Carrier Plans To Retire The Aging Aircraft In Three Years

For pilots looking for a fast track to the left seat of an airliner, Delta may have just the ticket ... but it's a ticket in an MD-88 airliner that will likely be retired in three years.

Bloomberg Businessweek reports that a junior Delta pilot can make the transition to Captain in as little as six months if they're willing to accept routes flown by the airplane that is "affectionately" know as the "Mad Dog". The airplanes are the oldest airliners currently in revenue service with any major U.S. carrier.

Delta has a lot of newer airplanes on order from both Boeing and Airbus, and a lot of pilots are reaching the mandatory retirement age. But many of the senior captains don't want to fly the older birds, and that leaves some junior pilots who are looking for an opportunity to make the leap to higher pay and prestige putting aside their egos about flying a newer jet.

Normally, a pilot can expect to fly as a First Officer for 8-10 years before making the shift to the left. Even in the best to times, that seniority list normally takes three to four years. But the willingness to fly the MD-88, or taking other less desirable assignments, has accelerated the timetable to less than a year. According to the report, one pilot hired in January was a captain by June.

While that's fast, it's not unprecedented, according to Delta spokesman Michael Thomas. He said that while some captains are moving up quickly, they are not less qualified than those who fly Delta's larger airplanes. “We hire folks who have the qualifications and airmanship and aptitude to become captains with Delta,” Thomas said.

(Image from file)

FMI: Original Report