Some of Our Pilots Are Missing

Republic Airways Holdings operates regional carriers Chautauqua Airlines, Republic Airlines and Shuttle America for Delta Air Lines, Continental, United and others. It has had to cancel at least 22 flights from Louisville, Ky because of a shortage of pilots and flight attendants. Republic blames a hiring spurt or spasm by some of the big carriers. "The entire industry is now facing future pilot shortages," according to spokesperson Warren Wilkinson. A further 58 flights out of Louisville had been cancelled between 01 Nov and 12 April due to weather, scheduling and serviceability issues. The 80 cancelled flights amounted to 3.5 percent of the carriers' 2297 departures. This figure compares to an overall average of 2.9 percent of flights cancelled for the major carriers over the four month period from November 2006. Wilkinson concedes that the new face of hiring and pilot employment prospects will require re-examination of the recruiting, training and retention policies of the regionals.