If you’ve been traveling through the airports lately, you may have noticed a ton of flight cancellations or delays. One reason for the inconvenience to passengers is, in part, due to a nationwide pilot shortage.

As restrictions are lifted and more people are feeling comfortable with traveling again, the travel industry is finding it hard to keep up with the demand.

American Airlines announced it would cancel thousands of flights throughout July 2021 as a result of the shortage, as reported in CNN. And it’s not just American Airlines sounding the alarm on the uphill battle U.S. commercial airlines are facing.

During an interview with “Axios on HBO,” United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said the United States is facing a pilot shortage because the military is not producing as many pilots as it did previously.

United Airlines recently announced that it plans to train 5,000 pilots in its flight academy by 2030 to address the shortage problem. Meanwhile, other airlines are reportedly offering more money to pilots, including sign-on bonuses and up to $247 an hour.

Now that the word is out about how much pilots could be making, it’s safe to conclude we might see more pilots of color, according to Black Twitter.

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While we can always count on Black Twitter for a good laugh, we hope that it truly inspires more Black men and women to consider careers in aviation.

The most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that African-Americans account for only 3 percent of commercial pilots in the United States.

Actually, we’ll be back. We’re going to look up some aviation school programs, so we can apply, too!

airlines, news