Boyd negative on SkyBus, thinks its' dumb idea

[Philerup]

Yeah, I was making 80,000 at whataburger as a fry cook but I decided to take the paycut and become a pilot for a better view. It was a sacrifice, selling the porsche and all, but I think it will be worth it in the long run. Fry cookin gets boring after a while.

In seriousness, have any of you worked a real crap job before? I see these comparisons to whataburger and home depot and it makes me wonder how out of touch some of you are with the working world. It shouldn't be an excuse to settle for less, but the average person works for absolute crap pay. We as pilots, even now, are in the pay realm of skilled/educated professional. I would like to see it go back to where it was, but even Skybus is worlds away from whataburger pay. Flame suit donned.

 

[skiandsurf]

Yeah, I was making 80,000 at whataburger as a fry cook but I decided to take the paycut and become a pilot for a better view. It was a sacrifice, selling the porsche and all, but I think it will be worth it in the long run. Fry cookin gets boring after a while.

In seriousness, have any of you worked a real crap job before? I see these comparisons to whataburger and home depot and it makes me wonder how out of touch some of you are with the working world. It shouldn't be an excuse to settle for less, but the average person works for absolute crap pay. We as pilots, even now, are in the pay realm of skilled/educated professional. I would like to see it go back to where it was, but even Skybus is worlds away from whataburger pay. Flame suit donned.

You seem to like the direction that this once proud career is going. It is a sad and pathetic environment when an illegal or felon can make more money doing construction than a pilot flying a $30,000,000 airplane and numerous lives. As you, or someone else said, its just a trade. This used to be looked at as a good profession. Now you are happy being paid less than a bricklayer. Sad.

 

[vixin]

Not far from Whataburger or McD's manager pay. Home Depot pays better. And yes I did work crap jobs sold shoes, landscaped, 135 frieght, hauled checks, instructed (Not in that order) but every new job was a progression in the right direction. Skytrash is pathetic for what they offer a Captain. First year FO pay I can understand. Anybody that goes there as a Captain needs to evaluate themselves. And NO I would not go there if I wasnt currently employed. I have standards and Skytrash isnt it. I have other jobs/business adventures in the works. I would put more effort in those then settle for Manager pay. Heck I almost made more money coaching a kids swimming team $48,000 first year coach pay.

 

[skiandsurf]

I wouldnt complain if I could come to work with a pair of cut-off jeans, tattooed sleves, my ears pierced, and then go smoke a big fattie during my lunch break. But I cant.

 

[Philerup]

I don't think I ever called it a trade. Also, I do not enjoy where this career is going. I started on this path 7 years ago, with a pretty good future lined up. Go to flight school, instruct for 6 months, regional 2 years, then the majors. Obviously it has not turned out that way and no I am not happy about it. What I am is realistic. I know that Skybus isn't ruining the industry because I watched the idustry self destruct over the last 6 years, independant of Skybus.

I think we can get it back, but not by concentrating on unrealistic comparisons. I know a couple of restaurant managers and they all topped out around 75,000 after 8-10 years. Maybe more if they move into regional management. They work a lot and are always stressed. I don' tthink alienating Skybus pilots and telling them they should wear clown suits is going to do it either. If you want them to see things your way, the best way to do it is not by insulting them. I may be different than a Skybus pilot, but when someone calls me an idiot and continues to insult me, it makes it hard to see their point of view.

So to sum up, I am not happy about where this career has gone. I am not happy to make less than a bricklayer, although having done a summer of laying concrete, I do appreciate the AC. I think we have a good future ahead of us, but we need to stop the bickering and name calling. If you want Skybus to pay more, bring them into the fold and encourage them to negotiate for more.

 

[AA717driver]

In seriousness, have any of you worked a real crap job before? I see these comparisons to whataburger and home depot and it makes me wonder how out of touch some of you are with the working world. It shouldn't be an excuse to settle for less, but the average person works for absolute crap pay. We as pilots, even now, are in the pay realm of skilled/educated professional. I would like to see it go back to where it was, but even Skybus is worlds away from whataburger pay. Flame suit donned.

Yeah, I've worked crap jobs--both in and out of the aviation business.

A320 CA is NOT an entry level position. $65k is not sufficient pay for a top-of-the-pyramid skill level in aviation. He!!, $65k works out to be $35k in 1986 (when I started in the commuters). That's what SAAB 340 Capt's. were making back then.

Does that put it in perspective? TC

 

[vixin]

Philerup...uh ok Francis. Skytrash sucks!

 

[canyonblue]

Delta's profits

Bye Bye--General Lee

Now there's an oxymoron. :laugh:

 

[Philerup]

I am making a lot of enemies here so I think I will quit while I am ahead. For the record, I do not work at Skybus. I like everyone else, want to see pay come back. I am just debating your methods.

If you all manage to get all Skybus pilots blackballed at all worthwhile carriers, you may think you are hurting the Skybus pilots, in reality you are handing their management the club they will bludgeon you with. A captive pilot group is a managements wet dream. A pilot that cannot go anywhere has all the more motivation to ensure his company survives, whatever the cost. If they have options, they will walk when the payoff doesn't come. What hurts the company worse, pilots that can leave and get hired at a good carrier or a pilot group with no other options than to accept whatever the management gives them?

If you want to affect the wage in the industry, you have to find a way to work with these guys. Startups are a fact of life. If it wasn't Skybus, it would be someone else. It is doubtful they will be the last. There is always someone willing to throw away good money to finance someones aviation dream. There is always someone willing to work for crap wages with the hope of a future payoff.

I am not defending Skybus, rather I am encouraging all of you to think strategically. Coming on here and insulting people is not solving anything. You may convince some pilots not to go there, but you will not convince all. Your insults are not stopping Skybus. More likely you are alienating the ones that are there and making them more and more militant. If you do not want low paying pilots working against you, you need to have them working with you.

I also think pilots as a whole need to drop this knight in shining armor, dueling the elements to get passengers home safely. Stop with the doctor comparison too, and the number of lives responsible for. We need to negotiate from a place of honesty, not inflated ego's. We deserve to be compensated well because we spend half of our life away from home in the service of our companies. We also have multiple opportunities to lose our career at the drop of a hat. For that we deserve good pay. We are not heroes and this is not a hard job. It has it's stressful moments, but for the most part it is not that bad. We deserve good pay to make up for all the time we miss, no more no less. Save the hero stories for the drunk chick at the bar.

 

[vixin]

If you all manage to get all Skybus pilots blackballed at all worthwhile carriers, you may think you are hurting the Skybus pilots, in reality you are handing their management the club they will bludgeon you with. A captive pilot group is a managements wet dream. A pilot that cannot go anywhere has all the more motivation to ensure his company survives, whatever the cost. If they have options, they will walk when the payoff doesn't come. What hurts the company worse, pilots that can leave and get hired at a good carrier or a pilot group with no other options than to accept whatever the management gives them?

They can work elsewhere before going to Skytrash. Why even apply with those crappy wages.