FedEx has given some career advice to its pilots: Go work for someone else. According to Freight Waves, the world’s largest parcel shipping company says it doesn’t have enough business to keep its pilots fully employed so Pat DiMento, the company’s VP of flight operations and training, says they should take an offer by American Airlines regional subsidiary PSA. PSA is particularly targeting FedEx pilots with a $250,000 signing bonus to become PSA captains and a direct pathway to the mainline after time with the regional.
“While I understand this is not something that will appeal to every pilot, for those of you who are frustrated with current flight hours, career progression, or have just been on the fence about available options, you may consider this unique opportunity enough of an incentive to make a move,” DiMento wrote in a memo to pilots. It was reported in July that FedEx had about 700 more pilots than it needed since parcel volumes took a nosedive earlier this year. The volume has continued to drop so the surplus is likely growing. The carrier had about 5,800 pilots as of July.
Regional airlines are desperate for flight crew, especially captains. The big airlines have recruited hundreds of captains from the regionals as FOs and are now pretty much back to pre-COVID pilot numbers. The regionals, meanwhile, have cut hundreds of flights and parked airplanes, largely because of the shortage of captains.
