Pilots moving out of U.S. into emerging economies

Today's article titled With Jobs Scarce, U.S. Pilots Sign On At Foreign Airlines in the Wall Street Journal is another indicator of the changing face of the global economy. After recent bankruptcy filings, restructurings and huge layoffs many U.S. pilots are increasingly finding lucrative and better job offers outside U.S. in places like China, India, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

Nearly two years ago, at age 51, Brian Murray took early retirement from US Airways. But Capt. Murray's flying career was far from over. Today he lives in Dubai and flies wide-body Airbus A330s for fast-growing Emirates Airlines, winging to exotic destinations in Europe, Africa and Asia.

There are simply not enough pilots being trained in these emerging economies and they need to hire from U.S. where there is a surplus. It's the same economic factors that drived scores of Indian and Chinese professionals to the U.S. in the 90s.

G.R. Gopinath, managing director for Air Deccan, a two-year-old budget airline in India, says he has been recruiting a dozen pilots a month from overseas. "If Indian software engineers can work in the U.S., their pilots can come and work here," he says. "It's reverse body-shopping." Pilot job fairs in the U.S. have begun attracting recruiters for Chinese and Indian startups, according to Kit Darby, president of Air Inc., a placement firm.

In India foreign pilots make upto $15,000 per month. Heck, that's high compared to U.S. standards itself. In India you are not living like a king but a king with that salary!

India counts more. Deregulation has spawned startup airlines, an influx of international flights, and 20% annual passenger growth. India expects to need 2,500 new pilots by 2010. At Jet Airways, the nation's largest private carrier, 111 of its 685 pilots are foreign. Air Deccan has 75 foreigners among its 250 pilots, and is setting up its own flight school in Bangalore.

This all the more reason to stay in India and other emerging economies. The lure to immigrate to U.S. is dwindling and at the same time home economies are growing. Do you want to come to the U.S. and be stuck in the ridiculously insane immigration system or stay back and enjoy life at home?