With the age 65 rule about to run its course, pilots everywhere are wondering how many airline pilot jobs will appear in the future. There has been a lot of speculation about an airline pilot shortage in the future, but is this likely? Many airlines will see half of their employed pilots retire in the next decade. Those pilot jobs will be replaced by mostly regional airline pilots. This, in turn, will create a void of pilots to fill regional airline pilot jobs. Whether there will be enough pilots to fill those jobs is a good question.
The airline industry is very dynamic right now. The United/Continental merger is another issue at the forefront that could affect regional airline pilot jobs if the Continental/United pilots are successful in scoping out regional airlines.
It is impossible to say how everything will play out, but it should make for an interesting few years ahead in the airline industry.
