United Pilots Are Refusing to Become Captain

United Airlines finds itself in a unique situation. According to an airline’s representative, several United pilots are refusing to get promoted to captain. United’s CEO Scott Kirby announced that the captain shortage could affect travelers since it could mean fewer flights.

Kirby said that “It’s the first time that I’ve ever known it to happen in the airline industry.” He added that “It is going to impact capacity in the fourth quarter.”

Captains are the ones who are in charge of the overall safety of the plane. And for a plane to fly, there is a need for two pilots. The captain gets to call the shots and gets a higher pay than his co-pilot.

Reason for Captain Shortage

However, United pilots refusing to become captains isn’t exactly surprising.  In a Reuters report, half of the 978 captain vacancies remained unfulfilled in the past year. Also, the report mentioned that United pilots who took captain positions find themselves in intense schedules.

To resolve the problem, Kirby plans to have a better deal with pilots allowing them to have a better work-life balance. He said: “We promised our world-class pilots the industry-leading contract they deserve, and we’re pleased to have reached an agreement with ALPA (Air Line Pilots Association) on it.”

Kirby added that “The four-year agreement, once ratified will deliver a meaningful pay raise and quality of life improvements for our pilots while putting the airline on track to achieve the incredible potential of our United Next strategy.”

However, there’s no confirmation of a deal yet. Robert Mann, who is a former airline executive said that future agreements will depend on the airline’s ability to offer improved work-life balance to their pilots.

Mann said that “It’s not necessarily what’s in the agreement, but what happens every day in the real world.” He added that “The biggest complaints come with the least reliable schedule.”