American Airlines has suspended new pilot training classes for the rest of 2024, with cancelled classes in September, October, and November, and new recruits with conditional job offers facing training deferrals until 2025.
United Airlines and Southwest Airlines have also scaled back new pilot training this year.
Nearly 15,000 pilots are employed by American Airlines, which was previously hiring to address post-pandemic shortages but is now facing challenges due to increased labour costs, inflation, and aircraft delivery delays.
The airline’s fleet includes almost 1,000 aircraft serving 354 airports in 63 countries, with models such as A320s, A330s, B737s, B777s, and B787s.
