A new American regional airline hopes to avoid challenges posed by the ongoing pilot shortage by enticing new talent with an industry-leading salary of $250,000.
Connect Airlines, a division of Bedford, Massachusetts-based charter company Waltzing Matilda Aviation, intends to launch scheduled passenger service between the United States and Toronto Billy Bishop Airport (YTZ) in Canada.
A Familiar Business Model
Connect plans to focus on day-tripping business travelers using Dash 8 Q400 turboprop aircraft leased from the recently-resurrected UK regional airline Flybe. Toronto’s downtown island airport is, of course, home turf for Porter Airlines.
Like Connect’s proposed service, Porter uses the Q400 between Billy Bishop and business centers in the northeastern and midwestern United States. Along with YTZ, the airline will initially fly three daily flights to both Chicago O’Hare (ORD) and Philadelphia (PHL).
Connect has two ex-Flybe Q400s ready to go with hopes to have five in the fleet shortly.
While no official launch date has been set, the US Department of Transportation (DOT) on 5 July officially certified Connect for scheduled passenger service. The airline is actively working with Canadian regulators to complete their certification process by the beginning of September. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) mandated proving runs began in mid-July.
Connect Seeks 30 Qualified Captains
Last month, Connect launched a pilot recruitment program called “Smart Start Captain.” The airline hopes to recruit up to 30 “highly qualified direct entry US captains” by offering an industry-leading, pay-protected salary of at least $250K per year.
Additionally, the carrier will offer its pilots attractive work-life balance benefits, such as returning to their home base every day. Most crew schedules will be based upon a four-on, three-off schedule. Connect says its pilots will have the opportunity to “set smarter schedules to optimize their duty time and home life.”
Pilot bases will be located in both Philadelphia and Chicago. In addition, Connect will provide a $1,500 tax-free bonus each month to offset commuting expenses.
Qualified captains must have a minimum of 2,500 hours total flight time, including 1,000 hours of FAA Part 121 or Part 135 time. Prior captain experience is not necessary.
“We are looking for Captains that see the opportunity in building a new airline and in participating directly in how that airline works and grows,” said David Marcontell, Chief Operating Officer, Connect Airlines. “There is a huge benefit in collaborating with our pilots to build a smarter airline and we are backing that up with a compensation package that is considerably higher than any other Regional in the USA and highly competitive with Low Cost Carriers (LCC) as well.”
America’s First Zero-Emission Passenger Airline
Sustainability is also a big focus for Connect. In addition to the Q400, which generates up to 40 percent less carbon emissions than regional jets, the carrier has placed an order for 75 ATR 72-600 turboprops powered by hydrogen fuel cells and an electric powertrain.
The airline is partnering with Hawthorne, California-based aerospace company Universal Hydrogen to convert the ATR turboprops. The order also includes purchase rights for 25 additional aircraft conversions.
By reducing CO2 emissions today and eliminating them by 2026, Connect says it is well on its way to becoming America’s first zero-emission passenger airline.
But Will it Work?
Amid the unprecedented slowdown of global air travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, airlines went into survival mode by offering early retirement to senior crew members. Since then, the industry has recovered – perhaps faster than most analysts predicted. The resulting rapid increase in demand has led to chaos at airlines and airports around the globe because not enough pilots are available to fly airplanes – especially at the regional level.
As a result, airlines have turned their attention to improving pay and benefits in an effort to hire and retain pilots in the post-pandemic landscape. Many carriers have sweetened hiring incentives by offering employee benefits that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. However, a starting salary of a quarter million dollars is unheard of at a regional airline – let alone a startup carrier.
Connect CEO and former Virgin Atlantic executive John Thomas recently acknowledged the carrier’s unorthodox approach.
“Creating a new airline in a challenging market means we have to do things differently and smarter than others,” Thomas said at the launch of the Smart Start Captain program last month.
With such a generous salary and benefits package, and Connect’s commitment to a green future (which isn’t cheap), it will be interesting to see if its “smart and different” business model succeeds.
