American Airlines can’t fly about 150 of its regional aircraft because of an ongoing pilot shortage, the Texas-based carrier’s CEO, Robert Isom, said last week at the Bernstein 39th Annual Strategic Decisions Conference.
"We would deploy properly to markets that aren’t being served,” Isom said, but don't the pilots.
The shortage of pilots and parked planes comes as airlines are facing record demand for summer travel without the capacity to take advantage of higher ticket prices.
There are more regional commercial jets on the ground than there was a year ago after the pandemic turndown.
AA anticipates getting more pilots over an estimated 18-to-24 months for its regional network and those parked aircraft back in the air "in a fashion that is going to produce unit revenues that are very favorable,” he said.
The estimation accounts for the imbalance between the number of captains flowing out of the regional airlines to the mainlines. American has put in contractual provisions and incentives that allow the company to build up jobs over time, Isom explained.
The entire airline industry could be facing a pilot shortage of nearly 80,000 worldwide by the year 2032, according to management consultant Oliver Wyman. (Dallas News 06/01/23) American Airlines CEO says it can’t deploy 150 regional jets because of pilot shortage (dallasnews.com)
American flies to cities in Louisiana (Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Lake Charles) and Mississippi (Gulfport and Jackson).
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