COVID surges pilot migration to cargo carriers

Pilots previously employed by passenger and commuter carriers are turning to cargo operators in larger numbers as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to depress passenger aviation. [caption id="attachment_89141" align="alignright" width="450"] A UPS MD-11F at Kansas City Airport. Photo/UPS[/caption] UPS and Teamsters Local 1224, which represents pilots at cargo carriers such as ABX Air and Southern Air, noted an uptick in applications from experienced pilots and attributed the rise to a migration of former passenger and commuter pilots to the cargo sphere. “We have seen an influx of passenger resumes in these challenging times,” said Mike Mangeot, director of strategic communications at UPS. “Because our compensation package is among the industry’s best, we are an attractive destination for experienced, skilled pilots.” UPS isn’t the only cargo carrier hiring. Tim Jewell, president of the Airline Professionals Association Teamsters Local 1224, said both Southern Air and ABX Air are also hiring. The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) confirmed all of the cargo carriers they represent — Amerijet, Air Transport International, FedEx, Kalitta Air and Morningstar Air Express — are hiring. The airlines with pilots represented by Teamsters Local 1224 are seeing the largest influx from former commuter pilots, followed by passenger pilots, according to Jewell. “There are people that are coming from other passenger carriers, whether they're LLCs or the majors. As far as furloughed people, there is an uptick there,” he said. “You go where the flying is,” said Dennis Tajer, communications committee chairman for the Allied Pilots Association (APA), which represents American Airlines pilots. “There were pilots who left passenger airlines in the 90s for UPS and FedEx and never came back.” A similar future could be in store for the 1,600 pilots furloughed by American last month. “The thesis that there is some traffic from passenger carriers to cargo carriers is correct,” said Gregg Overman, communications director at APA. Pilots furloughed by American have since applied to cargo carriers such as FedEx, Atlas and ATI, he said. Even with a hiring pool deepened by an influx of former passenger and commuter pilots, there continue to be hiring challenges. Though Southern Air is in a hiring mode, they’re limited in the number of people they can onboard because of the COVID protocols related to training, said Jewell. Social distancing and exhaustive classroom cleaning limit the number of students Southern Air is able to put through their schoolhouse at once. “Right now, there's not really a problem getting qualified applicants into the system,” he said. “But there is competition amongst them to get the best benefits. UPS is still hiring people, and obviously, that’s a very desirable job.” “The number of jobs available in the cargo sector, however, don’t equate the number of furloughed pilots,” said ALPA. Some former passenger and commuter pilots will likely leave the industry entirely, warned Jewell. While some might not be able to find employment, others find the long stretches of time away from home typically required for cargo flying undesirable, he said. Turning to non-aviation sectors will be necessary, according to ALPA. “ALPA has partnered with Cage Marshall Consulting to provide six unique live and on-demand webinar series — each session applies to topics on this unexpected aviation industry downturn and ways to apply skills to non-flying opportunities.” Even the airlines that continue to hire for the time being can’t do so forever. “People can't keep buying stuff,” said Jewell. “At some point, that will have an effect on the economy. And that would have an effect on the cargo industry and therefore, would shut off that hiring.” There may also be reason to be concerned about a pilot shortage in the future, according to Jewell. The early retirement options offered by many airlines, in addition to the furloughs currently affecting passenger aviation, could cause some to leave the industry entirely, he said. “At some point, that's going to get back to normal, and we're going to have a lot smaller pool to draw from.” “The long-term impact of the coronavirus on the pilot shortage is something that remains to be seen,” said Mangeot. “We have worked to help the industry address the shortage issue by creating internship programs with AmeriFlight that allowed a pilot to build up hours with that regional carrier, then become eligible for UPS pilot jobs.”

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