E358: Spirit Going Under? United-American Rumors & 2026 Pilot Hiring Forecast — Jim Higgins Returns

Pilot to Pilot

Justin Siems

Aviation, Leisure, Flying, Pilot

4.8 • 997 Ratings

🗓️ 28 April 2026

⏱️ 65 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

🎙️ 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 story) • What verbiage in earnings calls and press releases signals trouble before furloughs hit • Fuel prices, the Strait of Hormuz, and how a war on the other side of the world hits your paycheck • The Spirit situation and what bankruptcy vs. liquidation would actually mean • The United–JetBlue rumors — and whether "merging with American" was a smokescreen • Seniority list integration, ALPA merger protocols, and why Southwest hired an M&A law firm • What Delta, Alaska, and Southwest would HAVE to do if a United mega-merger goes through • The Allegiant–Sun Country deal nobody's talking about • Could Delta go international by buying foreign carriers outright?

Drop a comment with YOUR merger prediction. We'll be wrong together.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Episode 358 of the Piot the Pilot Podcast takes off now.
0:09.7	Did you know that 11% of accidents happen while taxing?
0:13.6	A Vemco insurance company believes education and awareness make a real difference,
0:17.5	which is why they support safety programs and reward pilots who stay sharp.
0:21.6	Pilot the Pilot podcast listeners can save 5%. Call 888 6354297 or visit Avemco.com slash 4297
0:30.4	for aircraft owners and visit Avemco.com slash 4297-dash non-owner for non-owners today. Premium credits are subject to underwriting guidelines,
0:40.2	including a VEMCO recognized training and memberships and the sources of EMCO insurance
0:44.1	claims data, 2003. Again, thank you so much, VEMCO for being a sponsor. Please help the
0:49.4	podcast out. Give them a call. Visit the website. See how much you could save today by switching to
0:53.6	a VEMCO. Aviation, let's talk about progressing as a pilot.
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1:09.0	I can speak personally on this as I have gone from a 152, a 172,
1:14.3	182, a 206, a 310, the caravan, the grand caravan, and most recently the citation latitude.
1:24.6	So I've seen it work for every mission from training, from aerial survey,
1:27.9	to flying freight deep into Mexico and all across North America, and then flying essentially
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1:37.8	turboprops like the iconic King Air and the new Beechcraft Denali, or even their jets like the
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	...

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