Expressjet announcement today

[Goose Egg]

Yes, I would rather lose my job to maintain a good standard of living than dumb my wages down to just have the job.

Good luck with that.

 

[azpilot]

You realize that makes no sense, right?

No it makes perfect sense. If I can get a job elsewhere with better work rules and better pay I will go do that job verses voting for a concessionary contract. If it means I have to get out of aviation either permanently or temporarily that is fine. I refuse to continue to dumb down the wages in the hope that some day things will get better. If you are willing to work for less I can't stop you. Look at the folks at American and other major airlines. Look at how much they have lost and will never get it back. How does your retirement account look? What about the amount of debt you owe? Maybe your finances are just fine but others are in deep sh!t because wages continue to spiral down.

I am done. I know I can't convince you to change your mind. Go work for free so you can brag to everyone about how you are an airline pilot.

 

[007]

Wow, all this talk about unity. Did you guys think about the rampers, gate agents, flight attendants and others that could be out of a job because XJT pilots have to prove something? Yeh, you're raising the bar while taking everyone else to the unemployment line. And in the end, you'll still have nothing. Will your pride pay the mortgage, the car, food and other bills?

I bet the Comair pilots wished Skywest had bought them too.

Newsflash...our gate agents and rampers were gonna lose their job even under the Skywest agreement. Branded would have been dead either way. The agents in the CAL system are now either all CAL or contractors thanks to CAL's continuing effort to kill this airline.

Pride will not pay my bills, but neither will Mesa's wages. And the airline needs to fix all it's inefficiencies before they get money from me. Concessions have not saved any airline yet.


Why stop at Comair, doesn't everyone wanna work at Skywest?

 

[Superpilot92]

Its embarrassing seeing SOME of you skywest guys trying to kick the XJT guys when they are down. Absolutely PATHETIC uke:

 

[JustaNumber]

Concessions have not saved any airline yet.

Just to play devil's advocate, I don't think DAL would still be around if they were still paying Contract 2000 wages. It could even be argued that they might not have had to enter BK (following AAL's lead) if they had cut wages a couple years sooner than they did, when the writing was on the wall. Instead the airline needlessly burned through billions of dollars in cash reserves when doing so was clearly unsustainable due to the state of the industry.

That being said, I believe we as airline pilots do need to establish a bottom line below which we will not stoop (don't become MESA!); I'm just saying that that line is sometimes lower than where you currently are.

Very difficult decisions for all involved. I sincerely wish the best for you guys.

 

[azpilot]

Good luck with that.

I have plenty of money in the bank and a 2nd income so I have that option. Thank you very much...

 

[Jon Rivoli]

Had Skywest bought Expressjet you would be reading the same press release. No more Delta flying, termination of branded and furloughs. Minor details would be different, but the same none the less. Continental wanted a less expensive CPA and Jerry wanted them out of SLC and LAX, they achieved that without spending a penny. You guys got stuck between a rock and a hard place. Good luck going forward. These are not the best of times for any of us.

 

[007]

Just to play devil's advocate, I don't think DAL would still be around if they were still paying Contract 2000 wages.

I see your point, but I don't think I can compare my $69 to DAL 2000 contract.

If they fix the inefficiencies and still need it the maybe we'll talk. They signed a contract with CAL that they couldn't afford and now want me to subsidize it......not until they quit deadheading IAH RSV F/O's to EWR just because they are afraid of using the EWR reserves.

 

[nimtz]

That being said, I believe we as airline pilots do need to establish a bottom line below which we will not stoop (don't become MESA!); I'm just saying that that line is sometimes lower than where you currently are.

Used to be a respectable line for the DC-9, F-28/100, and BAE-146 sized airliners. That has now been replaced to the current scheme that pays captains 70 bucks/hour. Sadly many dopes on this thread think that's more then acceptable!

 

[pianoman]

This kind of idiotic thinking is why wages have fallen as far as they have. If you keep giving back a little bit to save the company, then a little more, then a little more, pretty soon you've got nothing.

Our job is to fly airplanes, not chip in for gas. Some of you idiots out there need to realize what the rest of the professional world out there earns and value yourselves a bit.

 

[Turtlesfly]

when most people entering the regional world have no other work experience, that's a hard thing to ask for

 

[Gr82Aviate]

Just to play devil's advocate, I don't think DAL would still be around if they were still paying Contract 2000 wages. It could even be argued that they might not have had to enter BK (following AAL's lead) if they had cut wages a couple years sooner than they did, when the writing was on the wall. Instead the airline needlessly burned through billions of dollars in cash reserves when doing so was clearly unsustainable due to the state of the industry.

That being said, I believe we as airline pilots do need to establish a bottom line below which we will not stoop (don't become MESA!); I'm just saying that that line is sometimes lower than where you currently are.

Very difficult decisions for all involved. I sincerely wish the best for you guys.

You couldn't possibly think that any regional pilot anywhere is making too much... how low do you think "that line" needs to be???

 

[3blade]

I have plenty of money in the bank and a 2nd income so I have that option. Thank you very much...

I'd be willing to bet this guy sells Amway too......

 

[chjack]

when most people entering the regional world have no other work experience, that's a hard thing to ask for

ding! ding! ding!...we have a winner. this is spot on. most regional pilots are hired on at 23 or younger, its their first/only job other than flight instructor. the $16-$21hr they are thrown is twice what they were making instructing or bagging groceries. they still live at home, and have no expenses. they have no perspective whatsoever.

 

[azpilot]

I'd be willing to bet this guy sells Amway too......

Not even close DB. Go drink a nice cup of shut the F up. Some folks actually have plans for when the industry takes a downturn. Do you or did you blow 80k at ATP just to make $16 an hour some place?

 

[Goose Egg]

I have plenty of money in the bank and a 2nd income so I have that option. Thank you very much...

Good for you. I hope to be in that same situation someday soon. However, like most of the rest of us out there, I need this job to make it financially. I spent $30k at [insert state college] and now have loans to pay off, and other financial obligations. Therefore, I don't have the luxury of being so cavalier with my own and my fellow pilots' future.

It likely won't come to this for me, but I'd much rather take a pay cut and keep my job than be faced with having no job and starting all over again at square one somewhere else in a tough job market (and that includes career fields other than flying). That's just my take though. I'm a SkyWest pilot and not aquainted with meaningless buzzwords such as "solidarity."

Like I said, hopefully someday I'll be out of this industry. But until then, I'd say remaining employed is better than not.

-Goose

 

[Master Shake]

I'd be willing to bet this guy sells Amway too......

No, i can vouch for him. We flew together before he upgraded. A real stand up guy who happened to have a well paying career before he decided to pursue his dream. BTW, he had me rolling with laughter for four days. That is quite a feat!!!

 

[rchcfi]

Our job is to fly airplanes, not chip in for gas. Some of you idiots out there need to realize what the rest of the professional world out there earns and value yourselves a bit.

What he said!

 

[rchcfi]

ding! ding! ding!...we have a winner. this is spot on. most regional pilots are hired on at 23 or younger, its their first/only job other than flight instructor. the $16-$21hr they are thrown is twice what they were making instructing or bagging groceries. they still live at home, and have no expenses. they have no perspective whatsoever.

And what he said!

 

[Limeyflyer]

Good luck to all you guys and girls at xjt. At this rate who knows who is next. And just a side note, the Houston crews in CRW lately have been fun to hang out with.