Most airline pilots are men. Why aren’t there more women in the industry? (2023)

Captain Beth Powell of American Airlines enjoyed all subjects in school that had numbers.

“It was math, it was physics, it was accounting,” Powell said. “I remember the teacher (at the time) being so excited that I loved numbers.”

Her math and physics teacher told her she could “become.” He listed many careers, but the one that made her rush home excited was becoming a pilot.

It didn’t take long before a 15-year-old Powell was helping guard the controls of a Cessna 152 with an instructor, feeling every subtle shift and surge the airplane made. It was the moment she knew she wanted to be a pilot.

It’s stories like her own that she shares with other young women to encourage them to pursue aviation.

Women make up less than 20% of the workforce in most aviation occupations, according to the Women in Aviation Advisory Board.

At the end of 2022, Southwest Airlines had 413 female pilots, 4% of the total pilot workgroup. In 2021, 5% of American’s pilots were women, according to the carrier.

Over the next 20 years worldwide, the industry needs more than 602,000 new civilian pilots, said Rebecca Lutte, an associate professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s aviation institute. The industry urgently needs to recruit from underrepresented groups, she told a congressional committee in March.

Young women and girls aren’t exposed enough to aviation opportunities, she said, and their ambitions can be cut short by the cost of pursuing an aviation career or the challenges of balancing work and family.

Young girls need to see it to believe it

When Powell told her mom she wanted to be a pilot, her mother helped her research the field. Her father asked: “Are women allowed to fly?”

The owner of the Wings Jamaica Flight School assured young Powell and her parents there were pilots that were women.

“Seeing another female doing this was amazing,” Powell said. “It told me that this is a space for you.”

Powell thinks a lot about the question her father asked. If she thought to herself that there were no women pilots, she might not be where she is today.

“Many times people don’t see themselves in this career because they don’t see many that look like them,” Powell said. “They’re not able to paint themselves in the story.”

Women make up only 28% of the STEM workforce, according to the American Association of University Women. Women only make up 4.6% of air transport pilot jobs, according to a report from the Women in Aviation board.

Jennifer McIntyre, a first officer at Southwest Airlines, said she knew from a young age she wanted to be an astronaut. That energy and inspiration turned into wanting to be a pilot.

McIntyre navigated a tough job market, flying for charter jet companies and corporate aviation jobs. She rarely worked with women.

Southwest has looked at maternity leave and other benefits to make aviation careers easier on mothers, said Christi Paget, managing director of onboarding and engagement for flight operations.

Southwest’s union contract with pilots treat maternity leave as medical leave, meaning it is not paid. But with a new contract under negotiation, there are plans to change that to give mothers six weeks of maternity leave and six more weeks of paid parental bonding, a benefit which will also be offered to birth fathers and adoptive parents.

“The schedule of a pilot can be kind of tricky to understand if you’re not in the day-to-day,” Paget said.

It requires one-on-one conversations with women and others interested in becoming a pilot to explain how the job can work with families as well, she said.

McIntyre will always welcome young girls into the cockpit. She’s an ambassador for Southwest’s Destination 225° pilot training program.

At American, all U.S.-based mainline team members are eligible for post-pregnancy 10 weeks of paid maternity short-term disability plan. American also offers benefits like mother’s rooms with milk storage, enhanced coverage for hands-free breast pump and a doula or midwife support through pregnancy, birth and postpartum period.

The price tag

At roughly $100,000 for an air transport pilot license, the cost of entering the aviation industry is a common barrier for both men and women, said Allison McKay, CEO of Women in Aviation International.

ATP Flight School estimates it costs $96,995 to become a pilot with no previous experience or $75,995 when starting with a private pilot certificate.

Powell’s parents took out a loan to help her get flight training and private and commercial pilot licenses. But after that loan was spent, she had to find the rest of the money on her own.

Her father looked at young Powell and told her, “Your attitude determines your altitude.”

That’s when Powell started working multiple jobs — tutoring math, working for an insurance company, and even promoting parties — to cover a flight instructor license, which allowed Powell to teach and build the hours to qualify for flying commercially.

McIntyre used student loans.

“As sad as that is, I think that’s a lot of what holds people back from becoming a pilot is because it is so expensive,” McIntyre said. “The price tag is high and it is a long road to get here.”

Addressing the problem now

Both airlines and educational institutions have been trying to get more women into the pilot training pipeline because of both the low percentage of women in the field and the shortage of pilots across the globe that is hampering travel.

Texas Women’s University announced in December the development of an aviation program. The same goes for D-FW’s two major carriers.

In 2018, American launched its cadet academy, where cadets train with a flight school selected by the carrier and are mentored by an American Airlines pilot during their program.

Becoming a first officer at one of American’s regional carriers, Envoy, PSA, or Piedmont, works on an average three-year timeline with the ability to move to mainline within five to seven years.

The cadet academy includes 12 months of flight training at the carrier’s flight training school partners while building 16 to 20 months of experience as a paid flight instructor with the opportunity to join a wholly-owned cadet program.

Once 1,500 flight hours are reached, cadets can join a regional airline, with a contractual flow agreement with American which guarantees a first officer position.

Prospective pilots can earn more than $165,000 in bonuses if they stick with American through school, start with a regional carrier and then move up to the mainline carrier. That more than covers the cost of schooling.

Last year, the American Airlines Cadet Academy and American Airlines Credit Union announced a partnership that includes a financing program and loans available in low fixed- and variable-rate options, designed to cover all expenses, including housing and stipend costs.

With Southwest Airlines’ Destination 225° program, the carrier is working to recruit potential pilots from the military, university, cadet programs and among employees. The program encourages people at any point in life to consider being a pilot.

“It’s a faster path to becoming a first officer at Southwest Airlines,” Paget said. “We do have options because the cost is still a barrier and are working on some opportunities there.”

Southwest also has an agreement with the Southwest Credit Union that if cadets qualify, they can get low-interest loans through the credit union, Paget said.

Retaining women in the industry is another important issue, McKay said.

“I think that this industry needs to do a much better job of addressing family leave policies, family benefit policies, that keep women in the industry,” McKay said.

It’s a problem that doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all answer, but carriers are working toward getting more women in hopes to inspire others, McKay said.

“If you don’t see yourself in the careers, it’s very hard to imagine yourself being able to do it,” McKay said.

Powell is American Airlines’ first Black female pilot manager. She also led American Airlines’ all Black female flight crew on Aug. 8, 2022, in honor of Bessie Coleman, the first Black woman to earn a pilot’s license.

Powell’s career has inspired her daughter to become a pilot.

She’s looking forward to the day she can share a seat in the cockpit next to her now 17-year-old daughter.

“We don’t even recognize we’re leading by example, in our own home,” Powell said.