Airline Will Pay Pilots $100,000 To Move Planes On Chicago Tarmac

Forget flying itself, we've got bigger problems.

It seems like there's already been an uptick in weird air travel-related stories this year, including some close calls on the ground.

We all know Chicago O'Hare is one of the busiest airport hubs in America and one airline is really feeling the pressure of that.

British Airways flies into and out of different terminals at O'Hare (that story is coming up too, don't worry). It's not always the clearest route for the pilots so the airline has come up with a way to fix it.

They're hiring 'taxi crew' members in Chicago. They're looking for pilots that will taxi the planes between terminals at O'Hare.

It's a lucrative gig that doesn't involve flying at all and will pay the pilots $90,000-$100,000/year.

Before you start trying to totally change your occupation, the airline's job application calls for experience and a "solid track record of safety". It's not meant for full-time pilots but rather semi-retired pilots who aren't allowed to fly commercial planes anymore but can still taxi a plane on the tarmac at low speeds.

Now to that question: why does British Airlines even need help taxiing to different terminals? At O'Hare, British Airways flies into Terminal 5, which is right at Customs & Border Patrol. But because of an agreement with American Airlines, British Airways flies out of Terminal 3.

You may be thinking 'why don't they just use one of those pushback tug things?'. The argument is that, at O'Hare specifically, it's safer and more efficient to use the plane's own engines.

Currently, British Airways flies daily from O'Hare to London.