Compensation and professinalism

[ex j-41]

When i was a kid we had to memorize this quote "Leadership is the art of influencing human behavior in a manner desired by the leader."

Managements job is to motivate their employees to achieve a result. We are a product of their management skills. Don't blame the dog, blame the owner.

 

[acaTerry]

Guys, it has always been this way, and it has been this way at BIG U, DAL, NWA, all of them right down to the tiniest commuter. The difference is that you, the pilots, are in control of your public perception. If you guys struck today, even in wake of the BUF crash, you'd get no support. Why? Because you are seen by the public as backpackin', hair gellin', earbud wearin', cool guys who find performing any type of customer service beyond the dignity of your position as a pilot. Remember the thread about how annoying and stupid the pax are? How cool it was that one guy said "no habla" to the person who asked where their gate was? See guys, you are your own worst enemy. If you made the passengers love you, like the CMR guys did in 2000, you'd get their support like the CMR guys did. And it was the letters to CMR management from passengers, newspaper cartoons, and editiorial letters in papers that led to the strongarm that caused them to get a good contract. But when you act like a bunch of high school kids, what do you expect?
Post after post, you guys make a$$es of yourselves....how much you get laid on the road, how dumb your FO is, how dumb your CA is, why can't I listen to my iPod in the cockpit, I don't like my uniform....geez.
Like it or not, cheap fare or not, if you consider yourselves to be what the pax expect you to be, that is professionals who care about the safety, comfort, and happiness of your pax (even the ones who are pains), it is only then that you will gain any ground. You act like kids, you get treated like kids, and paid like kids. Stop worrying about the cool factor...that doesn't pay the bills.
Yeah, mgt as a rule is lousy, but you can only blame mgt so much. If a commander of troops is an idiot, does that excuse his troops to lose a battle by not even fighting?

 

[CopilotDoug]

Because you are seen by the public as backpackin', hair gellin', earbud wearin', cool guys who find performing any type of customer service beyond the dignity of your position as a pilot.

I have to disagree, Terry. I think the public's perception by and large is that we're still a bunch of overpaid and underworked prima donnas...even down to the lowliest commuter pilot.

 

[suupah]

I kind of take some offense to what has been said here. I never see backpacks, spike bleach tips, and i pods amongst cjc pilots in the terminal. I actually see some of the most friendly and helpful pilots in the terminal at cjc. I can't tell you how many pilots i have seen retrieve bags, push wheel chairs, help old ladies etc etc on a daily basis by none other than cjc pilots.

To be totally honest I have found that the airlines with the best contracts that are the highest paid amongst the regionals seem to have a greater share of cocky and arrogant pilots. I have never encountered a cjc pilot who wasn't friendly as can be.

I only half-kid when i say that Colgan pilots don't act like we're too cool because we are well aware of the fact we are not cool.

What you do see at cjc is crappy shoes, mis match rollerbags, un cut hair. these are all symptomatic of low pay.

 

[acaTerry]

I have to disagree, Terry. I think the public's perception by and large is that we're still a bunch of overpaid and underworked prima donnas...even down to the lowliest commuter pilot.

You half-got what I said Doug...add what you said to the quote from me and you'll have bingo.

 

[taildragerpilot]

With that kind of pay, what kind of "professionals" were CJC Managers hoping to attract ? This is like buying a Yugo and bitching that it's nothing like a BMW.

deleted

 

[JumpersAway]

The philosophy isn't a hard one to grasp. Since pilots chase money, the highest paying airlines attract the "cream of the crop", while the lowest paying attract the "cream of the crap". Based on this argument, I'd have to say that there is, indeed, a strong corrolation between pay and professionalism/tallent.