PHOENIX — During Women's History Month 12News continues to celebrate women.
We're taking to the skies, talking about women landing 'front and center' in aviation.
Women currently make up less than 20% of the workforce in most positions but JSX is looking to get more women in this workforce.
Pilot Emily Fowler with JSX shares what her experience has been like in the industry since 2018.
“It’s a long journey but it’s worth it, there’s a lot that goes into the process besides flying the plane, along with company procedure and once you put all that together, it can be challenging but it’s worth it,” Fowler explained.
On the tarmac of the Scottsdale Airpark, we joined several ladies to discuss how more women can get into the industry and spread their wings within the community.
The JSX team is determined to tap further into the fountain of skilled and fearless female pilots. Their focus is finding qualified recruits from all types of backgrounds.
To put it into perspective right now 14% of this air carrier's pilots are female. They say, it's more than just a job serving passengers, they say, it's a wealth of support.
"It’s great because you can work in an environment where everyone supports our individual goals to grow with the company whether that’s to train and fly or do something else with the career field," Fowler said.
A few crew members shared customer feedback about female pilots since it is not the standard for larger air carriers. Lauren Allison with JSX said part of her day-to-day, is “waking up the plane.”
"We’ll do our walk around and preliminary inspections of the aircraft, we’ll assist with baggage just to streamline the process and make it smooth for everyone from pilots to customers,” said Allison.
The inclusivity is part of this air carrier's mission, so much so that they partner with Women in Aviation International and the Association for Women in Aviation Maintenance to move the needle when it comes to females filling up this high-flying career field.
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