'I would've ended up divorced': Why many pilots don't want to get promoted to captain

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

United Airlines first officer Phil Anderson has turned down opportunities to be promoted to captain as he does not want the unpredictable schedule that comes with the bigger paycheck. Anderson is one of many who have passed on that promotion at United, and analysts and union officials said a resulting shortage of captains — who function as head pilots — could cut the number of flights available to travelers by next summer. One industry official dubbed it the «no one wants to be a junior captain syndrome.» Some smaller regional carriers have already been forced to reduce their flights by as much as 20% due to staffing constraints, said Robert Mann, a former airline executive who now runs a consulting firm.

If pilots refuse to take the captain's seat, Mann warned that airlines like United could face the same problem even as consumers are returning more to travel. «You can't fly with two first officers,» he said. «You have to have a captain.» Finding pilots willing to take career upgrades is not just a United problem.

At American Airlines, more than 7,000 pilots have chosen not to take a captain's job, according to union-supplied data. Dennis Tajer, a spokesman for American's pilots union, said the number of pilots declining promotions has at least doubled in the past seven years. A first officer helps navigate and operate flights, but a captain is the pilot in command of the plane and is responsible for its safety.

While both are union jobs, they fall in different categories and have different pay rates. At United, bids for 978 captain vacancies, or about 50% of the vacancies posted, have gone unfilled in the past year, United pilot union data shows. In June, 96 of 198 openings went unfilled.