American Airlines is pumping the brakes on hiring new pilots in the second half of this year as it considers capacity changes across its network.
”As part of our previously announced capacity adjustments, we are temporarily pausing new pilot class start dates for September, October and November,” the carrier told FlightGlobal on 24 June. ”This decision allows us to optimise our capacity and tailor our talent growth plans to best serve the current needs of our airline.”
Pilots who received conditional job offers from American have been notified of the hiring pause, the company says.
“We will provide these candidates with an update on their 2025 class schedule later this year,” American adds. “There is no impact to current pilots, including those in training.”
The Fort Worth-based carrier acknowledged needing to change its strategy in late May, when it lowered its earnings outlook for the second quarter and disclosed the departure of chief commercial officer Vasu Raja.
“We’ve got some work to do on building back from the hole we’ve created for ourselves,” chief executive Robert Isom said at the Bernstein Strategic Decisions Conference on 29 May.
“Pilot recruitment remains an ongoing priority for American,” the carrier says, “and we are committed to attracting and retaining top pilot talent.”
American is the latest major US airline to curtail pilot hiring. Earlier this year, Southwest Airlines said that it was slowing both expansion and hiring amid surging expenses, while United Airlines dangled unpaid time off to pilots due to Boeing’s aircraft delivery delays.
