The US is facing a serious shortage of airline pilots
I haven&#x27;t read the article, yet, but the U.S. has developed a system that is a government subsidized, two-tier workforce.<p>Military-trained pilots.  Highly trained and experienced -- although not always in aircraft that reflect commercial flight profiles.  I don&#x27;t know how much the 2003 onward wars have influenced this, but prior, one put in their 5-7-10 years, then exited to a highly paid and privileged position with a commercial airline.<p>Self&#x2F;privately trained pilots.  Those were routed to local and regional carriers, that have been increasingly snapped up by the major carriers and integrated into their networks.  Learning to fly isn&#x27;t cheap (not just training, but also getting hours -- on machines that are expensive to own and operate, ergo also to rent); despite this, these people end up in positions that often pay substantially below the median middle-class wage.<p>I don&#x27;t recall the details, but already some years ago, I read some things indicating that pilots, including the ex-military, have increasing concern about career futures.  I think in part, with the ex-military, it&#x27;s wage pressure from the privately-trained.<p>Airlines also got pretty good at union-flogging, if not outright busting, tactics, for a while.  The dips after 2003 and 2008 helped in this.  Going by my memory...<p>--<p>P.S.  I read the article.  I&#x27;ll leave my original comment as is.  Well, I said 2003, thinking of the invasion of Iraq and the pressures demands that placed.  But yeah, 2001 is another position on the timeline to point to.