Posted on 03/06/2016 7:56:20 AM PST by SkyPilot
True. That's about what most of my friends who still fly for the airlines say. Some are very senior, and they fly only international routes, and they are highly paid.
Some don't make the salary that they used to. When some airlines went bankrupt or merged, their seniority at the old carrier did not translate to the merger. Everything in the airlines is seniority. So they got the shaft. Some of my friends went through multiple furloughs (layoffs) until they finally said enough is enough.
Traveling at all hours and staying at hotels can get old fast. And the airlines are not necessarily putting up their crews at 4 star hotels anymore. Everything is about saving money. People who like to travel think being part of aircrew for a living is one long vacation. It isn't. Not that there aren't perks and it can be enjoyable, but for the most part it is long days, exhaustion, bad food, loneliness away from loved ones, missed birthdays, missed holidays, and little sleep.
For some of those who retired, their retirement took a significant haircut if their carrier went down after they left. The pensions went to the courts, and they took a bath.
I think you are dead on. There have been several trade articles that speak to that very point.
This is coming to all industries and government offices. This is a demographic contraction of the experienced work force. The boomers will benefit if they want to keep working as companies will bend over backwards to keep them. My generation, Gen-X, simply does not have enough people to replace the boomers, so we will also benefit when it hits the fan. Automation may fix this problem in some areas, but demographics is a powerful force on economies.
Ping
Just came across story in the local paper related to this.
http://kdminer.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=69215
I would laugh harder if it was not so much of a tragedy.
It just doesn't work out from a numbers standpoint.
In the 70s I could fly myself and a full plane of friends somewhere round trip for quite a bit less then an airline ticket. Roughly speaking, it was always more economical if you went to the range of the tanks on a 182 or 210. Twins not really...but even then, a 310 rented for about $100/hr, and they did go fast. You could pay the premium and have some fun...
But that's not true now. The regionals are cheep cheep cheep, and "upper middle class" people now make far less then they did even in the moribund '70s: who can afford a Piper Archer that costs FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS for a lousy 180 hp 4 place airplane!?
Cirrus did a great job building a modern upper class airplane and what they got for their trouble was bankruptcy and Chinese ownership.
For a variety of reasons, it just don't work. Perhaps with the drop in gas price things can improve...but the unit costs are just too high to keep GA going.
Cheaper to buy a flight simulator and do it in your living room. Sad that it is that way...
OK, I won't tell you my stories about training Saudi and UAE "pilots"...
What ? Cut into the companies bottom line ? No way! Yet I feel strangely uncomfortable flying with a pilot who may make less money than a burger flipper at some McDonalds.
no-thrills carrier
That’s what you get when you think you can pay highly skilled people $15.00 an hour, might as well work at McDonalds.
For the most part, the training programs for US carriers are programs designed for pilots who already have the ratings, and maybe already hold the type rating for that aircraft. They are sponsored by the company, but they are not "free."
When I was young, I could get flight lessons from WW II, Korean, or Vietnam veteran pilots for a song. Many of the instructors were friends of my Dad. I would wash and refuel planes and could earn some of my lessons and fuel.
Insurance was cheap, and airspace regulations outside of the big airports favored general aviation. There were no FAA rules for expensive avionics or navaids. If I wanted to fly our friend's Champ, Cessna 150, or Taylorcraft, I could do so with minimal equipment on board.
Today, all of that has changed. And as you say, the numbers don't add up anymore.
Yeah. My Instrument instructor flew P-47's in The War. Out of England. Escorting -17s.
No one could hold a heading like Bob. He explained: when they took off from the greens in England, it was line abreast into the morning overcast. Lead guy went straight, left echelon turn 10 deg left, right echelon turn 10 deg right. Everyone form back up on top. With AN gyros...
If you couldn't hold a holding like on a knife edge then you were going to run into cumulus aluminus.
Great guy. Charged me all of $7 hr in 1978.
A young female co-pilot who died when the planes wings iced up (near Buffalo years back) was working a second job because the pay was horrible; expect more H1-Bs for this field.
They destroyed general aviation due to all the associated sky high costs, now airlines are complaining of lack of pilots?
Most can’t even afford the schooling/training....lol
Maybe they should pay more than ~$20k/yr.
Besides the policies of Federal Anti Aviation administration, there has been a major change in people interested in flying. I have lived on air ports for over 40 years, and noticed that in the last 10, the planes based at my airport have dropped by over 60%. Same as instruction and flying hours. Video gaming has taken over.
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