I recall a few years back when that analyst Mann was saying that RJs were the future, that airlines were going for smaller planes and more frequent flights. I saw it differently, smaller planes burn more fuel per passenger, limited cargo, more landing fees, more congestion in the air and most of all, more pilots and mechanics per passenger. It took a lot longer for the shortage to appear, didbt expect it to get as bad as it has.
It costs around $60k for an A&P and at least double that for to get the certs to become a Commercial transport pilot. Working for minimum wage for another 10 years then at least another 12 to 15 before you get that heavy turbine left seat with the six figure salary simply isn't worth the debt and the many years hardly making anything, same goes for mechanics, working 30 years of nights, weekends and Holidays at substandard wages on top of paying off student loans and tools just isn't too appealing. Flight benefits aren't that much of a draw when it costs less than a weeks wages to pretty much get anywhere in the country, throw in the fact that when you figure in that at AA you only get one week and no holidays off you are already working three extra weeks a year that most people have off. So where a full fare passenger may have to fork over a weeks pay to go on vacation we are working an extra three weeks for standby.
Of the very few young people you do see coming into maintenance none of them are the children of airline workers, most are minorities who come from poor economic circumstances and were conned by recruiters into thinking this was a good shot at a better life. Yea, working five days a week every week except for the one week a year you get for vacation will draw a lot of people.
