The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) gathered stakeholders from across the aviation industry for an in-depth webinar discussion about the best ways to retain current US airline pilots and attract new recruits into the piloting profession.
“ALPA is leading the charge, finding the common ground we can all agree on to reach the solutions needed to ensure that the United States has enough highly trained, professional pilots needed for our industry to grow and thrive,” says Capt. Tim Canoll, ALPA president.
ALPA leaders and experienced airline pilots were joined by airline managers, aviation educators, aircraft manufacturers, and experts from other aviation organizations to address key issues that have been discussed in various industry circles with a fragmented approach, says ALPA.
In conjunction with the day-long conference, ALPA has released a new fact sheet highlighting challenges facing the airline pilot profession. While currently there are thousands of qualified pilots available to fly for US airlines, the compensation, benefits, quality of life and career progression opportunities at some airlines are inadequate to attract them to those companies, the association stated. ALPA also maintains that airlines struggling to find pilots are those that don’t offer competitive wages, benefits, reasonable working conditions, and a solid career path.
Panel discussions include various stages of the piloting profession:
• From education and certification to innovative methods designed to keep qualified pilots in the cockpit;
• Recent success stories regarding incentive programs that have stabilized pilot supply at some airlines;
• How best to attract the next generation of students to the airline piloting profession;
• Opportunities available for high school students to enter the cockpit;
• The different paths available for future pilots: military, aviation universities, or local flight schools, and
• Firsthand experiences of several U.S. airline pilots who were able to overcome challenges and invest the time and money necessary to obtain proper training.
“ALPA has a vested interest in growing competitive airlines that attract the best and brightest pilots,” Canoll added. “We should do everything within our power to remain the best in the world, because it’s a ranking we can’t afford to lose.”
Click on the link to access the webinar http://www.alpa.org/news-and-events/webcast