In response to the industry’s continued pilot shortage and to keep up with the large number of regional captains being hired by the major airlines, two of American Airlines owned regionals will see massive pay increases in the upcoming year.
Starting entry-level first officers at both Envoy and Piedmont Airlines will soon be bumped to $90 an hour. This is a new record-setting amount, as Endeavor Air (owned by Delta) was the industry-leading company for years with entry-level first officers starting at $52.98 previously. Appointed Chief Executive Officer of Piedmont Airlines, Erica Morgans told TPG in an interview, “It’s very simple right now: Our goal here was to make the pilot pathway at American the best in the industry.” First-year captains at Envoy and Piedmont will soon make $146 per hour.
As of now the large pay increase is temporary and will run through August of 2024. Now could not be a better time to get started on your aviation career as the U.S. is expected to lose about half of its pilots to retirement in the next 15 years, according to the Regional Airline Association. American Airlines expects that more than 5,000 of its 15,000 pilots will retire in the next seven years. This proves the continued need for pilots in the professional aviation industry.
