Air freight demand has cooled so much, FedEx is telling its pilots to fly for American Airlines instead

• FedEx is encouraging its pilots to apply for a job with PSA Airlines, a unit of American Airlines.
• The move came on the back of a decline in air cargo demand.
• Meanwhile, US passenger airlines are experiencing a pilot shortage.

Demand for air freight was a bright spot in the aviation industry during the COVID-19 pandemic amid shipping disruptions and passenger travel whittling down to next to nothing — but the tide has turned.