Pilot shortage..........BS

[rigpiggy]

ALPA Canada Rejects Misleading Pilot-Supply Claims Made by Major Canadian Airline


OTTAWA, ONT.—Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) Canada president Capt. Tim Perry issued the following statement today, rejecting Sunwing Airlines’ claims that a lack of pilot supply and inability to hire 63 foreign pilots through the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program are the reasons for its recent flight disruptions and cancellations.

“The issue of pilot supply has been used as an excuse by certain airline management groups to undermine collective bargaining rights and labour standards, and to deflect from other mismanagement of labour resources. Simply put, you can’t sell more tickets than you can expect to honour.

“ALPA is deeply concerned this excuse is being used by employers in Canada, such as Sunwing Airlines, seeking to hire temporary foreign pilots instead of bargaining fair collective agreements to fill the vacancies in Canada’s flight decks.

“Unfortunately, the labour challenges in Canada’s aviation sector, including recruitment issues for northern and regional airlines, are largely due to new discount airlines coming into the marketplace with a ton of new capacity and drawing upon the existing pilot supply. These airlines typically try to reduce costs by focusing on offering only entry-level pilot positions, which historically are not attractive enough to be long-term career jobs. This creates a revolving door whereby airlines are constantly training new-hire pilots rather than relying upon them to operate revenue flights.

“It is fair to say that we are looking at a tight labour market, especially at the entry levels of this industry, and that we need to train more pilots for the future. This means working together to make our profession more accessible, affordable, and attractive. We need to remove barriers to entry for all demographics and manage things so we can continue to offer a stable air traffic system for all Canadians. At the airline level, however, we don’t have a pilot supply problem; it’s an issue of attraction and retention. Furthermore, Canadian airlines that compensate their pilots appropriately don’t need to hire TFWs.”

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world’s largest airline pilot union, representing over 67,000 pilots at 39 airlines in the United States and Canada. Visit the ALPA website at www.alpa.org or follow us on Twitter @ALPAPilots.

[co-joe]

Hear, hear ALPA!

[Tbayer2021]

Fantastic. But they need to publish this and more in regular media sources that the traveling public sees. Publishing this on ALPAs website is just preaching to the choir.

[DanWEC]

I forwarded that to Pete Evans, author of the original article.

[lowoleo22]

With all the new aircraft entering the Canadian market in 2023 (Flair, Porter, Lynx etc.) I wonder if there really could be a significant shortage by 2024 (Recession not-withstanding).

[Inverted2]

With all the new aircraft entering the Canadian market in 2023 (Flair, Porter, Lynx etc.) I wonder if there really could be a significant shortage by 2024 (Recession not-withstanding).

Totally…. A lot of the boomers are retiring in the next few years as well.

[newlygrounded]

With all the new aircraft entering the Canadian market in 2023 (Flair, Porter, Lynx etc.) I wonder if there really could be a significant shortage by 2024 (Recession not-withstanding).

Totally…. A lot of the boomers are retiring in the next few years as well.

1. There is no retirement age for domestic flying
2. I've been hearing about this since I first flew in 2005

[rookiepilot]

Fantastic. But they need to publish this and more in regular media sources that the traveling public sees.

Why?

[Tbayer2021]

Fantastic. But they need to publish this and more in regular media sources that the traveling public sees.

Why?

Doing that may or may not help our cause. But telling your membership what they already know, certainly won't change anything. Plus, we need to challenge the narrative airlines are broadcasting every second they can about staffing problems and their excuses.

[Bug_Stomper_01]

ALPA Canada Rejects Misleading Pilot-Supply Claims Made by Major Canadian Airline


OTTAWA, ONT.—Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) Canada president Capt. Tim Perry issued the following statement today, rejecting Sunwing Airlines’ claims that a lack of pilot supply and inability to hire 63 foreign pilots through the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program are the reasons for its recent flight disruptions and cancellations.

“The issue of pilot supply has been used as an excuse by certain airline management groups to undermine collective bargaining rights and labour standards, and to deflect from other mismanagement of labour resources. Simply put, you can’t sell more tickets than you can expect to honour.

“ALPA is deeply concerned this excuse is being used by employers in Canada, such as Sunwing Airlines, seeking to hire temporary foreign pilots instead of bargaining fair collective agreements to fill the vacancies in Canada’s flight decks.

“Unfortunately, the labour challenges in Canada’s aviation sector, including recruitment issues for northern and regional airlines, are largely due to new discount airlines coming into the marketplace with a ton of new capacity and drawing upon the existing pilot supply. These airlines typically try to reduce costs by focusing on offering only entry-level pilot positions, which historically are not attractive enough to be long-term career jobs. This creates a revolving door whereby airlines are constantly training new-hire pilots rather than relying upon them to operate revenue flights.

“It is fair to say that we are looking at a tight labour market, especially at the entry levels of this industry, and that we need to train more pilots for the future. This means working together to make our profession more accessible, affordable, and attractive. We need to remove barriers to entry for all demographics and manage things so we can continue to offer a stable air traffic system for all Canadians. At the airline level, however, we don’t have a pilot supply problem; it’s an issue of attraction and retention. Furthermore, Canadian airlines that compensate their pilots appropriately don’t need to hire TFWs.”

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world’s largest airline pilot union, representing over 67,000 pilots at 39 airlines in the United States and Canada. Visit the ALPA website at www.alpa.org or follow us on Twitter @ALPAPilots.

There has never been a pilot shortage EVER…. There is however a shortage of pilots willing to work at McDonald’s wages. This game is getting really REALLY old and it’s far overdue for industry to be blasted publicly for it!

[Eric Janson]

1. There is no retirement age for domestic flying
2. I've been hearing about this since I first flew in 2005

I've been hearing about a 'Pilot shortage' since the early 80's.....

Is it finally here?

[Bug_Stomper_01]

1. There is no retirement age for domestic flying
2. I've been hearing about this since I first flew in 2005

I've been hearing about a 'Pilot shortage' since the early 80's.....

Is it finally here?

I think people are starting to get it’s all part of operators plot to keep wet licenses coming, competition high, and ultimately wages in the toilet.