Anybody Hiring Pilots?

There were 5,000 new pilot jobs last year.  This is the time to train, stay current and build quality time, so as hiring heats up more, you're qualified to apply for the airline job you want, according to Kit Darby, president of airline career specialist, AIR, Inc.

In the past 18 months, American Eagle has hired approx. 400 pilots; JetBlue an estimated 200, and SkyWest, approximately another 400 pilots.  Mesa Airlines went from about 1,200 pilots to about 1,700 pilots in the past year -- and expects to continue hiring.  The normal pilot-hiring requirements for many airlines are back to pre-September 11 levels.  Mesa requires 1,000 total hours with a minimum of 100 multi-engine.  Some airlines reduce their requirements to less than that, if you have a type rating appropriate to their fleets.  It's important to contact each airline you are interested in for precise hiring requirements, as they vary.

If you are looking to become a airline pilot, I recommend you consider an accredited flight school such as Phoenix East Aviation.

What Salary Can I Expect as a Commercial Pilot?

Airline                       1st Year F/O (annual)*  10th Year Captain (annual)*

Airborne Express               $28,536                     $146,184

Alaska                               $49,968                    $186,684

America West                    $36,552                   $125,832

American                           $31,080                   $123,420

American Trans Air             $36,000                   $136,632

Astar Air Cargo                    $29,376                  $141,732

Continental                          $30,000                  $152,988

Delta                                    $50,400                 $204,636

FedEx                                   $52,056                $175,716

Northwest                             $33,468                 $158,532

Southwest                             $42,960                $159,000

United                                   $33,924                $137,400

UPS                                       $26,004                 $200,508

US Airways                             $29,520                 $119,448

AVERAGE                                $36,420                $154,908

Maximum Captain salaries are greater; Examples are Delta at $287,652 and  Continental at 200,532.

The total average maximum annual Captain salary is $191,220.

* This is salary alone. Benefits are additional and vary by airline.

The source of the salary information above is the 2004 Salary Survey, AIR, Inc.

India's Aviation Market Surges

With domestic air travel forecast to grow by 25% a year for the next five years, the Indian aviation market is booming.  Aircraft manufacturers, as well as India's carriers and the government, are hustling to keep up with it.  The demand for pilots is great -- and India is unable to train a sufficient number of pilots to meet demand.  This is an excellent opportunity for expatriate pilots to be hired.

In April, the U.S. and India signed an Open Skies agreement; starting this month U.S. carriers are expected to raise the number of of flights between the two countries by 84%.  Including flights operated by Indian carriers, the number of lifhgts between the two countries is expected to rise 70%.

To meet the demand for new aircraft, Boeing plans to deliver 492 aircraft to Indian carriers in the next approximately 15 years.  It has revised its previous estimate upward from 370 aircraft for this period.

To accommodate this increase, India is also investing heavily to upgrade airport infastructures -- new terminals, runways and airport roads are being built, and a second airport in Mumbai is being planned. 

JetBlue Orders 99 Embraers

JetBlue, which has 99 of the new Embraer 190 twin jets on firm order, will have eight of the Brazilian planes in its fleet by year end -- and 26 more by the end of 2006.  By the end of this year, JetBlue will also operate 85 Airbuses.

JetBlue is the nation's 10th-largest by passenger traffic.  It's adding new flights from JFK International to Austin, TX, Richond, VA, Burlinton, VT and Buffalo, NY.  All these new flights will be operated with 100-seat Embraer 190.