US Airlines Continue to Earn Record Profits
Published Oct 31, 2013 on Pilot Jobs
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The Airline Industry in the United States continues to be very profitable, which is fueling growth for every airline in the country. This is increasing the demand for new airline pilots to both replace a tidal wave of retiring pilots, and to fly new aircraft coming online with the airlines to serve the increasing numbers of passengers taking to the skies once again.
Six years after it emerged from bankruptcy protection, Delta Airlines on Tuesday announced a profit of more than a billion dollars, as more passengers paid a little bit extra to fly on its planes in the third quarter. Even its new oil refinery made money. Delta has begun hiring pilots and is expected to hire over 300 more in the next year.
United Continental Airlines earned $379 million, up sharply from $6 million a year earlier. United has announced that they will hire 500 pilots a year for the next ten years.
JetBlue reported a record quarterly income and said it will focus on adding larger aircraft to its fleet. They reported third-quarter earnings of $71 million. Revenue rose 10.4% to $1.4 billion compared to the same quarter a year earlier when JetBlue earned $45 million. JetBlue has been hiring pilots over the last year and will continue in 2014.
Southwest Airlines released third-quarter results Thursday and gave more evidence that the airline industry continues to rebound from the 2008 recession. Southwest said that third-quarter net income jumped to $259 million from $16 million a year earlier. Southwest has also been hiring pilots over the last year and recently announced that they will be hiring more pilots in 2014.
The airline industry continues to increase the demand for new pilots. Most Major Airlines have agreements with their Regional Airline partners that allow for a smooth flow from Regional to Major Airline. ATP leads the way with more recruiting agreements with the airlines than any other flight training organization in the United States. In the airline business seniority is everything, get there first with ATP.