hours cobbled together on their own — the FAArequires a minimum of 1,500 hours of piloting experience to earn an Airline Transport Pilot certificate. "This is the model really about creating that economic opportunity to let people come in who don't have $100,000 to spend on their certification, but have great potential, great ability — to let them get through the whole process of becoming a commercial airline pilot," Kirby said. United says its academy costs $71,250, with scholarships available. Delta Air Lines recently dropped its requirement that pilot applicants have a four-year college degree, too. While the industry average pay for pilots is more than $190,000, according to the Labor Department, entry-level pay is notoriously low and training costs are high, frequently exceeding the limits of federal student loans. A 2018 report by the Government Accountability Office found cost to be one of the largest recruitment challenges for flight schools. Airlines that cut costs by asking veteran flight crews to take early retirement packages during the depths of the pandemic are now staffing up. United expects to train 500 pilots through the Aviate Academy every year over the decade.<br/>
