DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa. — Dozens of new workers will take flight in Central Pennsylvania this May when a new Piedmont Airlines crew base opens at Harrisburg International Airport.
“We like the Harrisburg area, we have a maintenance base in the Harrisburg area, we have a corporate office in the Harrisburg area, so this is just a natural expansion of that location,” said Jacqueline Jennings, Vice President of People and Communications at Piedmont Airlines.
HIA will become the American Airlines subsidiary’s third crew base, joining Philadelphia and Charlotte on the map.
“It’s another show of how committed American is to the Central Pennsylvania region and to getting business and leisure travelers around more effectively,” said Scott Miller, spokesperson for Harrisburg International Airport.
It’s part of Piedmont’s plan to hire 400 pilots nationwide in 2022.
Sixty pilots and flight attendants will be based in Harrisburg to start.
“So it will start small but we’re excited about giving crew members the opportunity to move to Harrisburg and not have to commute,” said Jennings.
The move comes as the aviation industry is seeing a severe pilot shortage.
The company is offering major incentives, paying for both pilots and mechanics to go to school and offering bonuses worth $180 thousand over their career with Piedmont.
Piedmont has also launched a cadet program which guarantees pilots an automatic job at American Airlines.
“It’s a great career progression for pilots and we know there are several great pilot schools in central Pennsylvania so we’re hoping to tap into that,” explained Jennings.
She says having a base in Harrisburg will allow Piedmont to be more efficient, while giving crew members a better quality of life and bringing more jobs to Dauphin County.
“We hope as we hire from the area we have crew members who stay in Harrisburg which is great for the economy but also have pilots and flight attendants who move to Harrisburg which is great for the economy,” added Jennings.
While Miller says there’s still a ways to go to get back to pre-pandemic levels, HIA is excited the launch is happening at a time when travel is on the rebound.
“Restrictions are going away in most places now, people are optimistic, spring time is coming, they want to go places, they’re tired of being buttoned up,” said Miller.
You can read the full press release from Piedmont here.
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