ORLANDO, Fla. — In the past month, Southwest and American airlines were forced to collectively cancel thousands of flights because of what the airlines blamed on weather, scheduling and staffing.

Airlines have long faced predictions of pilot shortages.

Boeing estimates airlines globally will need to hire 600,000-plus pilots over the next several decades as demand for air travel continues to grow, even post-pandemic.

Staffing shortages can have a ripple effect, and a critical one at that over time, for markets like Orlando that rely so heavily on tourism and travel.

In 2019, more than 75 million people visited Orlando. The same year, more than 50 million people flew in and out of Orlando

Fewer pilots could mean fewer flights to places like Central Florida in the years to come.

Major U.S. airlines are working overtime to collectively recruit thousands of pilots now — and well into the future.

Michael Llompart is a sophomore at the University of Central Florida. His most important class, however, is found nearly 13 miles away at Orlando Executive Airport.

Llompart is working to fulfill a childhood dream of one day becoming a major airline pilot. (You can watch the full story in the video player above.)

“It started on a crazy airline flight to South America, where I wondered how a large piece of machinery was able to get up into the air so high and take us to places, and really the thing I was most infatuated with was that feeling of flight,” Llompart said.

Llompart’s guide to the sky is Ron Timmermans; a 50-year pilot himself, including 20 years serving as a certified flight instructor.

“It’s a great joy seeing young people like Michael learn a new skill and become safe pilots,” Timmermans said.

Llompart is not alone.

Dr. Ken Byrnes, chairman of the Flight Department at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, said enrollment is up at that school, too, as is recruitment.

“A lot of students, not even halfway done with training are talking to industry, talking to airlines, and the airlines are trying to recruit them,” Byrnes said.

Embry Riddle uses a fleet of 86 aircraft for advanced training lessons, as well as a suite of virtual labs and simulators to prepare the next generation of pilots.

Flight training can take extensive time and money to achieve the skills and experience required for commercial flying.

Many airlines have established training programs, nearly guaranteeing future employment at the completion of training.

The challenge remains time. Boeing estimates airlines will accept more than 43,000 new aircraft in the next two decades, and demand for travel and cabin crew continues to grow.