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Future of the Airline Industry

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flyingfool

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 4, 2005
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105
Airline industry expert Kit Darby discusses the cyclical downturn that we are experiencing and the fact that we’ve seen this before and know hiring will return. He also stresses that this is the time to begin flight training so that prospective pilots will be qualified to enter the market when hiring increases in the near future.

Video here. It's about 30 minutes long.
 
He's still a ******************************...
 
Don't know much about this guy but word from major airline pilots is that he's a dumbas$. His reasoning is nothing genius, everyone knows it. Buy low, sell high. However, no one, with the exception of the emory dribble and other aviation reprograms are dumb enough to join this industry. No matter how cool it may be to have an office in the sky, that's pretty much the only good thing you can say about it. You still have life, family, qol to think about. With 50-100k in flight training, you can get an MBA or Law degree, or even become a doctor. Also this guy works for an employment agency, what else is he going to say??
 
Can people still even afford to learn how to fly? Between the increases in costs of fuel, insurance, etc making renting costs skyrocket and the fact that loans are a lot harder these days to get..... who out there besides a few trust fund kiddies can even afford to get all the required ratings?
 
I just deposited my last loan check for flight training hopefully. 13 grand Christ I hope it's enough and was a good decision.
 
Dude you should've just given me the 13 grand, i coulda kicked ya in balls a dozen times and that's about what you're gonna get from the regionals...
 
Egh there's other flying jobs besides the regionals but..... to you it may be ********************ty to me it's heaven... well until I start doing it I'm sure lol.
 
ALIMBO said:
Egh there's other flying jobs besides the regionals but..... to you it may be ********************ty to me it's heaven... well until I start doing it I'm sure lol.
Click to expand...
And right here is the problem with todays industry.
It continues to get worse and guys like this are still willing to shell out $100k for his ratings, accept sh*t wages all so he can say he flies a jet for a living. What a living it is. Try paying off your bills while making $17k a year.

Its guys like this that get through IOE, then bitch while sitting ready reserve because they are too good for it. Then bitch about how they have no money and claim they wouldn't have become a pilot if they knew this before they started their flight training....but they continues to stick around and take the abuse, and accept pay cuts because "What else am I going to do."
I've been looking for another job for the last two months. The first bite I get, I'm gone.
There are still a few of us out there that have too much respect for ourself and the industry to accept this ch*t lifestyle and the crap sandwich management hands down to us.
 
ALIMBO said:
Egh there's other flying jobs besides the regionals but..... to you it may be ********************ty to me it's heaven... well until I start doing it I'm sure lol.
Click to expand...

Ewwww, dude, you have totally been sold a pile of crap! "Heaven?" When??
 
With todays gas prices and a little creativity i think you should be able to get your commercial multi for less than $40k. But then where will that get you? So you will need your CFI CFII MEI... and then that will get you maybe a $15k/year job. If you are good and work hard you can make more but to spend over $60k for everything. Plus your costs with no income if you do this full time... say $20k. You are well on your way to having $100k in loans. For a chance at a job where you can make $20K first year, $28 second, $35 third...

Do the math and you will find that to pay off the $100k in loans you will need to live off $20k/year for 8 years before you are paid off. If you are lucky and upgrade you might be able to bring that number down to 7. 7 years of living on $20k for a job with no job security, lots of nights on the road in crappy hotels. And to work with many many gay people....Kit Darby...the dream is a nightmare.

My advice is to go to a community college and become a plummer or electrician. 1 year at school, a lot less student loans and every night at home with your honey.
 
ALIMBO said:
Egh there's other flying jobs besides the regionals but..... to you it may be ********************ty to me it's heaven... well until I start doing it I'm sure lol.
Click to expand...


Okay; you are going to get a lot of grief from people here who are simply trying to make themselves feel better about a career that they no longer love to do. Some don't even want to do this career any more.

That being said, every one of the people that are gonna give you a hard time for this post were at one point in your exact position. No professional aviators did the flying gig because 'there was nothing else to do'.

There are parts of this job, like any job, that are really awful. There are parts of this job that are really cool, too.

I get the impression that you are aware of this simply by the fact that you are posting on the regionals board.

My advice: remeber how you feel right now. There will be a dark point in your career where you might be tempted to forget just how much you wanted to fly to begin with.
 
I love all the people that tell everyone else not to get into this industry. People that are not happy are always the first to b!tch. There are plenty of people that think it was worth it.

I did not spend the big riddle money, but I still would have gone this route even if I had, my flight training cost me about 30K total.
I dont work too hard, anywhere from 5-15 days a month, and make as much or more than the average doctor.
Many people will try and tell you that this job is no good, but they are the people that are trying to make themselves feel better about what a bad choice they made for them. Many believe that every pilot hates their job, but believe me I love mine. Where else can I go to work, for five hours, spend a few days on the beach with all expenses paid and work home for five hours. All while making a ton of money? Thats right, there is no other job that offers that.
 
siucavflight said:
Many believe that every pilot hates their job, but believe me I love mine. Where else can I go to work, for five hours, spend a few days on the beach with all expenses paid and work home for five hours. All while making a ton of money? Thats right, there is no other job that offers that.
Click to expand...

Ok, so what happens when your flight department or whatever you guys are calling it closes up and you are out of that fancy job of yours? Do you still like flying then? That's the question you should be asking yourself.

-Goose
 
Goose Egg said:
Ok, so what happens when your flight department or whatever you guys are calling it closes up and you are out of that fancy job of yours? Do you still like flying then? That's the question you should be asking yourself.

-Goose
Click to expand...
If they were to close, however unlikely I would find another job.
Is there any job out there that does not have the risk of being lost?
And its not a fancy job, just look plenty of them out there.
 
Goose, if you are really looking to go corporate there is hope. I got my job by being very very persistent.
 
Sure there are the .01% of pilots that get a break. But for the most part there is a system to work. Get your ratings, get a cfi job, become a regional F/O, Upgrade to Capt, take an F/O job at a Major, Upgrade to Capt. Sounds easy.
I know people that get 1000hrs total time then got a job at Continental because of who they knew. This isn't the norm.
Most people will have to work 8 - 10 years to pay off their loans. Some more some less. Just understand this job isn't as high paying and low work as people think. Kit Darby says most airline pilots only work 15 days a month. I get 15 days off in a month when i have my vacation planned. Most are 10-12 days a month.
Kit also says that most airlines have 8 crews/airplane. I think all regionals have 4/airplane, maybe 5.
And remember Doug Parkers comment...."Gone are the days of more pay just for flying a bigger airplane."

All lies, become a plummer. Make $250,000/year. RIght JOE
 

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