A recent contract through the largest pilot unit ALPA has also negotiated a 14 percent pay boost for United Airlines pilots, who earn an average of $160,000-a-year, across 18 months. Delta pilots are currently in the middle of contract negotiations and are also asking for a pay raise and better retirement benefits, as well as schedule changes to reduce disruptions.
Pilots have also slammed airlines for creating a chaotic travel season due to covid vaccine mandates.
One Southwest pilot said during a protest – which saw 1,300 Southwest employees picketing outside of Dallas Love Field Airport earlier this month – that he thought the mandate was the main cause.
‘I believe it’s because of the COVID vaccines – they’re still requiring the vaccination for all new applicants and if the new applicants say they’re not going to get vaccinated, their application is passed over,’ Pilot Tom Bogart told News Nation.
He said many ‘highly qualified applicants’ are being passed over due to not being vaccinated.
Thousands of suitcases continue to ‘multiply’ at Heathrow airport
Delta pilots stand outside New York’s Grand Central Terminal on June 16 to protest the harsh work environment as they demand better pay and better retirement plans amidst the chaotic travel year. Southwest pilots also recently protested outside of the Dallas Love Field
Hero pilot steps in to help loading luggage amid staff shortages
‘The executive order [for mandating vaccines] is not dead,’ he told News Nation.
He said pilots are still ‘passionate’ about flying and ‘love what we do,’ but said the focus needs to put on the airlines and not the pilots.
‘You guys need to be asking Southwest Airlines: ‘What are you doing proactively?’ We’re still in the same spot that we were last summer. We’re still in the same spot that we were over the holidays,’ he said earlier this month.
Almost a year ago, pilots spoke out about the mandate and many left the industry or retired – although airlines have yet to give a definite number on how many truly resigned.
Ahead of a Memorial Day, a travel expert Brian Kelly told Fox Business that he expected the pilot shortage to only get worst as the summer travel season continues because of the pilot shortage.
Another reason he said the shortage might be happening is the expense of becoming a pilot.
‘It’s really expensive to become a pilot,’ he told Fox Business in May.
More than 500 flights across US are canceled as critics blame ‘pilot shortage’ on Covid vax policies
ArthurKing777777, Windsor, United States, 1 month ago
Imagine that pilots not wanting to take a poison that kills pilots…..
OctavianFly0601, Kirkland, United States, 1 month ago
Clot shots
bonfirepal, best Coast ever, United States, 1 month ago
Stop with the mandates and stop all this crap
Foda, Miami, United States, 1 month ago
US airlines are the absolute worst in the world. For a country that pretends to be No. 1 are everything they are the last when it comes to efficient air travel.
Irregardless_2929, Dawson, United States, 1 month ago
You are free to live and fly somewhere else.
TexasPete, Texas, United States, 1 month ago
Every Democrat who has supported vaccine mandates, this is the result of your wishes. Embrace it. Enjoy it. You got exactly what you demanded. Anyone not happy with this, don’t vote Democrat.
WhatTheWorldNeedsNow, Indianapolis , United States, 1 month ago
Then schedule fewer flights…
Mrjohnson50, Leesburg, United States, 1 month ago
……”staff shortages”???? You mean the ones you created when you fired your employees for not getting a Covid vaccination? We can only pray their maintenance staff has more foresight than their HR staffing site
TexasPete, Texas, United States, 1 month ago
Any real quality pilot has probably already made the move from Commercial to Private pilots. Why deal with Democrat mandates when you can just get a job flying billionaires around in private jets for better pay?
Darron, Bamburgh, United Kingdom, 1 month ago
Must be doqn to Brexit?
El Ka-Bong, Halifax, Canada, 1 month ago
Great news! For all you people with itchy feet – THERE’S STILL A PANDEMIC! So shut up, you big infants, no one wants to serve your selfishness. No wonder airlines can’t find people to work for them – too many stupid, ignorant passengers who think there’s no pandemic and want to spread their filth around.
Biggly, Kuching, 1 month ago
It’s a pandemic of the vaccinated. You superspreaders are creating variants. You think it’s bad now, wait for winter. It’s coming.
Rpaul, Issaquah, United States, 1 month ago
What happened to “my body, my choice”?
Nubeldorf1, Rockville, United States, 1 month ago
That only works if you want to kill an unborn baby not if the government wants to kill you.
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