United Doubles Down on Pilot Hiring, Sets New Record

Amid a recent flurry of headlines around slowdowns in hiring among some airlines, United is keeping its foot on the gas.

Ryan Ewing

Monday, November 20, 2023 at 03:19 PM ET

Verified

A United 777-200 in San Francisco [Photo: AirlineGeeks/Ben Suskind]

Key Takeaways:

United Airlines is aggressively hiring pilots, setting a new monthly record in October 2023 and on track to exceed its annual target, contrasting with slowdowns or halts in hiring at many other U.S. airlines.
The airline supports its recruitment efforts through significant investments in its Aviate Academy and expansion of its pilot training center in Denver.
Despite successful first officer hiring, the broader industry, including United, continues to face a significant "captain shortage," posing challenges for retaining experienced pilots and impacting airline capacity.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Amid a recent flurry of headlines around slowdowns in hiring among some airlines, United is keeping its foot on the gas. The Chicago-based carrier just hired a record number of pilots in October.

According to data from FAPA – a pilot career advisory group that’s been tracking hiring trends across 13 major U.S. airlines for over 30 years – United hired 270 pilots in October 2023, the carrier’s highest amount of new hires in a single month. This boils down to nearly 70 new hires each week.