Discount Airlines Continue to Hire Pilots

Discount airlines continue to hire new pilots to satisfy their continuing strong growth.  In many cases, they have reduced their flight-hour requirements for first officer hiring, allowing more pilots with lower levels of experience to be hired and jump-start their careers.

JetBlue plans to increase its capacity 28% to 30% this year as it takes delivery of 35 new planes; the airline's growth will be primarily domestic, with a greater focus on short-to-medium-haul flights, the company said in a recent Wall Street Journal article.  Southwest, which has remained consistently profitable as a domestic-only airline, is planning on an 8% expansion this year.

Newer planes mean an airline can expand by flying more hours without the cost of running older aircraft.  A newer fleet is also typically more fuel-efficient, saving additional dollars.