Tailwind Tuesday: Airline Pilot Shortage in 2026?
The truth about becoming a professional pilot
Welcome back to Tailwind Tuesday. Have you ever wondered if the pilot shortage was really all made up? The media flooded the news with the idea of a pilot shortage back in 2020-2022, but now that we have pilots, many of them can’t find jobs. I know more people than I can count on my fingers who graduated from college with all their flight credentials and now can’t even find an entry-level flying position. I’m not talking about jets, I’m talking about rust bucket C150s and cheap flight schools. When will people wake up? The hiring boom of 2021-2023 is gone. We are back to early 2000s hiring levels. You WILL need to adapt or leave the industry. Aviation isn’t for the faint of heart.
Cost, stress, travel, the shiny airline career is as much of a scam as the US Navy selling kids on seeing the world. There’s no one to blame but yourself for the current state of the industry. I’m sorry if you bought into the marketing scheme, WAKE UP! What are you going to do about it? Sulk? Get angry at companies? Act entitled? Sorry, that’s not going to fly, literally. So, let’s look at the current state of the industry and see how people are getting hired and if you should pivot careers now or tough it out for your dream. Buckle up as we are about to take off into another Tailwind Tuesday.
Major Airlines (Confirmed 2026 Numbers)
Airline 2026 Hiring Goal
American Airlines ~1,500 pilots
United Airlines ~2,500 pilots (near-record levels)
Delta Air Lines ~600 pilots in Q1 alone (full year not specified)
Southwest Airlines has 400-500 pilots in total
Were those the numbers you were expecting for this massive pilot shortage? Not really, as advertised a few years ago, right? Low-cost carriers aren’t posting substantial numbers, as many are struggling financially since COVID. The regionals are still hiring, as I know people who have received job offers but may wait 9-12 months for a hiring class date. What are the majors looking for now? Well, they want highly qualified and capable pilots who don’t just hold certificates but actually know what they are doing. How does that impact hiring? You shouldn’t expect to receive any attention from the majors unless you have 1000-2000 hours of Multi Turbine PIC time and have a good head on your shoulders, ready for the responsibility. I think that’s the piece people mistake when they think about getting hired. You need the hours, but more importantly, you need the experience to make safe decisions and shoulder the burden of hundreds of lives on your aircraft. Gone are the days of 1-2 years at the regionals and on to the majors. Welcome back to reality in this industry. Aviation wasn’t always this glamorous gig, and there’s a reason why top seniority captains make as much as they do. Your pay in this industry is back-loaded, not front-loaded.
Regional Airlines
Let’s discuss the regionals a little. SkyWest has hired aggressively over the past few years and continues to do so, as it is a United feeder, which is also hiring at a rapid rate compared to the other majors. The bad news for recent graduates? The competition just got fierce. This week, I had the pleasure of talking to a current SkyWest pilot on Twitter.
Gone are the days of using that R-ATP to go straight to the right seat of an airline. You’ll need to do a bit more work to differentiate yourself now. The name of the game is seniority. Cadet programs help you build that seniority. The sooner you start, the better you’ll be. Most young pilots think they should be in a jet at 1000 hours. Let me say this: No, you don’t. You don’t know the first thing about the world you are jumping into, nor do you have a respect for the responsibility your job titles hold yet. It’s okay, go get some more experience, fly some turbo props, fly some aerial survey, get out of the traffic pattern.
Here are your competitive numbers for SkyWest as a cadet, and I don’t imagine the other regionals will have any less.
College degree
2000 hours total flight time
200-500+ multi hours
Any Turbine Time (preferred multi)
Sharp
Clean record
I promise you will not walk into an interview and get offered a job in today’s market. Have all your ducks in a row and don’t try to hide any blemishes on your record. The airlines already know about them.
With all that said, we might see the return of smaller commuter airlines. Only time will tell on that one.
What’s the best path to the airlines in 2026?
For the civilian sector, this seems to be about what I would recommend at this point as well if your goal is the majors. Now, how do you get those lower-time jobs? Be relentless in your search for a position and don’t take your days off as rest days. Use any days you have off to learn something new, study, and improve yourself as a pilot. I know guys who have flown for 10 years, but because they weren’t relentlessly improving themselves, they are less attractive than someone who’s been flying for 3 years. Years of experience don’t matter; time in the seat, skills, and understanding do. Do yourself a favor and invest in yourself today for your future. Every year you miss now at the majors is almost $500,000 off your earning potential. So, if you really want to go to the airlines, start working like it!
What about cadet programs?
The regionals are almost exclusively hiring from inside their cadet programs. Join them early in your training if you can, and if you’re late to the game. Good luck.
Here is where you can apply for each region’s cadet programs.
https://www.flyfrontier.com/careers/pilot/f9-pilot-cadet-program/?mobile=true
https://www.jetbluegateways.com/
https://www.endeavorair.com/content/endeavor-air/en_us/careers/pilots/STEP.html
https://www.skywest.com/skywest-airline-jobs/career-guides/pilot-pathway-program
College degree?
Yes, but the degree type doesn’t matter, within reason. You don’t need an aviation degree, but I would suggest something you can use if you ever lose your medical. I would avoid a generic degree like business in favor of something more specific. I would also avoid most liberal arts degrees. Lastly, if you can find an online degree program to do while you build hours and experience, do that instead of attending a traditional campus.
So, aspiring pilot, where do you go from here? Hopefully, this helps you have a reality check before taking out a $100,000 loan. Let’s say, despite knowing all of this now, you still want to become an airline pilot. My best piece of advice is this: learn how to tell a good story. Every answer you give outside of some of the more technical questions should have a good story to go along with it during the interview. It’s worth spending a couple of thousand dollars on interview prep courses to help you prepare for your job and get your story in order. Remember, the airlines aren’t hiring qualified individuals; they are hiring their crewmates, who they have to sit with for hours. If you’re going to be locked in a cockpit with someone, you want to at least enjoy the time a little bit, and a humorous or good story goes a long way in passing the time. Hopefully, you have a better read on why you aren’t hearing back despite applying to every job you see posted online. This season in aviation is tough, but the reward is on the other side of it. Smooth skies and strong tailwinds.
Until next week,
CFI out.