Why Airlines Struggle to Keep Captains

When the coronavirus pandemic hit in early 2020, drastic travel restrictions meant that demand for commercial air travel, cruises, hotels, and more disappeared virtually overnight.

John McDermott

Tuesday, October 24, 2023 at 08:33 PM ET

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Inside the cockpit of an Air Italy Boeing 737 MAX. [Photo: AirlineGeeks/Fabian Behr]

Key Takeaways:

The COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted airlines, leading to grounded planes and early retirement incentives for senior captains, based on predictions of a multi-year recovery.
Contrary to initial forecasts, travel demand rebounded rapidly starting in late 2021, creating an acute and unexpected shortage of experienced airline captains.
This captain shortage is intensified by qualified first officers' reluctance to upgrade (due to loss of seniority and work-life balance concerns) and regional airlines' difficulty in training new captains amidst high attrition rates to mainline carriers.
Airlines are addressing the issue with new pilot contracts and incentives, while regional carriers have cut schedules and offered bonuses, highlighting an ongoing industry-wide challenge to staff cockpits.

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When the coronavirus pandemic hit in early 2020, the travel industry was among the hardest hit. Suddenly, drastic travel restrictions meant that demand for commercial air travel, cruises, hotels, and more disappeared virtually overnight.

Original estimates predicted that it would take years for travel demand to rebound to pre-pandemic levels. In fact, in the first months of the pandemic, the most ambitious estimates indicated that demand would start in 2023. Others projected it might take an additional year or two on top of that.