Dear readers,
Last month, we started putting contract comparisons back into Aero Crew News eMagazine and we can see that we got your approval! With each monthly issue, we will add new airline comparisons. This month, we will compare Endeavor Air, Envoy Air, and CommuteAir. Flip to page ## to see this comparison.
As the regional airlines struggle to find qualified pilots, their pay rates have skyrocketed over the past 12 months. The latest issue that regional airlines are struggling with is finding qualified captains. Back in 2010, the FAA signed into law The Airline Safety and FAA Extension Act of 2010, which increased qualifications for airline pilots or part 121 pilots. A pilot must have 1,000 flight hours as a 121-airline pilot before they can upgrade to a captain.
At first, this ruling did not affect the industry in a negative way. As the major airlines hire the more experienced pilots from the regionals airlines, the regionals have struggled to retain pilots with the experience to be captains. The regional airlines have had to get creative and offer bonuses and increased pay for direct entry captains (DEC) and high experienced first officers (HEFO). It would be interesting to see how many of these DECs and HEFOs continue to hop around and collect the bonuses then leave for the next gig.
As always, I welcome comments, questions, or suggestions to better improve Aero Crew News! I can be reached at [email protected]
Fly Safe,
Craig Pieper
Publisher / Owner
Aero Crew News
