About this episode

Jim Higgins returns to discuss the current state of the airline industry, including pilot hiring forecasts and the situation with Spirit Airlines.

🎙️ Pilot to Pilot Magazine — Volume 002 is out now. Get yours at pilottopilothq.com/mag Sponsors — please support the people who support the show: • Avemco Insurance — Save 5% as a Pilot to Pilot listener. Call (888) 635-4297 or visit avemco.com/4297-owner (owners) or avemco.com/4297-non-owner (non-owners) • Textron Aviation — Built for lifelong aviators. Plan your next chapter at txtav.com/stepup • Garmin — Plan, file, fly, log with the Garmin Pilot app • Allworth Airline Advisors — Register for their latest webinar at allworthfinancial.com/justin • Learn the Finer Points — Save 10% off your first year at learnthefinerpoints.com/justin State of the Industry! Spirit's on the brink, Scott Kirby is publicly floating a United–American merger, and the entire airline industry feels like it's holding its breath. Welcome to silly season. Jim Higgins, professor of aviation at the University of North Dakota and former MEC chair, returns to the Pilot to Pilot Podcast to break down everything happening across the majors right now — and what could happen next. In this episode, Justin and Jim dig into: • Where pilot hiring actually stands in 2026 (and the FAPA numbers that tell the real…

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