Airlines Cut Pilot Hiring Numbers in First Half of 2024

Major U.S. carriers added nearly 3,000 fewer pilots so far this year compared to 2023.

Ryan Ewing

Thursday, July 11, 2024 at 10:24 AM ET

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Edited By: tccjeremy

An American Boeing 787 in Los Angeles [Credit: AirlineGeeks/William Derrickson]

Key Takeaways:

Major U.S. airlines significantly scaled back pilot hiring in the first half of 2024, recruiting approximately 3,600 pilots compared to over 6,500 during the same period in 2023.
This reduction is primarily driven by aircraft delivery delays, normalizing pilot attrition levels, and major carriers reaching their immediate staffing goals after previous hiring surges.
Several major airlines, including Delta, American, and Southwest, have halted or drastically reduced new pilot classes, with Spirit planning to furlough pilots, though overall hiring remains above pre-pandemic levels.
In contrast to major carriers, UPS increased pilot hiring due to a new contract, and many regional airlines continue to offer sign-on bonuses to attract captains and first officers.

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Major U.S. airlines substantially scaled back pilot hiring during the first half of 2024. Citing aircraft delivery delays and normalizing attrition levels as reasons for the slowdown, airlines hired just over 3,600 pilots from January through June, a decrease from the 6,509 hired during the same period in 2023.

Data from airline career consultancy group Future & Active Pilot Advisors (FAPA) measures hiring trends at 13 major U.S. carriers. The largest year-over-year swing was at Delta Air Lines, which hired 1,667 fewer pilots during the first half of 2024.