Airline Pilot Pay Too High?

[rfresh]

Although the 'good ole days' are over for the high salaries airline pilots used to make, were they over paid?

Senior wide-body (747, DC-10, etc.) Captains used to pull in around 250-300K per year for working 9 days a month. A friend of mine flys DC-10 for a major and flys LAX to London. It's about 11+ hours each way. He has a 24 hour layover and then brings it back - round trip flight time is around 24 hours. He's gone for 3 days. Due to FAA international flight time limits, he can fly this trip only 3 times per month. So he ends up with about 21 days off per month.

Anyway, here is the news story:

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ATLANTA - The judge overseeing Delta Air Lines Inc.'s bankruptcy case, who had ruffled feathers among the company's pilots with comments about their high pay, is taking a two-month medical leave of absence, a court official said Monday.

Judge Prudence Carter Beatty, 63, is taking leave and the Delta case has been reassigned to Judge Adlai Hardin.

In November, a lawyer representing Delta's pilots union asked Beatty to remove herself from deciding on Delta's request to reject the union contract so the airline could impose $325 million in concessions on pilots. The request came after the judge had referred in an earlier hearing to Delta pilot wages as being "hideously high" and adding, "What's really weird is that anyone agreed to pay them that much money to begin with."
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That last comment really shows you this judge has absolutely no clue about who ALPA is (the pilots union).

 

[NYCPilot]

What about who decided to pay that judge her salary or a doctors or maybe some guy who hits a baseball.

 

[Roxy6]

I wish the pay was "too high"! I think it's pretty low, 'specially if you are just starting a job. To get to the "good jobs" you have to move up that ladder, each time you take a new position, usually that means a paycut. If you are starting a new company that is.
I'm not a pilot, just married to one, but I'll tell ya, it is hard to raise a family comfortably on a first year payscale at a regional!
If it weren't for you pilots, the planes would just sit there. You take lives in your hands every day, a lot of them at once, more than a doctor even!
I'll be very excited when the pay is "too high" for my family!
You guys rock!!

 

[PastFastMover]

"Senior wide-body (747, DC-10, etc.) Captains used to pull in around 250-300K per year for working 9 days a month."

Which airlines paid 300K, and if they did, how many pilots total actually made this much at 9 days a month?


"he can fly this trip only 3 times per month. So he ends up with about 21 days off per month."

How much did you say this neighbor makes? How many times would you prefer he flew LAX LHR in one month? If you have never flown long haul then I can understand your amazement. Try flying it for a few months and tell me how you like it.

I can't tell from your short bio whether you fly for an airline or not. If you do fly for an airline and you think you are overpaid maybe you can contribute the amount you think you are overpaid to the retirement funds of say a United, Northwest, delta, Braniff, Eastern, etc etc etc pilot. Or you could also contribute it to those pilots that lost their medicals. So so many factors go into what one is paid and why. You really sound like a management wannabe or someone who has never actually gotten the job and walked in the shoes of those of us who have been doing this for most of our adult lives.

The obscene salarys come into play when the bankruptcy lawyers get involved, or when management gives themselves 10's of millions in stock options and bonus's after they have taken the company into BK.

 

[Swass]

I think you better re-read some of his other posts and lighten up. I'm sure he's flown long-haul, many times.

 

[24 carat]

Wouldn't it be fairer if those starting out would get paid a bit more and those who made it (to the big carriers) would get paid a bit less. Parity and all (much like the NFL one might say).

Wishful thinking, I know. Especially considering my own situation...

 

[rfresh]

Wouldn't it be fairer if those starting out would get paid a bit more and those who made it (to the big carriers) would get paid a bit less. Parity and all (much like the NFL one might say).

Wishful thinking, I know. Especially considering my own situation...

I see you have quite a sense of humor...!!

 

[rfresh]

>Which airlines paid 300K, and if they did, how many pilots total actually >made this much at 9 days a month?

It may come as a shock to you (and perhaps some others) but before Emmery Air Express went out of business, their DC-10 captains were making 333K per year...flying freight!!

I was only talking about the major air carriers such as Delta, United, Northwest, etc. But as I said, they don't earn that much anymore...they have had to take some pretty big paycuts.

 

[cynic]

Let me clear this up for all of you. Airline pilots now start out around 20 - 25K a year. In a few years you are making 40 - 45K a year. Then spend the rest of your career eeking up to about 75K a year and thats where you will top out.

Its not bad, but not great cosidering the amount of travel. Its where the major airlines will be soon enough (If they ever hire another pilot)

Yes there will be a few guys that will be the exception and make huge bucks in a GV but thats the new reality.

 

[dsee8driver]

>Which airlines paid 300K, and if they did, how many pilots total actually >made this much at 9 days a month?

It may come as a shock to you (and perhaps some others) but before Emmery Air Express went out of business, their DC-10 captains were making 333K per year...flying freight!!

I was only talking about the major air carriers such as Delta, United, Northwest, etc. But as I said, they don't earn that much anymore...they have had to take some pretty big paycuts.

Emery is not a good example. I went to Emery for a short while while furloughed, after starving at ASA. Emery guys did not make that kind of money for long. The co agreed to that contract and soon after closed the doors. I wish I still had the hourly rates from Emery.