Looming pilot shortage at regional airlines...

[CaptainMark]

it is a decent living...i enjoy my job and and i am glad i am paid a decent wage...but noone will change my mind that pilots deserve to be paid a great wage...i will always believe that....i know the pax industry sucks right now but it will turn around and the wages will go back up...please tell me of a professional job in the last 20 yrs where the salaries have gone down substantially....doctors..up..lawyers......up.......accountants....up...and pilots...down...and u guys are happy about that...bull$hit!!!...not me...

 

[Murdoughnut]

just think about this..i make plenty of cash...couple houses...lots if investments...toys..etc....but that is not the point...i'm glad you are happy with 50k..not me....i live well below my means and still have nice things... i am trying to set myself up to retire at 50 (14 more to go)....i enjoy life BIG time....the point is we should be paid what we are worth...am i worth 220k/yr?....absolutely!!! and then some...fdx thinks so and so do i....i am providing a skill for them and they pay me for it and the company makes billions of dollars....we have a great management team that grows the company and the pilots fly the aircraft day after day and night after night all over the world....100k is chump change for the job that we do safely every single day....along with 2 checkrides a year and 2 medicals which both can ground you if u have a bad day..i believe we are worth so much more...don't sell yourself short....and i am not demeaning other pilots and their salaries ..i am saying i think they deserve a lot more(bad management aside)...100k sucks but 50k swallows!!!!

I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying life - that's the important thing. But I really don't believe too many people would agree that $50k a year "swallows". What these guys at the regionals make swallows - I think it's kind of a slap in the face to people successfully making a living off less than $25k a year to say otherwise.

It's good to hear you're enjoying life. But seriously dude, what if your company were to go belly-up and you lost your pension? Or what if the market took a 20% hit and your investments went to sh!t? God willing that will never happen to you, but it has to a lot of people I know (former Enron folks, or GM employees seeing cuts). I hope it's there for you in the future, but planning your life around $250k a year seems like you're setting yourself up for a mighty big fall if it happens. At least I could find some transition job making $30k and still be able to pay my bills. The era of six digit salaries is coming to a close in this country (which excludes CA and NY). My kudos to you for catching the tail end of it.

 

[CaptainMark]

u have good points...i got into the airline business knowing most of the pitfalls..it is a gamble, especially the pax side..that is why i went FDX..and that is when the pax carriers were booming....i am making sound investments(mostly real estate)...i realize it could all end tomorrow...just got a company e-mail of a fellow pilot who died of a brain tumor today..that sucks...life is short..enjoy the hell out of it...i fly my trips, enjoy my time away from the job, save my money and hope it all lasts...see ya

 

[Murdoughnut]

u have good points...i got into the airline business knowing most of the pitfalls..it is a gamble, especially the pax side..that is why i went FDX..and that is when the pax carriers were booming....i am making sound investments(mostly real estate)...i realize it could all end tomorrow...just got a company e-mail of a fellow pilot who died of a brain tumor today..that sucks...life is short..enjoy the hell out of it...i fly my trips, enjoy my time away from the job, save my money and hope it all lasts...see ya

Well said.

 

[Lear70]

The era of six digit salaries is coming to a close in this country (which excludes CA and NY). My kudos to you for catching the tail end of it.

Ummm... no offense, but... *cough* BULL******************** !!

The era of six digit salaries is coming to a close?

If memory serves, anyone at ANY legacy carrier right now is making at least 6 figures by year 7 F/O, year 5 CA at SWA or airTran.

If you think they're going to go down further, you're smoking crack. These Enron-like management teams took full advantage of the worst downturn in aviation history, and now we're back on the up-swing. Airlines will slowly start raising fares again, probably just a few dollars a quarter, until they're back in the black again, and with record-high loads and the lowest labor costs since the 60's, we'll see profitability for most if not all carriers by the end of next year.

Unfortunately, unions will be locked into concessionary contracts for 6 to 7 years and will miss the best of the upturn and will be negotiating well into the next down-turn. It won't result in huge increases in pay, unfortunately, due to timing, but we won't see them go much lower than they already are... unless the majors figure out Pay-For-Training into a 737, and let's hope they don't figure THAT sh*t out or Bunny and her friends will be in the right seat at SWA for that $125,000 out of pocket FEE faster than you can say "Guaranteed Interview".

 

[nimtz]

Well I guess I should respond to this thread since I participated in this artical.

1st of all RAA (Regional Airlina Academy) Is a great school. I enjoyed my time there and would reccomend it to anyone looking to start flying.

2nd of all I believe there will be some kind of pilot shortage in the near future. I believe its already started.

3rd of all Im on the EMB 145 not a CRJ as most of the people would know RAH does not have CRJ.

4th Im making just around 60k a year and that suites me fine. Would I want more hell ya. Do I need it to be comfortable no.

I do this because I love flying thats IT the fact they pay me a nice salary is a bonus.

Andrew

Well that pretty much sums up where the negative rep for CHQ pilots came from and pretty much most regional jet turds. Sad enough that SJS has gotten to Aviation Week. You got b@lls for coming on here kid, but I'm ashamed to call you a colleague.

 

[loflyer]

Well that pretty much sums up where the negative rep for CHQ pilots came from and pretty much most regional jet turds. Sad enough that SJS has gotten to Aviation Week. You got b@lls for coming on here kid, but I'm ashamed to call you a colleague.

Couldn't agree more!

 

[Murdoughnut]

Ummm... no offense, but... *cough* BULL******************** !!

The era of six digit salaries is coming to a close?

If memory serves, anyone at ANY legacy carrier right now is making at least 6 figures by year 7 F/O, year 5 CA at SWA or airTran.

If you think they're going to go down further, you're smoking crack. These Enron-like management teams took full advantage of the worst downturn in aviation history, and now we're back on the up-swing. Airlines will slowly start raising fares again, probably just a few dollars a quarter, until they're back in the black again, and with record-high loads and the lowest labor costs since the 60's, we'll see profitability for most if not all carriers by the end of next year.

Unfortunately, unions will be locked into concessionary contracts for 6 to 7 years and will miss the best of the upturn and will be negotiating well into the next down-turn. It won't result in huge increases in pay, unfortunately, due to timing, but we won't see them go much lower than they already are... unless the majors figure out Pay-For-Training into a 737, and let's hope they don't figure THAT sh*t out or Bunny and her friends will be in the right seat at SWA for that $125,000 out of pocket FEE faster than you can say "Guaranteed Interview".

I actually wasn't talking specifically about the airline industry - I was talking about the market in general. I do believe, however, that even legacy carrier salaries will drop due to concessions. The reason the auto manufacturers are doing as poorly as they are right now is because they locked themselves into excessive wage contracts that they couldn't get out of when the market changed. The airlines are seeing market change, and while flying will still be a good career, I don't believe for a second that anyone not already under such a contract will be making $200k doing it ten years from now. I hope I'm wrong, though.

 

[drewbeCHQ]

Ok, considering i got dragged into this articale involuntarily. I believe I should of defended my position on this subject. Im happy at CHQ they have done nothing but been a great place to work and build expierence, to further my career. For all of you that are bitter for whatever reason leave it to yourself dont critizeme for being happy with my current position. And how did I give a neg rep to CHQ?

 

[CaptainMark]

and BTW...Lear 70 was a 727 captain when he was 16...he is da man!!!!