Airlines in US hire buses for short routes between airports

A number of airlines in the United States are facing acute shortages of pilots. To deal with the ongoing issue, the airlines are hiring bus companies that would transport passengers to the airports in cities which are just a short flight away. The step has been taken by American Airlines which has joined hands with a coach company earlier this month and transports the passengers between the Philadelphia International Airport and the airports in Penneslvania, Allentown and Atlantic City, New Jersey.

The bus company Landline said that the recent service would be a better and an easier way to take passengers to and fro from the two airports instead of flying. The fresh bus service is expected to begin on June 3, 2022. Landline also has locked deals with United Airlines, which has offered one-stop connections on the buses between Denver Airport and Breckenridge and Fort Collins since April 1, 2022. The bus operator said that it has raised $28 million to expand its reach. The recent bus service has been introduced ever since the airlines is facing tough times while hiring new pilots. The new shortage is also expected to an increase in the ticket prices. Due to the pilot shortage a number of airlines were forced to ground some of their fleet.

As per the Regional Airline Association, the United States is expected to lose nearly half of its pilots as the Federal Aviation Association has made a rule that all the pilots should retire at the age of 65. Reports say that 5,000 of the 15,000 pilots of the American Airlines are expected to retire in the next seven years. Moreover, the pandemic has also triggered early retirements of many of the pilots.

However, the United States is expected to add 13,000 pilots in 2022 but America only produces 5,000 to 7,000 pilots on an annual basis. To make-up, American Airlines is hiring 50 to 70 pilots every week which marks a high rate than any time in history.

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