SARS Didn't Kill All Hopes

Pilot hiring levels held their ground in May as the airline industry dealt with the soft travel market and the continued impact of the post war period and SARS virus. A total of 372 pilots were hired in May. AIR, Inc. projects the industry will hire approximately 5-6,000 new pilots in 2003.

Furloughs increased, but at slowed pace

In May, 84 of the 194 total (43 percent) airlines/operators reporting to AIR, Inc. hired pilots. The major airlines hired 62 pilots with three of the 14 (21%) carriers expected to hire over the next several months. In the national airlines segment, 10 of 32 (31%) hired a total of 97 new pilots. The jet operators, the most active segment, hired 108; non-jet companies hired 58. As of June 5, the total number of pilots on furlough increased to 8,895 (9.41 percent) compared to 8,655 (9.15 percent) on April 30 out of the total of 94,571 active airline pilots.

Significant news of the period:

US Airways announced on May 12 a $4.3 billion order for a minimum of 170 regional jets. Included in the order were 60 Bombadier CRJ-200s, 25 CRJ-700s, and 85 Embraer ERJ-170s, with options for up to 380 additional aircraft. According to reports, the carrier had already secured 80 percent of the required financing. On June 1, Star Alliance approved admission of US Airways group into the international partnership. DHL Airways announced May 21 that Chairman and CEO John Dasburg and Blum Capital Partners, plan to purchase the carrier for $57 million, subject to Department of Transportation approval. Upon closing, expected by June 30, the carrier name will change to Astar Air Cargo, Inc. The Chautauqua unit of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters mailed strike authorization ballots to the carrier's pilot group. Results are expected June 20.

Job Fair for pilots:

The Southeast region Airline Pilot Career Seminar, Airline Forum, and Job Fair will be held in Atlanta, GA (ATL), at the Renaissance Concourse Hotel Saturday, June 21. Airlines currently attending include: ATA, Southwest Airlines, FedEx, AirNet, AirTran, Comair, JetBlue, Mesa, World Airways, CommutAir, TAB Express, CAE SimuFlite and LA Air National Guard. Airlines invited to attend include: Alaska Airlines, Flight Options, Pinnacle Airlines, USA 3000 Airlines and many others.

Seven Career Workshops will also be conducted. The first four workshops will be held Friday afternoon and evening, June 20, featuring CRM, Furlough Survival-a new workshop, Military/Airline Transition, and Résumés/Cover Letters/Applications. Covered Sunday will be Interview Survival, Airline Testing/Simulator Checks, and. Civilian/Airline Transition. The next seminar is planned for Washington, D.C. (DCA) on Sept. 20, 2003.

FMI: www.jet-jobs.com