AIR Inc. tells us that the airline industry lifted off into 2003 continuing its pace of modest hiring which characterized 2002. A total of 471 pilots were hired in January. AIR, Inc. projects the industry will hire 7,075 new pilots in 2003.

In January, 99 of the 199 total (50%) airlines/operators reporting to AIR, Inc. hired pilots. The major airlines hired 60 pilots with five of the 14 (36%) carriers expected to hire over the next several months. In the national airlines segment, the most active, 14 of 32 (44%) hired a total of 236 new pilots. The jet operators hired 72; fractional companies hired 17. The non-jet operators hired 57 new pilots. At the end of January, the total number of pilots on furlough increased to 8,311 (8.79%), compared to 7,475 (7.9%) in December out of the total of 94,571 active airline pilots.

Bankrupt United Airlines (UAL) announced plans Jan. 29 to create a low-cost subsidiary airline to enable UAL to compete with established low-cost carriers, especially Southwest Airlines. The low-cost carrier proposal is part of UAL's new business plan, revealed Jan. 30 to board members but not made public. Also on Jan. 29, Delta Air Lines (DAL) formally introduced its new low-cost operation, "Song." The new wholly-owned DAL subsidiary will begin operations April 15 on JFK-West Palm Beach. The new carrier will replace Delta Express and, when at full strength, will operate a fleet of 36 Boeing B-757s. On Jan. 27, Federal Express received the first of 8 ATR 42-320s purchased from Continental Airlines. The ATRs will support the FedEx feeder network supporting the trunk system. Allegiant Air announced Jan. 22 the acquisition of two additional MD-83s. Including the new aircraft, Allegiant's fleet grows to three MD-83s and two MD-87s.

The West Coast region Airline Pilot Career Seminar, Airline Forum, and Job Fair will be held in Los Angeles, CA (LAX), at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel Saturday, April 12.

Airlines currently signed on to attend include: Alaska Airlines, Atlantic Coast Airlines, ATA, Comair, Flight Options, and NW Airlink/Pinnacle Airlines. Airlines invited to attend include: FedEx, Southwest Airlines, AirTran, American Eagle Airlines, ASA and many others. The seminar will feature topics on the pilot hiring market, job search planning, pre-employment medical exams, interviewing, written testing, and applications/résumés/cover letters.

Six Career Workshops will also be conducted. The first three workshops will be held Friday afternoon and evening, April 11, featuring CRM, Military/Airline Transition, and Civilian/Airline Transition. Covered Sunday will be Interview Survival, Airline Testing/Simulator Checks, and Résumés/Cover Letters/Applications. The next seminar is planned for Atlanta (ATL) on June 21, 2003.

FMI: www.jet-jobs.com