How Low Can We Go?

[Flyerdan]

I am not sure why pilots are programed this way, to always think it will get better. I have been in aviation for 14 year and working for regionals for six. I have been furloughed from one regional and recently I am facing my second furlough. I decided to hang it up in August. I am not trying to be negative but I just can't rationalize this career path anymore. What exactly is the light at the end of the tunnel? I hope someday you guys will get good pay and QOL but for now with the way the industry has been heading the the last 30 years I don't think we will see it for another 30 years, but maybe by that time the retirement age will be 80.

I think what we will see is that people who are in this business mainly for the money will continue to leave. The people who are in it for their love of flying will stay in it. I can't really complain. I get twice the number of days off a month as people working a regular job. My family gets by pretty well on the pay and the time off allows us to travel and spend more time together.

 

[Captain Morgan]

I think what we will see is that people who are in this business mainly for the money will continue to leave. The people who are in it for their love of flying will stay in it. I can't really complain. I get twice the number of days off a month as people working a regular job. My family gets by pretty well on the pay and the time off allows us to travel and spend more time together.

Exactly the point I was making. Thanks, Flyerdan, you were much more concise with the point than I was.

 

[WayBack]

This is my last month with the airlines. I'm going to teach high school.
Better pay and I have a retirement.

 

[Captain Morgan]

This is my last month with the airlines. I'm going to teach high school.
Better pay and I have a retirement.

Good luck to you. I hope you enjoy your new career.

 

[turbinesurgeon]

At Mesaba our CEO was asked a question at board meeting while we were in bankruptcy. Who will want to work for us or stay employed with us after a 19% paycut? Spanjers (CEO) replied, "The people with aviation in their blood will" I was disgusted with that answer since I knew we were all being played as fools. I tried Horizon and recieved the same results, I stopped thinking with my heart and started thinking with my head. I really hope things turn around for the industry and people will be able to once make a career out of it but the poster asked the question how low we would go and frankly since the regionals started getting into the jet business it was already to low. Airlines will continue to test to see how much aviation is in their pilots blood.

 

[WayBack]

At Mesaba our CEO was asked a question at board meeting while we were in bankruptcy. Who will want to work for us or stay employed with us after a 19% paycut? Spanjers (CEO) replied, "The people with aviation in their blood will" I was disgusted with that answer since I knew we were all being played as fools. I tried Horizon and recieved the same results, I stopped thinking with my heart and started thinking with my head. I really hope things turn around for the industry and people will be able to once make a career out of it but the poster asked the question how low we would go and frankly since the regionals started getting into the jet business it was already to low. Airlines will continue to test to see how much aviation is in their pilots blood.

I come from a long line of airline pilots in my family. Even though "It's in my blood" I have no problem walking away from it. Tired of living from paycheck to paycheck.
I know it will never get better. All the industry has done, is take paycuts....regionals and majors.
Airline pilots will never come close to making what they used to, because no matter what, there is always one guy who will do it for less to further his own career.
Management knows they can crap on the pilot group because the Union does nothing about it. They have no power anymore. They seem to be more of a company team player than the companies upper management.

When I walk away from it all in a couple of weeks, I will have no regrets. I know I'll finally have money to go rent an airplane to fly around on the weekends, and eventually probably be able to own one.

 

[Goose Egg]

Greetings all... Back from a 4-day. Still a little buzzed from that last-leg Coke I had , and can't get to sleep (besides that, I always have trouble sleeping after 11+ hour duty days), so here I am.

The captain I was flying with today and I were talking about something that he brought up, but I have had in the back of my mind for the longest time. Success in the airline industry depends on one thing: timing. We decided that was the biggest determinant of the type of experience one has in the airline industry. If you get hired at the wrong time, it could mean years of reserve.

That's our theory anyway.

Although I suppose it also depends on whether one is willing to move to the junior base--I think that would make a big difference. I don't have all the answers.

