US carriers nowadays are facing a peculiar issue. They are finding it difficult to find suitable candidates for the captain’s role. That’s because first officers from various airlines like United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Airlines are refusing opportunities for promotion.
In aviation, the first officer is responsible for flight operations and navigation whereas the captain is in command of the plane and is responsible for the safety. Both roles have different pay rates.
The shortage in staff has already resulted in a 20 per cent decline in flying capacity for regional US airlines. This could imply similar problems for more established airlines like United Airlines as the number of passengers increase and the ratio of captains to first officers remain unbalanced.
In the past seven years, American Airlines has seen a two-fold increase in pilots declining promotions. Data from the pilots’ Union indicates that around 7,000 or more first officers have refused promotion to the captain’s role.
The refusal to accept promotions is mainly due to erratic schedules for pilots despite the increase in compensation. Several pilots have reported work-life complaints arising from the frequent flight cancellations and delays. The present policies require pilots to mandatorily accept flying duties and assignments on non-working days, with extensions in their schedules and unpredictable changes.
Although the captain’s position offers better pay, the increase in unpredictable flying schedules and increased short notice assignments discourage pilots from taking up the captain’s role.
In a bid to resolve the crisis, United Airlines is offering their new pilot premium pay, limited involuntary and standby duties. Meanwhile, Delta and American Airlines are attempting to come up with new pilot contracts to tackle work-life complaints by providing premium payments and regulated four-to-five-day trips.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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