Yes, I've read many various articles from Crandall and Carty. I am furloughed from AA. AA pilots took a 23% pay cut from what was the lowest paying contract in the industry. Delta has now taken a 32.5% cut and will still be making far more than AA pilots. AA pilots are now paid $46 per hour less than a 12 year Alaska airlines 737 pilot, $26 per hour less than SWA captains. My point is that major airline pay is going down. There was a time when it was one the highest paying professions. Lawyers, doctors and various other professions are now making more for far fewer life altering decisions.
When we were going through our last round of contracts at AA, their was a neutral party study done which concluded that if pilots worked for free, the airline would still be losing money. Pay cuts have NEVER salvaged an airline. My father was an Eastern captian and same thing happened there. Pay cut after pay cut with all the ususal promises.
The problem is managements unwillingness to change their philosophies. That was a huge problem at TWA. They are unwilling to adapt to change so the new LCC's such as Jetblue and Airtran as well as SWA who has always had a smart business model will succeed as they adapt and change.
If you don't believe I should be paid more than lawyers, accountants, engineers, computer techs and such when I have 150 passengers on board with an engine out and approach to minimums possibly with your family members on board, maybe you need to reconsider what it takes to become a major airline pilot, putting your career on the line three times a year, (line check, sim check and 1st class medical), years of building time at various below poverty level paying time building jobs, all inn hopes of obtaining an interview at a major where hopefully the day of the interview you get a fair chance to prove yourself because you are not a minority of some sort.
I whole-heartly agree that I should not be paid a wage that is unrecoverable by the airline in terms of operating costs. But you should be paid a wage that is consumerate with the experience you bring to your company. I don't believe $193 per hour for the most senior pilot at AA flying a 777 with nearly 275 passengers is a fair wage.
When people ask what I do and I tell them I'm a pilot, they ask for who, I say American airlines, they assume we all make $150,000-200,000 per year because it's what they read in the papers when it's contract time and the company is trying to show that we are asking for a pay raise. When I tell them how much I made for 6 years at the commuters, they think I'm lying.
It's always to much pay until there's a major mechanical or the wx is bad and we get them there safely.
I don't think only major airline pilots are the cream of the crop. I highly respect most military guys. I have flown for all types of companies, corporate, banner towing, instructing, commuters, non-skeds. Most do it because they love it and are trying to better themselves for the coveted major job with better pay, benefits, and quality of life.
I get tired of the people saying pilots make to much. A little research and they would see it's not as great as the media would have them believe.
