Airlines to hire hundreds of pilots as more travellers return to the air

*I’m excited to share that United will resume the pilot hiring process that was halted last year. We’ll restart with approximately 300 pilots, says Bryan Quigley, Senior Vice-President of Flight Operations, United Airlines

Alexander Davis | ConsumerConnect

Basking in the euphoria that the dark days cum troubled times experienced in the world aviation sector, resulting from the outbreak of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic may be coming to an end soon, US-based United Airlines has reportedly informed employees in a memo that the carrier would be hiring hundreds of pilots to keep up with demand for domestic air travel.

Earlier 2021, a United Airlines executive was said to have disclosed that the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was even worse than the worst estimates anyone at the company thought possible.

But it seems like those dark and troubled times may be coming to an end soon, as the airlines would be hiring hundreds of pilots to keep up with demand for air travels in the country.

The message was a sharp turnaround from last year when the company told tens of thousands of employees that furloughs would be likely in 2021, agency report stated.

Bryan Quigley, United’s Senior Vice-President of Flight Operations, in the memo said: “I’m excited to share that United will resume the pilot hiring process that was halted last year.

“We’ll restart with approximately 300 pilots who either had a new hire class date that was canceled or who had a 2020 conditional job offer,”

It is noted that travellers are already returning to the air, as there have already been signs that the airline industry is starting to return to “normal” after over a year in the pandemic doldrums.

In March, several airlines announced they were bringing back in-flight food and beverage services for select flights and customers.

If the recent holiday weekend (Easter) is any indication, more passengers could soon be taking to the air to enjoy these amenities.