Shapes of Tourism Employment

11The Psychological Bonds between Airline Pilots and their Work: From Passion to Reason

11.1. Airline pilot, from dream job to the psychological bonds experienced

The air passenger transport sector is closely dependent on its human resources. Among them, airline pilots¹ occupy a special place, as a strategic actor [CRO 77], controlling a major area of uncertainty. Their importance is increasing with the growth of the world fleet, which is expected to double by 2037, and the risk of a shortage of flight crew [DUT 18a]. Fulfilling what is often their childhood dream, they are deeply committed to their profession, despite the threats and developments that have changed its content and image. Their relationship to the organization that employs them is more complex, made of pride but also detachment, even disappointment and a sense of betrayal. These are all challenges for HRM, particularly in terms of recruitment, career management and dialogue with representatives of a profession often qualified as corporatist.

11.1.1. Flying, a child’s dream

Several studies attest that for airline pilots, flying is a childhood dream, as recalled by Fraher and Gabriel [FRA 14], who surveyed the identity of this profession in the United States based on a narrative analysis. It is the myth of Phaeton, obsessed with the desire to fly from an early age, which seems to these authors to be the most appropriate to express the strength of their dream and its anchoring in this period of life (Box 11.1 ...