US airlines increase staffing initiatives

US airlines are ramping up hiring and training initiatives to secure a pipeline of new pilots, flight attendants and others to keep up with increased demand as the industry recovers from the pandemic. American Airlines plans to add thousands of employees, including 400 reservation agents based in Dallas, ahead of a busy summer travel season. Despite these increased efforts, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby predicts it will take five years or more for pilot staffing levels to catch up. “There simply aren’t enough pilots,” Kirby said. American Airlines CEO Robert Isom also notes that employment is impacting service and affecting regional carriers as well. “We don’t have the regional aircraft flying the summer right now [that] we would like,” said Isom.