Pilot training puzzle tests US airlines as travel takes off

As millions of Americans gear up for a summer of vacation flights, Ben Wallander is hitting the books and the simulator. The 27-year-old is one of hundreds of pilots Delta and American Airlines are rushing to train after a surge in travel bookings spurred by COVID-19 vaccinations. Thousands of pilots at Delta and American have lost their active status, which lapses after 90 days of not flying, at some point over the past year as the coronavirus pandemic slammed the brakes on air travel and brought airlines to their knees. But a long US Memorial Day weekend from Friday is expected to usher in a forecast surge in summer leisure travel that will test the ability of airlines to manage a long-awaited comeback. While the airlines have already retrained many of their pilots, the travel revival has forced Delta and American to seek more simulators and flight instructors to expedite training and unblock a logjam, people with knowledge of the matter said. Both airlines are beneficiaries of three COVID-19 relief packages worth $54b mostly in free money the industry argued was necessary to keep workers like pilots with costly training requirements ready. Analysts warn that failing to ensure a smooth travel recovery could lead to flight cancellations and delays in generating cash needed to repay pandemic debt. "It's quite the puzzle," McKinsey aviation consultant Vik Krishnan said of the pilot training logistics, likening them to a game of Tetris. Delta and American must train pilots who flew on fleets retired due to the pandemic as well as those filling vacancies on different aircraft types after colleagues took buyouts, in addition to annual recurrent training requirements. "Our pilot training has remained on track with our scheduled operational plans and continues to be," Delta spokesman Anthony Black said. Story has more.<br/>