ACA Its Airbus

[46Driver]

Quick, somebody squawk 7500.......

 

[texanpilot]

LCC=Lower Pay=More financially stable company.
Are there any SWA, AirTran, Jet Blue, ATA guys/gals on furlough? Living at homeless shelters? I would rather make $100,000-150,000 a year and have a stable job than be overpaid at $300,000 a year and wondering if I can put my kids thru college or change careers.

 

[T-Bags]

You are missing the larger point. Folks don't say "I'd really like to pay $X to fly to grams", They say "whats the CHEAPEST ticket to Grams". So what do you think those "$300K" pilots will do when faced with liquidation? Maybe take a paycut? So they cut to say 150K. They still enjoy a revenue premimum, so to compete, you'll have to accept 80K, so they take a cut to 100K. Well you don't want to starve, so you take a cut to 50K. They cut to 75K. Well you have no other skills, so to keep your job, you cut to 30K. Is it getting clearer? Wouldn't you prefer them to make 300k and you 250? But then your growth rate would slow, and greed takes over.

As for the "stability" of the LCC model, how many LCC's have liquidated in the last 2 years? Vangard? Midway? National? Now how many Hub and spokes have liquidated?

 

[XRMEFLYER]

That logic seems a bit oversimplified T. What we are paid is and always has been about what the market will bear. I'm bummed too that the job that I grew up listening to my uncle talk to me about(retired UAL DC-10 Captain) seems to be a thing of the past.

I am however thankful for what I do have and glad not to be over in Southwest Asia having some stinking camel molesting oxygen thief taking a shot at me. Helps to keep things in perspective when I start feeling sorry for myself that I don't make enough to send the kids to private schools or buy that new Jag this year.

There is an awful lot of snivelling that goes on here about what others are or are not doing to drag the profession down. My guess is that most of those complaining are the same guys/gals who don't shine their shoes, iron their shirts, wear their hats, update their Jepps, or any of those other things that professionals are expected to do. Take a close look in the mirror at what you are or are not doing to uphold the profession before you start running your pie hole about someone else and who they fly for and how it is affecting your paycheck or QOL.

Citationboy, you are a punk! So much for the interview process at the major's weeding out whiners like you.
"I have a job at a major" - what a tool!
GFY and the citation you flew in on!

 

[Andy]

Lets look at history here.

Can one of the more senior Delta guys tell us what Delta's wages were compared to Eastern and Pan Am when Delta was growing in the 80's?? Delta offered a great product, but they also had a cost advantage (if memory serves me).

How did Delta get those European routes? I'm pretty sure they got them when Delta was awash in cash, with low debt, and the airline that sold them was drowning in debt.

Delta's pilots were making near top dollar. Comparable, if not more than, Eastern and Pan Am pilots.

Delta's purchase of Pan Am's European routes almost caused them to file chap 11. They were within days of pulling the trigger.

 

[Andy]

LCC=Lower Pay=More financially stable company.
Are there any SWA, AirTran, Jet Blue, ATA guys/gals on furlough? Living at homeless shelters? I would rather make $100,000-150,000 a year and have a stable job than be overpaid at $300,000 a year and wondering if I can put my kids thru college or change careers.

Texanpilot, if you were looking for a stable job, you definitely got into the wrong business!

The airline industry is extremely cyclical. They are the first ones to get hurt at the beginning of an economic downturn and the last ones to recover after the downturn is over. Now that you've experienced this economic downturn in the airline industry, you will recognize it the next time it happens.

I can remember when Continental was 'the' company to work for. When Pan Am was 'the' company to work for. When Eastern was 'the' company to work for. When United was 'the' company to work for (look how far it's fallen in three years).
Do you really think that Southwest/JetBlue/AirTran/ATA will be 'the' company to work for for the forseeable future?
All it takes is one lousy decision in the airline industry and you're road kill. I can't think of any other industry that's so capital intensive with razor thin margins and is industry standard to operate on the brink of bankruptcy on a daily basis.

You say that you're happy making $100-150k. There are a ton of pilots willing to do it for $75-100k. They'll be followed by pilots willing to do it for $50-75k. There is always some new startup that's going to try to undercut you on fares. Next up is ACA.

 

[texanpilot]

I understand what you are saying.
In addition, I am not necessarily looking for a stable job, but more of a stable airline. Is that an oxymoron?

 

[Ligeirinho]

Yeah big boeing just made a big point here. Airbus in South America is nicknamed "Maestro" that means conductor in english. The paradox is that a sinfony there is called "concerto" with c and "conserto" with s in english is fix. Resuming Airbus is a Maestro because in each land is a fix or conserto.

 

[General Lee]

When does the ACA contract expire with UAL in IAD/ORD?

Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[46Driver]

I think once (if) UAL emerges from bankruptcy, UAL either has to either honor the current ACA contract (which is very favorable to ACA) or set us free.