Presenting an empirically rich account of life as a pilot, this book explores the work experience of commercial airline pilots who face existential threat from artificial intelligence. It presents an up-to-date account of how commercial aviation has been ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic and rocked by wars in Europe and the Middle East.

The chapters put forth the importance of effectively managing people in the industry and pilots specifically and offer a detailed account of the new technologies that threaten to redefine the nature of a pilot’s work. Reporting the findings of a global study of airline pilots undertaken with the support of the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations, the book paints a vivid picture of life as an airline pilot in the current, post-pandemic airline industry and the rise of automation.

The volume will appeal to students, scholars and professionals in the fields of aviation management, human resource management, employment relations and the sociology of work. The practical findings will also be of interest to commercial aviation professionals.