9 ms·

World’s super-rich hit by private jet pilot shortage

10 points by seapunk 7y ago

mikece 7y ago
What are private jet pilots paid? Are they independent contractors? I'm guessing the pay and benefits aren't good enough or there wouldn't be a shortage. What am I missing?
- flyingfences 7y ago
  It is a very long, tedious, and expensive process to get licensed as a commercial pilot to carry passengers. I don't have pay numbers on hand, but it would have to be very high to make all that worthwhile. And, when those pilots' employment options are between an airplane with just a few people or a jumbo-jet full of paying customers, it's no wonder these private jet owners are being priced out of the pilot market.
- dannykwells 7y ago
  Yes, the pay is crap. In general, the only pilots who make good money (150-200K) are senior pilots at major airlines. As with any labor shortage, youre right that it's really "a shortage who are willing to work for the offered salary."
mmmBacon 7y ago
This article reminds me of two things: the very low pay of pilots just starting out, and Abigail Disney. Article from 2017 citing low pay as a reason for pilot shortage: https://slate.com/business/2017/09/how-we-ruined-airline-jobs.html https://slate.com/business/2017/09/how-we-ruined-airline-job... To quote Disney: "If I were queen of the world, I would pass a law against private jets, because they enable you to get around a certain reality," Abigail Disney recently told The Cut. "You don't have to go through an airport terminal, you don't have to interact, you don't have to be patient, you don't have to be uncomfortable. These are the things that remind us we're human." https://www.businessinsider.com/abigail-disney-outlaw-private-jets-wealthy-people-travel-2019-4 https://www.businessinsider.com/abigail-disney-outlaw-privat...
Traster 7y ago
It seems strange to me that a class of customers who are quite obviously price insensitive are having trouble, when they're competing with an airline industry which quick frankly has a terrible history of profitability and therefore seem to be much more price sensitive.

10 points by seapunk 7y ago

What are private jet pilots paid? Are they independent contractors? I'm guessing the pay and benefits aren't good enough or there wouldn't be a shortage. What am I missing?

flyingfences 7y ago
It is a very long, tedious, and expensive process to get licensed as a commercial pilot to carry passengers. I don't have pay numbers on hand, but it would have to be very high to make all that worthwhile. And, when those pilots' employment options are between an airplane with just a few people or a jumbo-jet full of paying customers, it's no wonder these private jet owners are being priced out of the pilot market.
dannykwells 7y ago
Yes, the pay is crap. In general, the only pilots who make good money (150-200K) are senior pilots at major airlines. As with any labor shortage, youre right that it's really "a shortage who are willing to work for the offered salary."

mmmBacon 7y ago

This article reminds me of two things: the very low pay of pilots just starting out, and Abigail Disney. Article from 2017 citing low pay as a reason for pilot shortage: https://slate.com/business/2017/09/how-we-ruined-airline-jobs.html https://slate.com/business/2017/09/how-we-ruined-airline-job... To quote Disney: "If I were queen of the world, I would pass a law against private jets, because they enable you to get around a certain reality," Abigail Disney recently told The Cut. "You don't have to go through an airport terminal, you don't have to interact, you don't have to be patient, you don't have to be uncomfortable. These are the things that remind us we're human." https://www.businessinsider.com/abigail-disney-outlaw-private-jets-wealthy-people-travel-2019-4 https://www.businessinsider.com/abigail-disney-outlaw-privat...

Traster 7y ago

It seems strange to me that a class of customers who are quite obviously price insensitive are having trouble, when they're competing with an airline industry which quick frankly has a terrible history of profitability and therefore seem to be much more price sensitive.