Skift Take
Good morning from Skift. It’s Thursday, June 9, in New York City. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.
Today’s edition of Skift’s daily podcast discusses the possible pilot shortage in the United States, Denver’s emergence as a travel tech hub, and LGBTQ-friendly travel certification programs. .
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Episode Notes
The CEOs of American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have all acknowledged their regional affiliates are struggling to hire pilots. However, the biggest pilot union in the U.S. believes there’s no pilot shortage amidst a wave of curtailed flight schedules, reports Contributor Ted Reed.
Air Line Pilots Association President Joe DePete said earlier this week that the U.S. is producing a record number of pilots, with the organization citing figures from the Federal Aviation Administration that it believes indicate a surplus of available pilots. ALPA added that training backlogs were driving major airlines, including American and Southwest Airlines, to significantly reduce their summer schedules.
However, Regional Airline Association CEO Faye Malarkey Black refuted DePete’s statements, arguing that the pilot shortage is real. American CEO Robert Isom said earlier this month that the carrier has grounded 100 regional jets at its American Eagle affiliates due to a lack of pilots.
We head to Denver next. The Mile High City is rapidly becoming home to a cluster of travel technology companies, especially those focused on short-term rental properties, writes Travel Tech Reporter Tim Mullaney in this week’s Travel Tech Briefing.
Justin Miller, the CEO of a startup named Showcase, is one entrepreneur attracted to the city that his company views as a travel technology hub. Miller, who had been based in San Francisco, said being in Denver…