United Airlines grapples with pilots avoiding the captain’s chair
United Airlines first officer Phil Anderson has turned down opportunities to be promoted to captain as he does not want the unpredictable schedule that comes with the bigger paycheck.
Anderson is one of many who have passed on that promotion at United, and analysts and union officials said a resulting shortage of captains – who function as head pilots – could cut the number of flights available to travelers by next summer. One industry official dubbed it the “no one wants to be a junior captain syndrome.”
Some smaller regional carriers have already been forced to reduce their flights by as much as 20% due to staffing constraints, said Robert Mann, a former airline executive who now runs a consulting firm. If pilots refuse to take the captain’s seat, Mann warned that airlines like United could face the same problem even as consumers are returning more to travel.
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“You can’t fly with two first officers,” he said. “You have to have a captain.”
Finding pilots willing to take career upgrades is not just a United problem.
At American Airlines, more than 7,000 pilots have chosen not to take a captain’s job, according to union-supplied data. Dennis Tajer, a spokesman for American’s pilots union, said the number of pilots declining promotions has at least doubled in the past seven years.
At United, bids for 978 captain vacancies, or about 50% of the vacancies posted, have gone unfilled in the past year, United pilot union data shows. In June, 96 of 198 openings went unfilled.
Currently, the Chicago-based carrier has about 5,900 captains and 7,500 first officers, according to its union data.
Airlines tend to start training captains after the summer travel rush.
United, scheduled to report earnings on Wednesday, has sought to encourage pilots to become junior captains with a new pilot deal that includes provisions such as premium pay, more days off, and restrictions on involuntary and some standby assignments. The agreement must still be finalized and ratified.
Garth Thompson, United’s pilot union head, said the deal would “go a long way” toward ensuring United is sufficiently staffed with captains for 2024 and beyond. But some pilots said it was too early to assess its impact even as they called the proposed changes big improvements.
By Rajesh Kumar Singh – Reuters
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