Airlines struggling to find pilots consider lowering new hire requirements

Airlines struggling to find pilots to fill cockpits on planes across the country are considering lowering the bar for qualified fliers, including halving the number of hours it takes to become a pilot.

The drop in requirements looks different for the airlines. Delta Airlines scrapped the 4-year college degree requirement in January, stating that qualified fliers don’t need a bachelor’s degree if they have relevant flying experience.

Representatives from companies like Delta, American and United have petitioned the Federal Aviation Administration to hire pilots with 750 flight hours instead of the usual 1,500.

For aviation industry figures like United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby, adaptation could be the answer to the pilot shortage.

“The pilot shortage in the industry is real, and most airlines just aren’t going to hit their capacity plans because there simply aren’t enough pilots, at least not for the next five years,” Kirby said in a quarterly earnings call last month.

United Airlines isn’t the only company feeling the pressure. In a video recently posted to YouTube, Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci apologized to customers.

“I hear every day from friends, neighbors and guests how disruptive our flight cancellations have been. Everyone wants to know – what happened? And what are we doing about it? Simply put, we had 63 fewer pilots than planned when we made our schedule.”

Minicucci explained that of the 1,200 flights that Alaska Airlines operates daily, about 50 will be canceled, accounting for about 4% of all flights.

The legislature is also concerned with the problem. A measure proposed by South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham would raise the required retirement age for pilots from 65 to 67.

For now, it remains unclear whether the FAA will grant the airline’s requests to hire more inexperienced pilots.