Pay hike for American Airlines regional pilots may help Charlotte airport travelers, too
As the beginning of the summer travel season brings long lines and delays to Charlotte Douglas International Airport, some airlines are hoping pay hikes for pilots could benefit both employees and travelers.
All three of American Airlines’ wholly-owned regional airlines announced major pay bumps for their pilots this month.
That includes PSA Airlines, which operates the majority of its flights out of Charlotte Douglas International Airport; Piedmont Airlines, with a hub at Charlotte; and Envoy Air.
Both PSA Airlines and Piedmont Airlines operate flights out of CLT under the American Eagle brand.
The carriers aim to combat the ongoing pilot shortage with the pay bump and other benefits, PSA Airlines President Dion Flannery told The Charlotte Observer in a recent interview.
The Observer talked with Flannery to hear more about what the compensation plan means for pilots and travelers alike. Here’s what Charlotte Douglas travelers should know about the pay raise and the pilot shortage.
How does the pilot shortage impact Charlotte?
In early June, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said the airline has grounded about 100 regional jets due to the national pilot shortage.
PSA Airlines accounts for 20 or more of those grounded airplanes, Flannery told the Observer. And the majority of those PSA Airlines planes would have been flying into or out of Charlotte.
At one point, PSA Airlines was operating close to 300 daily departures out of CLT, Flannery said, although he did not mention a time-frame for that. Now, during a week in June, the airline is averaging 188 average daily departures from Charlotte to 82 destinations.
“We want to be able to go fly as many places as we used to fly — as often as we use to fly,” Flannery said.
PSA Airlines pilots will earn a 50% to 70% higher wage than the next highest paid regional carrier, Endeavor, according to a statement from PSA Airlines.
What’s in the new compensation package?
PSA Airlines pilots will earn a 50% to 70% higher wage than the next highest paid regional carrier, Endeavor, according to a statement from PSA Airlines.
First-year first officer pay at all three regional air carriers will increase to $90 per hour — up from $60 at PSA.
And first-year captain pay will increase to $146 per hour at all three airlines — up from $97 at PSA, $78 at Piedmont and $86 at Envoy.
The new compensation plan also includes a path for pilots to transition from PSA Airlines to American Airlines within five years.
“All of this is designed to attract quality pilots to allow us to pick and choose the folks that we want to add to our team,” Flannery said. “And once they’re here, keep them focused that they’re in the right place for their career to naturally progress.”
Could pay hike affect delays and cancellations?
Travelers at Charlotte Douglas have seen frequent airline delays and cancellations in recent months, due to the pilot shortage and bad weather.
Just over the weekend, passengers were met with dozens of canceled flights and hundreds of flight delays at CLT due to weather issues.
Flannery hopes the improved compensation plan can combat recent delays and cancellations, he told the Observer.
Attracting more employees would help PSA Airlines build the appropriate level of crew member reserves, so that the airline can recover more quickly from weather delays. That would help in cases when a plane crew needs to be replaced during long delays.
This story was originally published June 22, 2022 at 5:45 AM.
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