September 9, 2014

Exposing the Pilot Pay Shortage

Fellow ALPA members:

As airline managements and other stakeholders with a vested self-interest continue to beat the drum about how a pilot shortage is responsible for disruptions in airline service, ALPA has been vigorously pushing back with the truth: the problem is a pilot pay shortage.

Our latest front in our aggressive education and advocacy campaign is an ALPA- produced no-frills, real numbers whiteboard video that clearly identifies the pilot pay shortage. As ALPA has stated time and time again, once pilots are paid commensurately for their training, expertise, judgment, skill, and experience, more qualified pilots will step forward, and further, the pipeline for more future airline pilots is sure to grow.

Watch and share on Facebook and Twitter to learn more.

Are there indeed canceled routes and fewer flight options? The answer is absolutely yes. Many of our members are painfully living with those decisions. But a pilot shortage cannot be fundamentally blamed for the actions managements are taking today as they maneuver in an industry riddled with challenges.

As line pilots who live and breathe the discomforts and gains of an industry largely defined by external factors, exposing and solving the systemic issue of a pilot pay shortage is a top priority of the Air Line Pilots Association, International.

However, before we can discuss reasonable and realistic goals to combat the pay shortage, it’s important that airline stakeholders and the public know the facts about the so-called pilot shortage. What are the real numbers? And what’s the real cause for a looming pilot shortage?

We’re talking about our jobs. We’re standing up for our careers. We’re advocating for our profession. If we don’t, who will?

Please take a moment to watch the video; send it to your colleagues, family, and friends; and help us spread the word about the pilot pay shortage, which must be addressed to remedy the problems that are disrupting air service today.

Respectfully,