Airlines fight for the bottom of the barrel

[Capt1124]

People much smarter than anyone on this board have tried to make money running an airline, and they have pretty much all failed.

 

[CaptainMark]

People much smarter than anyone on this board have tried to make money running an airline, and they have pretty much all failed.

All but Fred and Herb!!!!

 

[pilotyip]

frog many airlines have tried this and what you get is 50 pax X $300 = 15,000 total revenue. The other 150 pax went over to $100 seat airline. Remember as Capt Mark pointed out, Herb sets the low price and makes money. You have to play the Herb game or not make money. Fred makes money with an aviation branch of his trucking company.

 

[Turtlesfly]

All but Fred and Herb!!!!

and you forgot Frank.

 

[AA717driver]

There is a price point beyond which a lot of pax just won't fly.

Joe Sixpack has $150 left over after buying beer and cigs for the old lady. You want to charge him $300. Well, that just means he and Norma Sue will drive to the boat in Evansville rather than fly to Vegas.

Sure, when my company airlines me out to LAX to pick up the plane, I'd LOVE to do it in FC on the NWA non-stop. But for $1,000 less, I can make a one-stop, same plane flight on SWA. Hummm... Which flight is my company going to choose?

Low fares have created a whole lot of pilot jobs. Do you want to return to the days of 5 airlines with 200 planes each just so the airlines can charge a "fair" price and fill them up with nice, wealthy people dressed in suits and ties?

Maybe you'll get a job in one of those airplanes but most likely, you won't.

It's just not as simple as jacking the fares.TC

 

[pilotyip]

AA717, you hit it right on the head, I don't see why most people don't seem to get this?

 

[81Horse]

... Do you want to return to the days of 5 airlines with 200 planes each just so the airlines can charge a "fair" price and fill them up with nice, wealthy people dressed in suits and ties? ...

Yes, please!

 

[pipejockey]

Low fares have created a whole lot of pilot jobs. Do you want to return to the days of 5 airlines with 200 planes each just so the airlines can charge a "fair" price and fill them up with nice, wealthy people dressed in suits and ties?

Maybe you'll get a job in one of those airplanes but most likely, you won't.

It's just not as simple as jacking the fares.TC

Sounds good to me! Many will lose their jobs but the ones who remain will have an enviable career once again. Its better to have a career where all who are involved in it can live the good life than the 2 bit pilot jobs that are out there now.

 

[Amish RakeFight]

Automation has cheapened labor. The risk has gone down and so has pay. Being an airline pilot isnt what it was decades ago. The airlines figured out a way to run this show cheap. Personally, I don't see this changing much at all.

 

[AC560]

Sounds good to me! Many will lose their jobs but the ones who remain will have an enviable career once again. Its better to have a career where all who are involved in it can live the good life than the 2 bit pilot jobs that are out there now.

If anything reducing the number of planes will only further depress wages. You will have a huge pool of highly qualified desperate for work pilots fighting for a handful of jobs.

 

[pilotyip]

Why is 100K/yr plus a 2-bit job?

 

[800Dog]

Why is 100K/yr plus a 2-bit job?

Because the year is 2006 and the cost of living, funding one's retirement and saving for kids education is expensive. You are stuck in the 70s/80s Yip.

 

[Motive Flow]

Because the year is 2006 and the cost of living, funding one's retirement and saving for kids education is expensive. You are stuck in the 70s/80s Yip.

I'm all for getting as much money as we can negotiate, but don't try to sell that line to Joe Sixpack when you're on strike.

 

[GogglesPisano]

Why is 100K/yr plus a 2-bit job?

It's not, as long as it doesn't take a college degree, plus $75K of flight school, plus 5 years of food-stamp wages, and then another 5-10 years.

 

[Falconjet]

It's not, as long as it doesn't take a college degree, plus $75K of flight school, plus 5 years of food-stamp wages, and then another 5-10 years.

Oh for Pete's sake Googles, please edit that and don't get the yipman started on the college degree thing again!

Please.

Good thing I've got the yips on ignore, cause I can't stand to hear his rants about college and the mystical 100K barrier he can't seem to comprehend. If you guys would quit quoting him I would never have to read his posts!

FJ