And I hate to say this, but in much the same fashion as the rest of the world, success in a flying career depends a lot on one's ability to suffer. I'm sure a lot of people would jump up and argue with me here. I can hear it now, "Oh no we shouldn't have to suffer! That's wrong! We demand a high QOL!!!" The idea of suffering runs so counter to the modern mindset. I think one problem with the whole "jets at regionals" concept is that people took that to mean that since they were flying a jet at an airline, that they all of a sudden were entitled to all the same work rules, compensation, etc. that all the big airlines had--the assumption was "I'm flying a jet; I have arrived." Only the thing is, that really, nobody in a regional has really "arrived," at least that's my feeling. But I'm sure there's a lot of people out there that would argue with me, "Oh yes we have arrived, and we demand the pay to show it!" But it just doesn't work like that. The need for dues-paying continues, whether that need is acknowledged or not. Once someone feels that that have "arrived," then they have arrived, or at least they have gotten as far as they are going to get. A pilot who feels that they have learned all there is to learn, and earned all there is to earn, and assumes that a seniority number is indicative of authority and wisdom, has failed, in my opinion.

Don't misunderstand me, however. There's nothing, and I mean nothing that I'd rather be doing right now than "suffering" as a regional pilot. I understand that in order to get to where I want to go, I need to pay my dues, and I gladly do it. I love flying, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

So my thought is this; work hard, do a good job, learn all you can, and prepare for when the timing is right. If you haven't succeeded, it simply means that you haven't suffered enough yet (then again, I have the perverse mind of an endurance cyclist, so take that with a grain of salt). Luck favors the prepared.

Those are just my opinions. take what you want from my 2am ramblings!

-Goose

P.S. If I were going to blow a wad of cash on a car, it would definitely be the Subaru Impreza WRX STI. I'm a complete sucker for rally cars. What a freakin' awesome ride!

 

[turbinesurgeon]

Well Goose Egg I think you will be in for a lot of "suffering" You will never stop paying your dues in this job. The problem with jets at a regional is that the Majors are adopting the same crappy pay and work rules. Not to mention that with the regionals expanding also slows growth at the Major level. Last recurrent class I was in our VP of Ops was talking to us about the Wide Body Regional class of aircraft, I just about fell off of my chair, thats when my career light started to flicker. I absolutely agree that timing is everything, I wish I had started in the late 50's. UHH but that was little before my time. Good luck.

 

[Captain Morgan]

P.S. If I were going to blow a wad of cash on a car, it would definitely be the Subaru Impreza WRX STI. I'm a complete sucker for rally cars. What a freakin' awesome ride!

I had a 2006 Subaru WRX before I got married. Best car I ever had. The only things that weren't very good with it were the interior and trunk space and the paint was a little thin and you'd get rock chips easily. It was basically a 2 door car with four doors. The performance was amazing though. You should really get one of those if you have the means.

 

[Captain Morgan]

At Mesaba our CEO was asked a question at board meeting while we were in bankruptcy. Who will want to work for us or stay employed with us after a 19% paycut? Spanjers (CEO) replied, "The people with aviation in their blood will" I was disgusted with that answer since I knew we were all being played as fools. I tried Horizon and recieved the same results, I stopped thinking with my heart and started thinking with my head. I really hope things turn around for the industry and people will be able to once make a career out of it but the poster asked the question how low we would go and frankly since the regionals started getting into the jet business it was already to low. Airlines will continue to test to see how much aviation is in their pilots blood.

Sorry my friend, I don't believe it. There aren't that many "in the blood" pilots around. This CEO would be foolish to base his pilot group's willingness to fly for lower off of this assertion. To put it simply, that would be one hell of a gamble. Sounds like if this story is accurate, the comment made in the board room was an off the cuff idea that they hopefully figured out would never materialize. Take a look at Mesa. Most there would be considered people who love to fly and "have it in the blood." How couldn't they with the pay, work rules, strife, and management figures? They're loosing so many people so quickly it's amazing the place is still standing.