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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (March 12, 2022)
OREGON A8 — THE OBSERVER SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2022 BUSINESS Alaska Airlines launches academy to address pilot shortage By JAMIE GOLDBERG The Oregonian PORTLAND — Alaska Airlines is prepared to spend millions of dollars to help students attend an Oregon fl ight school, get their com- mercial pilot licenses and then get them fl ying planes for Horizon Air, its regional sister carrier. The Seattle-based air group is partnering with the Hillsboro Aero Academy to launch Ascend Pilot Academy, which will off er training in either Hillsboro or Redmond. The airline will off er low-interest fl ight school loans, cover the cost of a commercial pilot license, then give the new pilots a job upon completing the program. It’s the latest attempt from an airline to shore up its hiring pipeline as car- riers across the country try to navigate serious pilot shortages that have forced delays, cancellations and higher plane ticket prices. Other airlines, too, have recently opened their own fl ight academies to entice candidates who otherwise may not have pursued a career as a pilot. Mark Graves/The Oregonian, File Alaska Airlines and its regional sister carrier Horizon Air are launching a fl ight school program with the aim of addressing the pilot shortage. Applications for spots in the new fl ight academy are now open and the airlines are hoping the fi rst cohort of prospective pilots will begin training April 1, 2022. While passenger volume is only 9% lower than pre-pan- demic levels, the number of domestic fl ights is still down 16% compared to before the pandemic, according to a report released this month by Airlines for America, a trade association that rep- resents major North Amer- ican airlines. Scott Keyes, the Port- land-based founder of the travel discount website Scott’s Cheap Flights, said airlines have been unable to keep up with rebounding travel demand due in large part to the pilot shortage. That shortage predated the pandemic, but airlines made things worse when they off ered pilots early retire- ment packages early in the pandemic to cut costs. One report from con- sulting fi rm Oliver Wyman estimates that the U.S. will be short 12,000 pilots by the end of 2023. “When the airlines reacted to the begin- ning of the pandemic by really freezing their hiring, not continuing with their ramp-up plans like they had, it seemed like a prudent decision,” Keyes said. “But now with travel rebounding much more quickly than anyone expected, airlines have been caught pretty fl at-footed.” To fi ll the gap, major air- lines are hiring pilots away from regional carriers. About 80% of pilots hired by major airlines in 2022 are expected to come from regional air- lines, said Carlos Zendejas, Horizon Air’s vice president of fl ight operations. That could squeeze the regional airlines, Keyes said, and lead to more cuts in ser- vice to smaller destinations, leaving people in places like Medford and Eugene with fewer fl ight options. Zendejas said airlines will need to hire more than 10,000 pilots in 2022, double the number of pilots who were hired in 2019. He said Alaska and Horizon alone anticipate they will need to hire 2,000 more pilots by 2025. Students with little to no fl ight experience who enroll in the new Ascend Pilot Academy will get access to low-interest loans to help them pay for the training program, a $3,500 stipend to cover their fl ight instructor certifi cation, a $25,000 stipend to cover the cost of obtaining a com- mercial pilot license and a conditional job off er from Horizon Air, contingent on completing the program. The total cost of partic- ipating in the Ascend Pilot Academy and obtaining a commercial pilot license will be between $65,000- $80,000, Zendejas said. He said the airlines hope the stipend and low-in- terest loans will be enough to entice prospective stu- dents who previously saw a career as a pilot as cost-prohibitive. “What we’re seeing at Horizon is a lot of pilot attrition, so we’re in the process of backfi lling for that,” Zendejas said. “We have some programs in place, including our Pilot Development Program, which is a partnership with established fl ight schools and universities, but this academy program will give us another source of pilots, so as we look to the future, more of our pilots can come from our pipelines.” Applications for spots in the new fl ight academy are now open and the airlines are hoping that the fi rst cohort of prospective pilots will begin training April 1. Zendejas said they hope 250 new pilots will go through the academy each year. Oregonians see homelessness as top issue facing the state By ANNA DEL SAVIO Oregon Capital Bureau SALEM — When Oregon’s legislative leaders unveiled a plan to address homelessness last month, they stressed that it is not just a Portland, or even an “urban,” problem. “Those who are unhoused and unsheltered are as diverse as our community itself,” said Rep. Jason Kropf, a Democrat whose Central Oregon district is fl anked by the Deschutes National Forest and includes much of Bend. The regional concern on dis- play in the capitol last month refl ected the views of Oregon res- idents, most of whom — regard- less of ZIP code — want local leaders to make responding to homelessness their No. 1 priority. More than three quarters of Multnomah County residents and other urban Oregonians said it was very important or urgent for leaders in their communi- ties to make doing something about homelessness their top priority, a recent survey from the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center found. “Getting the economy back is an important fi rst step. Getting people with addictions and mental health issues treated is the next step,” one Multnomah County res- ident stated. But even in rural and suburban 1.51 areas, at least 60% of residents surveyed in November identifi ed homelessness as a topic of high priority. Most Oregonians identifi ed mental illness, substance abuse or a lack of aff ordable housing as the top reasons why people become homeless. The lawmakers who high- lighted their $400 million package to ease homelessness and promote low-cost housing were careful not to claim victory. “I want to make clear these investments will not solve every problem overnight,” said Rep. Julie Fahey, D-Eugene. “But Ore- gonians have immediate needs right now.” More now see homelessness as an urgent issue Overall, 70% Oregonians surveyed in November said it was very important or urgent for leaders to make homeless- ness their top priority. Asked a similar question in an October 2020 survey by Oregon Values and Beliefs Center, 50% of res- idents answered very important or urgent. While seven out of 10 Ore- gonians believed ending home- lessness should be a top priority for leaders, only six in 10 agreed that with the right policies and resources, homelessness could be solved in their communities. Rural Oregonians were slightly more pessimistic than urban and suburban residents. Some respondents favored a harsher approach, forcing home- less people off the streets and into shelters. Others said that while a few people may refuse help, the right policies and resources could get most people into homes. With local and state elections approaching in May, homeless- ness is likely to become a key issue throughout the state. And, the survey said, those seeking offi ce are likely to face tough questions as fewer than 12% of Oregonians are satisfi ed with the homelessness services where they live.