How many of you have already booked a flight for the coming months? Probably many, as air traffic demand has been constantly on the rise since April 2021, when the pandemic-related travel restrictions started to ease. Nonetheless, most major carriers worldwide still face staff shortages threatening smooth operations and efficient customer satisfaction.

Therefore, a hot topic on almost every airline's current agenda is finding new employees. For instance, the US low-cost carrier (LCC) Southwest Airlines has come up with a new strategy to boost pilots' recruitment.

Southwest halves flying time for aspiring new pilots

The US-based low-cost carrier (LCC) Southwest Airlines is again in the spotlight. Indeed, the airline, like many others worldwide, is currently facing a pilot shortage that threatens the feasibility of the carrier's schedule. Consequently, to step up its pilot recruitment, the company has decided to halve the flying hours required for aspiring pilots willing to join the airline.

Effective February 7th, aspiring Southwest pilots will need at least 500 flying hours on jets or turboprop aircraft, down from the 1,000 the airline currently requires. The Dallas-based budget airline communicated the change in an internal memo addressed to pilots and later explained that the rationale behind this decision is the willingness to increase opportunities for an airline pilot career to more skilled pilots.

Demand for air traffic is there, but pilots are not

Numerous trends prove how demand for air travel has been coming back rapidly following the ease of travel restrictions, and future forecasts do not seem to tell a different story. Although this might sound like great news for the aviation sector, airlines and airports have little time to cherish the increasing volumes of passengers, as they have to rapidly find the missing workforce to satisfy the rising demand levels.

In 2022 alone, Southwest hired a total of 1,000 pilots, and it plans to take on an additional 1,700 in 2023. Hence the decision to expand the net from which the US carrier can look for potential candidates. Although this news might have been positively welcomed by those dreaming of a pilot career in commercial aviation, others have posed the question of whether the changed rule might negatively affect the airline's safety. Indeed, based on the logic of the new hiring rule, Southwest will be hiring less experienced pilots.

According to an airline spokesperson, Southwest's flight operations training program will not be affected by any change. All future first officers will have to pass all the curriculum modules before being allowed to fly for Southwest, as it has always been. Additionally, the new hiring rule is in line with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules, according to which all pilots must have a minimum of 1,500 flying hours to get a license, with no specification regarding the type of aircraft. The new pilot recruitment rule will allow Southwest to increase the chances of finding those aspiring pilots that reflect the carrier's standards and values, thus accelerating the recruitment process.

Is Southwest facing "A series of unfortunate events"?

Since its foundation at the end of the 1960s, Southwest Airlines has always been on everyone's lips, including aviation experts, analysts, and passengers. The carrier was among the first to embody the benefits of the liberalization of the airline industry, including the democratization of air travel.

According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), in 2019, the budget airline was the fourth largest in the US, after Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, and United Airlines, with a market share of 11.4% and an operating margin of 13.2%. Nonetheless, Southwest has been flying through some turbulent times over the last couple of months.

First, during the peak winter holiday season in December, the airline canceled 16,700 flights, causing disruptions to approximately two million customers. Consequently, the US Department of Transportation is investigating the causes of such an unprecedented operational meltdown, while the unions blame the airline's outdated technologies and processes.

Moreover, the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have initiated another investigation into a near miss at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) involving a Southwest Boeing 737 and a FedEx Boeing 767F. According to a first reconstruction, the air traffic controller cleared Southwest for take-off moments before the FedEx Boeing 767 was about to land on the same runway. The FAA and NTSB are looking into a potential runway inclusion and overflight involving the two aircraft.

Do you think the new pilot recruitment rule at Southwest will effectively address staff shortages at the US carrier? Let us know by clicking on the comment button below!

Source: Bloomberg; Mail online

• 

  Southwest Airlines

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  WN/SWA

  Airline Type:

  Low-Cost Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Dallas Love Field, Denver International Airport, Harry Reid International Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Houston Hobby Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Midway International Airport, Oakland International Airport, Orlando International Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

  Year Founded:

  1967

  CEO:

  Robert Jordan

  Country:

  United States