Old Geezer

[vetteracer]

Your generation lacks true leaders. There is no example being set or enforced for the up-and-comers. It's an every man for himself, free market world you and your generation have created. Don't blame me.

Sincerely,

B. Franklin

I SECOND THAT. Thank you "ME GENERATION"

I firmly believe in dressing nice, shined shoes, etc. Not to just fill out a uniform (if I wore one) but as a matter of class.

Mark

 

[MMO 0.705]

when starting pay is more than 17000 a year I will give a sh!!t. When I fly charter, I care how I look. But, at the airline, I couldnt even afford to eat let alone buy a nice pair of shoes or get enough sleep to look like a professional

 

[Pantherpilot]

I am fellow regional pilot and I have holes in my jeans that I can't even afford to patch. I wear velcro shoes to work beacause they are practical, not just for looks. I use an ipod to block all the PA noise in the terminal, and I use a camelback water cooler system to quench my thirst between flights. And Yes I have a high school back pack for my personal trip kit. I know that I do not represent the image of the "ideal pilot" making $250,000/year like in the good ole' days, but I'm not-I'm am an underpaid ($19/hr) F/O flying for a wannabe airline thats just trying to pay his cellphone bill. But hey, thanks for the input.

 

[Bavarian Chef]

I suppose I'm showing my age and I've past the point of trying to understand, but when I was hired, it was a dream come true. I felt pride in wearing the uniform. I suppose it goes back to the days of fine dining at the Newarker Restaurant at the Newark airport, when men and woman dressed in their finest and bags had to be weighed. And I looked in awe at the pilots wearing their freshly pressed uniforms.
Now I was that pilot and oh so proud. I carried that sense of pride throughout my career. The uniform was symbol of accomplishment.
I gradually saw a change. It was subtle at first. Unshined shoes, ties that were worn loosly with the top button unbuttoned. You all know what I'm rambling about. Ah, another senior moment.
Now with no hats, ties optional and leather jackets, I just wonder where the pride went. Flight kits held together with duct tape with decorative stickers on them seems so unprofessional. I saw in my last months flying the line a sticker on a flight bag that said "The anus is an exit, not an entrance". I wonder what the family walking behind this professional thought and how they explained it to their children heading to Wally World.
I suppose it's a sign of the times though. We live in a more casual society. No longer do passengers wear ties and jackets. Shorts, tee shirts and sandals are the garb of the day in the airplane. We can't change the passengers but we do have control of our own appearance. Do we want to command the respect we so richly deserve? We better cinch up the tie, shine the shoes, put on a clean pressed shirt, and proudly wear the hat. You earned it.

I bet you didn't have to wear condoms back then either.

 

[airspeedsalive]

Sorry guys, but you should show this gentleman some respect. It's not his fault this industry is AFU. I happen to agree with him.

 

[climbhappy]

my own worst uniform moment was when my sole delaminated from from leather upper. I was based in PIT and there another wintry day. I had to get some packaging tape and fasten it for the next 2 out n backs. that was day 4. when at home, all i had was five bucs and got a pair of markdowns at Wal Mart.

while all those points are valid and understood, i can't help but of this cliche'

"you get what you pay for."

I was just another broke ass pilot but still tried to wear the hat , look presentable. I have noticed that most Delta guys look spitshined all the time. i don't get out west, as I'm sure many others dress as you say.


the pride left when the pay plummeted and pensions were wiped out.

 

[jetflier]

Folks,

What really amazes me, are those newbie pilots who choose to become a "professional" airline pilot, today, knowing about the $hitty pay and workrules.

Airlines will continue to hire these "professionals" as long as they line up to fly the "better-than-cessna" aircraft as they impress their buds at the local airport.

Ok, OK , I am taking this too far, I know.

But the problem today continues to fester at the very bottom.

If pilots didn't want the jobs because of the bad pay/work rules then airlines would have to raise the pay/work rules in order to get pilots to fill their cockpits.

 

[Jonny Sacko]

I think he's 150% correct.

 

[Huck]

You pay peanuts, you get monkeys.

 

[Flopgut]

What's made the most difference is deregulation. Our earnings have not kept pace with the cost of living, they have gone down! Corporate raiders, enabled by Uncle Sam and right-to-work states, are all too happy to strip money from the employees that have it to give. Deregulation's cheap airfares' have gone too far.

It's not he fault of the proverbial $19/hr rookie pilot. This business has always had the early years of low pay and hard work, (like a Drs' residency). The failure came from the top, somehow. Greed bred hyper greed, and then turned into ultra hyper greed. To say pilot labor has not had great leadership would be an understatement. Now, many old timers want retirement age changed in place of a pay raise so they can pull the ladder up even more!

I still keep my boots shined along with an attempt at a polished overall appearance. I do this for myself, really. However, with the amount I work and the way that my pay has been decimated it is almost a character flaw!

Thanks for the harsh critique old timer. You got anything constructive to go along with that?

Edit: This excludes cargo, which was not deregulated. And SWA, the single bright spot deregulation has created room for.