Wow, that article really depressed me, but yet I laughed because it is so true.
Coming from a pervious regional pilot, you guys/gals have to get out of the airlines. I did it for 3 years, just to be handed a pink slip when my airline tanked. The days of being a "Skygod", as quoted from the book "Skygods, The Fall of Pan AM", is over.
Yes, the regionals suck, and they are going to continue to suck. Pilots at the regionals are cheap labor easy labor, and the airlines know that. If you are not willing to do it, 20 others will stomp on you to take your place. At the regional level, and even in the majors now, pilots are seen as machines who are expendable. The era of Pan Am, Braniff, Eastern, TWA, and the prestige of being an airline captain are over. Look at what's going on out there. More and more majors and even nationals are parking their planes or not growing at all, while they higher cheap regional labor to do their flying in 50-100 seat jets. And with the rise in fuel costs, the regional jet flying may decrease dramatically with the usage of either turbo props or nothing at all.
I wanted to be an airline pilot ever since I was a small child, but reallity caught up with me. After I was furloughed I took one last look at the airlines, as if I was looking at a friend that I new was going to die, and I walked away.
I jumped into the fractional jet world and couldn't be happier. I work for NJA, and every post you guys have read about how great it is, is true. Now, I know there are thousands of you and only hundreds of jobs, but don't give up to find something you love.
Use and abuse the regionals for all their worth, build your flight time as fast as you can, and then bail. There are so many good corporate jobs out there or other fractionals that will give you a good life.
Good luck out there.
