Pilot Shortage - Research Paper Example

Pilot Shortage The pilot career is one of among the careers that people desire to be in. Surprisingly very few people end up being pilots (Bradley 1). There has been a global crisis on all airlines due to shortage of pilots. Many airline managers have given different explanation of the situation. It is unfortunate that the childhood dream career of many people fails to actualize due to the negative factors surrounding the pilot career. The career is very attractive due to the nature of the job. However, when one decides to get an insight about the career they end up getting disappointed to certain factors. The disappointment leads to few people being trained as pilots and even some changing their pilot careers. This paper will discuss the factors that lead to a shortage in the number of pilots in the airline industry. The paper will also offer probable measures that would rectify the solution if implemented. The main reason why everyone works is because they want to get salaries. Salaries are the motivation factor for people to work or to desire to join a certain career. The pilot career is among the best white color jobs, but the salaries offered are quite disappointing (Bachman 1). One expects that being in the pilot career; they will receive the best salaries as compared to being in other careers. The technicality in the job also calls for attractive salaries. However, the starting salaries of pilots are very low. Although the salaries may differ depending on the airline, on average, the starting salaries are very low. The educational efforts that one inputs do not match the salary that is provided. This fact keeps away the people who would be willing to train as pilots. Other careers that are in the same level as the pilot career such as medicine and architecture are well paying. The bright students will opt to study medicine and architecture rather that piloting since they expect to have better salaries from the start. Most airlines have failed to address the problem claiming that raising the salaries will lead to increasing travel costs for passengers. However, failing to address one problem has caused bigger problems such as delayed flights that chase away customers (Bachman 1). Most customers would prefer paying more rather than having delays. It is, therefore, necessary that airline managers should address the problem since it will have a double gain. Customer’s loyalty will be build and at the same time, the issue of pilot shortage will be curbed. Their salaries determine the lifestyles that people of a certain career. A good salary translates into a good lifestyle. When people learn that people of a certain career live attractive lifestyles, they are motivated to pursue those careers. Most junior pilots live very simple lifestyles due to the small salaries they get. Their lifestyles make people no to admire the career. When few people are motivated to join the careers, it turns out that pilot shortage becomes a crisis in most airlines. The problem of pilot shortage is, therefore, caused by the airlines themselves. They also hold the solution to their problem. It is necessary that they raise the starting salaries of the new pilots so that other people can be motivated to join the career (Schramm 1). Good salaries will also reduce the possibility of pilots dropping the career. Money is a motivational factor to the pilots, and the airline managers should prioritize it. The salaries of the senior pilots should also be increased so that the junior pilots will be motivated to work to reach for the higher salaries. Pilots work under fixed schedules, which have many limitations. Most airlines pay their pilots depending on the number of flights they have taken. The junior pilots have fewer flights, and hence they end up having very low salaries (Norris 1). A pilot is limited to a certain number of flights, which may vary depending in the airline. This restriction limits the amount of money that a pilot can make in a day. Such limitations move people away from the piloting career. The management in all airlines should look forward to withdrawing certain limitation since each pilot want to work more and earn more. Other careers allow people to work to their limits to maximize their salaries. This is not the so in the airline industry. This factor devalues the piloting career, and the result is that few people are willing to be pilots. Eliminating the limitations of the number of flight trips that a pilot can fly can be a motivation factor to retain pilots and attract new pilots. Every pilot leaves his or her technical schools after having fully qualified. It is unfair to limit the new pilots to very few trips. The kind of education that the senior pilots have is similar to the one that new pilots have. Assigning them more trips will increase their confidence and make them earn more. Earning more and feeling appreciated will draw more people into the piloting career, and the shortage of pilot will be over. Most airlines do not increase the salaries of the pilots with increase in the cost of traveling. Over the last decade, the cost of traveling through air has hiked but very few changes have been noted in the salaries of pilots. The airlines are therefore greedy and want to retain more profits. The pilots lack the enthusiasm to work, and some even end up quitting the job. In other industries, the salaries of employees increase with an increase in profitability of the business. Lack of such minor motivations lead to more pilots resigning, and they deter people from joining the career. It is clear that the problem of pilot shortage is highly linked to the lack of monetary motivation in the airline industry. The development of airplanes mainly occurs in the line of speed and capacity (Taylor, Moore, & Roll 79). The speed of airplanes has been increased over time. The capacity of airplanes has also increased. These two factors mean that one pilot can now serve more passengers at a time. This implies that the number of pilots required is minimal. Increased speeds in airplanes mean that one airplane can go to many destinations in one fight trip. This leads to pilots having very few trips and hence low salaries. This frustration has made many pilots quit the job (Taylor, Moore, & Roll 81). The new pilots have fewer trips and hence low salaries. The industry can therefore not lure new entrants. Developments are necessary and cannot be avoided. However, the airlines should find a way to ensure that even new pilots will earn. A situation where people will continue earning more even with technological developments will ensure that few people quit the career and more people join. Such a situation will address the problem of pilot shortage. The increased cost of flying has made many customers opt for other travel means such as trails and road. Consequently, more flights are canceled since the planes are not fully booked. Cancelation of flights means that the pilot earns less. Continued low earnings make pilots quit the career to go and try other fields. A record of few fights demotivates the aspiring pilots since there is no hope for high earning in the industry. The continued occurrence of the two conditions has led to the eruption of the pilot shortage crisis. Airlines should consider introducing smaller and faster planes, which will ensure that pilots are working at all, times. The issue of flight cancelation will have been solved. The amount of money charged by pilot training institutions is very high. The cost cannot be compared to the cost charged for courses of a similar level such as engineering course (Norris 1). The amount of money charged limits many people who would wish to become pilots from becoming pilots. The few numbers of people training to be pilots is further reduced by the complex course content, which forces people to withdraw from the course. In the end, few people successfully become pilots and hence the pilot shortage. Airlines should take the initiative of training willing pilots for free or at cheap costs so that they can avoid experiencing pilot shortage. The pilots also require motivation to study the course despite its complexity. Promising the learning pilots good salaries will motivate them to work hard and the number of graduating pilots will increase (Donoghue 14). The retirement age should be strategic such that the new pilot does not stay unemployed, and the older pilots should no retire having not maximized their career. In conclusion, numerous factors contribute to the shortage of pilots in the airline industry. The greatest factor is the low starting salaries for pilots, which deter willing people. The cost of training to be a pilot is also high, and the salaries after completion do not match it. The young retirement age of pilots also deters people from joining the industry. Working schedules and limitation in the career limit pilots from maximizing their income. Technology development in airplanes has also acted as a factor contributing to the reduced number of pilots. Works Cited Bachman, Justin. "With Pilot Shortage, Regional Airlines Search for Someone to Pay Rising Costs - Businessweek." Businessweek.com. N.p., 28 Feb. 2014. Web. 22 Oct. 2014. Bradley, Perry. "Is The Pilot Shortage Coming?." Aviation Weeks Business and Commercial Aviation (2007). Donoghue, J. A. "Training for the pilot shortage." AeroSafety world 3.6 (2008). Norris, Guy. "Boeing Urges International Action To Meet Pilot Shortage Challenge | Commercial Aviation content from Aviation Week." Aviation Week | Aerospace Defense, Business & Commercial News. N.p., 30 July 2014. Web. 22 Oct. 2014. Schramm, Jill. "North Dakota airports prepare for pilot shortage - Washington Times." The Washingtion Times. N.p., 7 Sept. 2014. Web. 22 Oct. 2014. Taylor, W., Moore, C., & Roll, C. R. The Pilot Shortage. A Crisis for Operational Units? 11, 9. 2000. 76-81 Read More