Feeling the pinch?

[flyboyike]

When I bought it gas cost $1.50 per gallon, so it cost me about $42 per month to run it. Now at $3.50 per gallon it costs me $97 per month to run it. $55 per month is hardly going to break the bank.

$55 won't break the bank, but neither does it hurt to not spend it if you don't have to.

 

[Soverytired]

$55 won't break the bank, but neither does it hurt to not spend it if you don't have to.

That's $650 more per year. Assuming you're an FO making $21,000/yr, that's roughly 7% of your gross pay, and it's even worse than that because gas comes out of your net, not gross.

I don't see wages increasing by 7%/yr, nor do I see the trend in gas prices reversing. While this may not "break the bank", this is a serious hit on your net earnings. That's money that would be better spent on things like retirement savings.

 

[Soverytired]

Oh . . . I turn down the water heater for short trips, turn it off for long ones.

Power strips to turn of the "vampire loads" aren't bad either.

 

[Jon Rivoli]

As a regional captain I have yet to meet an FO at a Legacy that makes what I make or has any where near the quality of life.

A good savings tip if you're a home owner is to have the electric company set you up with off peak pricing. You get a new digital meter and are charged different rates for different times of the day. Around $.05/kwa off peak vs. $.11/kwa peak.

 

[Soverytired]

As a regional captain I have yet to meet an FO at a Legacy that makes what I make or has any where near the quality of life.

For a first year legacy fo, I'd agree wholeheartedly. By about year 5 though (or sooner, depending on which carrier you went to), things are pretty much equal pay and QOL wise.

And it just gets better from there.

Nothing wrong with working for a good regional though. Life is pretty good at a decent regional at 90/k per year and decent schedules. If you can't do well with that level of income, you are, as they say, "doing it wrong."

The decision to start at the absolute bottom again and climb back up for another 5 years isn't an easy one to make, especially if you're older or have a family counting on you.

 

[Smarta$$]

That's $650 more per year. Assuming you're an FO making $21,000/yr, that's roughly 7% of your gross pay, and it's even worse than that because gas comes out of your net, not gross.

I don't see wages increasing by 7%/yr, nor do I see the trend in gas prices reversing. While this may not "break the bank", this is a serious hit on your net earnings. That's money that would be better spent on things like retirement savings.

Thanks to the republican, labor hating and labor defeating efforts.

 

[Soverytired]

Thanks to the republican, labor hating and labor defeating efforts.

What efforts, exactly, are you referring to? Please be specific.

Because they shot down big labors attempt to get rid of the secret ballot for union drives?

Which pilot group, exactly, was told they were not allowed to strike? There might be one . . I'd like to know which.

I'm not happy with republicans or Bush. But don't worry; Barak is gonna destroy McCain this fall. You can't get anymore left than that dude, so all your utopian union fantasies should come true, eh?

 

[centralpilot]

Of course, most of these people aren't carrying $70,000 - $120,000 in loans acquired in their pursuit of their $20,000 - $40,000 yr. career.

That doesn't make his advice any less sound. I've heard plenty of people on his program with far worse debt problems than most pilots. Live on less than what you make, write down and follow a budget, and sacrifice now to secure your future. It ain't easy, but it works.

 

[V-1]

That doesn't make his advice any less sound. I've heard plenty of people on his program with far worse debt problems than most pilots. Live on less than what you make, write down and follow a budget, and sacrifice now to secure your future. It ain't easy, but it works.

I'm certainly not arguing that, or any of the little I understand, or care to research, about Mr. Ramsey.

Someone earning $20,000 working at McDonald's with no education very likely is, or should be, in a better financial position in the short term than a new $20,000 First Officer with $100,000 in debt.

I agree 100% with your last sentence...it's worked quite well for me.

 

[ualdriver]

What efforts, exactly, are you referring to? Please be specific.

Because they shot down big labors attempt to get rid of the secret ballot for union drives?

Which pilot group, exactly, was told they were not allowed to strike? There might be one . . I'd like to know which.

The president appoits NMB members who preside over airline labor/management relations, no? I don't think ASA got any breaks. How many years did "negotiations" drag out over there? Pinncacle? You can't be told not to strike if you're not released in the first place?

 

[Soverytired]

The president appoits NMB members who preside over airline labor/management relations, no? I don't think ASA got any breaks. How many years did "negotiations" drag out over there? Pinncacle? You can't be told not to strike if you're not released in the first place?

To be honest, I'm not informed enough to make an accurate assessment of this line of reasoning. It certainly sounds reasonable. So the questions are:

• Does the President designate NMB members, and are they subject to Congressional approval (thereby sharing responsibility)?
• Have either ASA or Pinnacle attempted to be released for a strike? What was the outcome of said filing?

In any case, I think it takes a minimum of 2 years of negotiation before a the "s" word can even be discussed. (?) No large airline has gone on strike for what, 10 years?

I honestly don't know how much a single President, or an ineffective republican party can really have on these things . . . I don't know the law.

Guess we'll find out soon. Barak is gonna be the man . . .maybe one of his first acts will be to allow AMR pilots to strike, thereby stranding hundreds of thousands of passengers in 2009? Who knows?

 

[regionalcap]

As a regional captain I have yet to meet an FO at a Legacy that makes what I make or has any where near the quality of life.

A good savings tip if you're a home owner is to have the electric company set you up with off peak pricing. You get a new digital meter and are charged different rates for different times of the day. Around $.05/kwa off peak vs. $.11/kwa peak.

You need to meet more people then. Quit running into the first year FO's.

 

[ualdriver]

To be honest, I'm not informed enough to make an accurate assessment of this line of reasoning. It certainly sounds reasonable. So the questions are:

• Does the President designate NMB members, and are they subject to Congressional approval (thereby sharing responsibility)?
• Have either ASA or Pinnacle attempted to be released for a strike? What was the outcome of said filing?

In any case, I think it takes a minimum of 2 years of negotiation before a the "s" word can even be discussed. (?) No large airline has gone on strike for what, 10 years?

I honestly don't know how much a single President, or an ineffective republican party can really have on these things . . . I don't know the law.

Guess we'll find out soon. Barak is gonna be the man . . .maybe one of his first acts will be to allow AMR pilots to strike, thereby stranding hundreds of thousands of passengers in 2009? Who knows?

I don't know much about it either, but I'm pretty sure he does pick the new NMB members, which will probably affect us in DEC '09. PCL 128 probably knows.