Some airline pilots offered triple pay through Fourth of July weekend
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Airline travel this Fourth of July weekend is predicted to hit pandemic-era highs.
The question: will there be enough pilots to fly the planes? That's why Piedmont and Envoy, both subsidiaries of American Airlines, confirm they're offering triple pay to pilots on their days off in July.
A Piedmont spokesperson said, "It's a tool that we have in our toolbox, and we use it as necessary, but this is not a new program for Piedmont. There are a handful of days in July in which we will be offering triple premium pay to our pilots."
An Envoy spokesperson said, "Envoy has had an extraordinary completion factor for the month of June. As part of the proactive strategy to run a reliable schedule during the peak summer travel season, Envoy is offering pilots triple pay to pick up uncovered trips on their days off in the month of July. This will only be offered if there are open trips available, and currently Envoy is fully covered with its flight schedule this summer."
The move came as cancellations and delays have surged this summer - and as American Airlines announced it's stopping service to three cities due to the pilot shortage.
Dr. Erin Chernak, a UTA professor and aviation psychology researcher, said the industry has known for years that a pilot shortage was looming. And then came the pandemic.
"So the idea of needing to triple pilot pay for these short terms makes sense as a temporary solution," Dr. Chernak said.
But she said it's not sustainable, not only for financial reasons but also for safety.
"So when you're asking pilots, and you're really strongly incentivizing them, to push a little harder to do a little bit more in my mind, there's always that concern of, 'Are we over incentivizing and are we persuading folks to potentially take on more shifts than really they ought to?' "
Chernak also said it will likely contribute to rising flight costs. But to many travelers, it's a long overdue investment to increase reliability.
"If it's business, you don't want to be late. You're often on tight schedules. Same if you're going on vacation. You don't want to be left behind and kids don't get to go to Disney," said passenger John Pinkstone.
"I've got to get where I'm going. There's nothing worse than a cancelled flight and an overnight trip, whatever that might be, that was unexpected," said passenger Craig Brown.
