Responding to the pilot shortage ticking time bomb, Delta Air Lines is going on a hiring spree. It plans to hire more than 1,000 pilots by next summer, according to the contents of an internal memo.
The Atlanta-based airline has said it expects domestic leisure travel to be at pre-pandemic levels this summer and could post a profit for the second half of 2021.
It plans to increase its pilot workforce by about 8%, it said.
Airlines have been trying to navigate a fine balance between cutting payroll costs during the worst days of the pandemic downturn and quickly ramping up flight capacity as the recovery gets going. American Airline has rrecently cancelled hundreds of scheduled flights due to staff shortages.
