Major Airline Captains, would you recommend career to your son/daughter?

[pilotyip]

I have a good friend who is a 15-year FO and is on a wide-body at a legacy....lives in base, and fully expects, by choice, to retire from that seat due to QOL decisions...


And not bitching...;-)

Buddy in the same spot, Commute to a once a week wide body to Europe as an F/O or commute to 3 to 4 legs a day in junior CA equipment for a $6,000 raise. Hired in 1989, furloughed twice, left Spirit in 1996 to return to legacy FO job. Would now be single digit Captain a Spirit a 45 minute drive from his home. We are so gifted in hindsight in this business

 

[Twisted Mind]

I sat next to a Endeavor guy on a DH. He was possibly the most miserable pilot I have ever talked with. He said he has been with the company for 7 years and is still a FO. Not only still a FO he is still on reserve as an FO! I asked about pay and he said it is around 30k a year. I don't have a clue how/why some of these guys are still flying! 7 years of 30k and getting abused by crew scheduling. You wine about not being a major CA. It could be a lot worse.

 

[SpauldingSmails]

I'm not surprised these guys are still flying, I just don't know why they'd still be flying at their current companies. They're like a woman who refuses to leave an abusive relationship, "Oh, I think it's getting better now." Seriously, stuck at $30k and on reserve as an FO at a regional, you're not really losing much by pulling up the anchor.

 

[pilotyip]

I sat next to a Endeavor guy on a DH. He was possibly the most miserable pilot I have ever talked with. He said he has been with the company for 7 years and is still a FO. Not only still a FO he is still on reserve as an FO! I asked about pay and he said it is around 30k a year. I don't have a clue how/why some of these guys are still flying! 7 years of 30k and getting abused by crew scheduling. You wine about not being a major CA. It could be a lot worse.

Yea but it is scheduled airline. If he wanted to walk down the non-sked road he could go to a place like USA Jet. Start at $52k 172 hard days off per year after one year. Make CA in a year. Get hired at Spirit JB NJ Atlas after 3-5 years. But why would anyone want to do that when they can be a scheduled airline pilot

 

[Twisted Mind]

It wasn't his first go at the rodeo.

 

[IAHERJ]

Yea but it is scheduled airline. If he wanted to walk down the non-sked road he could go to a place like USA Jet. Start at $52k 172 hard days off per year after one year. Make CA in a year. Get hired at Spirit JB NJ Atlas after 3-5 years. But why would anyone want to do that when they can be a scheduled airline pilot

Why do you always act as if the "non-skeds" are so discriminated against? Just flew with an FO who was hired from the fractional world. She spent years flying non sked and fractional and had no issues getting on at UAL.

 

[pilotyip]

Why do you always act as if the "non-skeds" are so discriminated against? Just flew with an FO who was hired from the fractional world. She spent years flying non sked and fractional and had no issues getting on at UAL.

Because of feed back I get while recruiting, a lot of pilots out there look down on flying in the non-sked business. I think there is a feeling that has been reflected here against me by a few, if you work in the non-sked business you are a looser. But all that being said, I think flying in the on-demand gives you the skills that allow you to go to your next job. I have seen too many pilots succeed after spending a few years in the on-demand flying flying aged out junk into dark Mexican airports at 0300.

Pilots get hired at good places because they have Turbine PIC, you must build turbine PIC to have control over your career. You have to go wherever that job is that gets you turbine PIC. You stay in that job until you can get another job that gives you better turbine PIC, i.e. Bigger airplanes, Turbojet, 121, etc. It is called paying your dues everyone must do it. Some do it in the military, some do it at the regionals, and some do in the on-demand business. Everyone pays his or her dues.

So why would you continue build SIC time at $30K, when you could do it at $50K and make PIC in a couple years?

 

[IAHERJ]

Because of feed back I get while recruiting, a lot of pilots out there look down on flying in the non-sked business. I think there is a feeling that has been reflected here against me by a few, if you work in the non-sked business you are a looser. But all that being said, I think flying in the on-demand gives you the skills that allow you to go to your next job. I have seen too many pilots succeed after spending a few years in the on-demand flying flying aged out junk into dark Mexican airports at 0300.

Pilots get hired at good places because they have Turbine PIC, you must build turbine PIC to have control over your career. You have to go wherever that job is that gets you turbine PIC. You stay in that job until you can get another job that gives you better turbine PIC, i.e. Bigger airplanes, Turbojet, 121, etc. It is called paying your dues everyone must do it. Some do it in the military, some do it at the regionals, and some do in the on-demand business. Everyone pays his or her dues.

So why would you continue build SIC time at $30K, when you could do it at $50K and make PIC in a couple years?

We're on the same page here and I question the mentality as you do. With all the hiring going on (and about to begin at more carriers/companies) I don't see why more in the situation above do not vote with their feet.....

 

[Twisted Mind]

Maybe he couldn't move on because of wife/kids etc..... I didn't ask. I did ask why he didn't jump ship and he said he was at a different regional left there and when to current one with a promise of a quick upgrade. So twice it didn't work and he didn't want to start over a third time. YIP, I don't know why he didn't want to do non-scheduled.

 

[IslandDriver]

Overall, the career still has its good with bad but is it getting any worse?

Positives:
Pay at majors is at all time highs. Pilots are home about 12 to 16 days per months. Two pilot crew seems to be the standard now. The actual job is great work.

Negatives:
Lose your job due to furlough, company bankruptcy or loss of medical and you start over. Norwegian air shuttle model is a threat but may get shot down by ALPA. Defined benefit pension plan is gone (most corporations don't have it either).

Would you recommend to son/daughter?

Thanks,

Check Six

Don't know if the pay is at an all time high.. Years ago it was a Cadilac a month....

One of my first guys I flew for was an Airways Captain...retired in 1988. He was making over 300K then...compare that to today's dollars.

But I would recommend it.