Pilot pay

[race#53]

Everything in the following list is proportional to today's cost except airfare and Pilot pay;

As we open the Golden Age of the Flying Clippers, we find the world in a deep economic depression. The United States has just been through what will have been, the two worst years of it. Franklin Roosevelt has just been elected president of the United States — and will remain so for an unprecedented 4 terms — and Adolph Hitler has just come to power in Germany. There are only 48 states in the Union. Alaska and Hawaii will not be added for almost 30 years. Prohibition has just been repealed. Thanks to Hollywood, New York's Empire State building will now have King Kong forever associated with it.

If you are "lucky" enough to be an airline pilot you will earn $8000.00 per year. A dentist earns $2391.00; an electrical worker, $1559.00; a public school teacher, $1227.00; a secretary, $1040.00; a steelworker, $422.87; a waitress, $520.00.

A new Pontiac coupe costs $585.00 and is powered with a gallon of gas costing only 18¢. A wool suit is $10.50. Chicken is 22¢ a pound and milk is 10¢ a quart. A six room house with a two car garage in Detroit will cost you $2800.00. If you have the time, a 60-day 11-counrty tour of Europe will cost you $495.00. Round trip airfare from New York to Chicago is $86.31 and from Chicago to Los Angeles is another $207.00.

 

[Flyby1206]

Assuming a new Pontiac now costs roughly 30k, pilots salaries should be 400k! But I bet you could still get a flight from NY to Chicago for $86.31

 

[Herman Bloom]

Not a math guy (esp. financially speaking), but I believe that the adjusted airfares would be roughly:

NY - Chicago: $4315.50

Chicago - LA: $10,350.00

Ergo, airlines then made boat-loads of money. Today's fares are literally the same as they were 60 years ago! Go figure.

 

[Fliteidol]

And Mesa still pay about $8,000 a year to a new hire!

 

[81Horse]

I do think pilots should still be paid about four times as much as dentists earn.

 

[shon7]

Lower Airfares do not necessarily mean lower pay. Case in point -- SWA.

The traditional business models are out of sync. With the unions so resistant to change there is no way to get the Legacies out of the mess they are in -- Chap 11 or otherwise.

Be prepared for Virgin America, Jet Blue and more.

 

[pilotyip]

On the other side E. Gann talked about not being able to live on his pay as an AAL co-pilot in 1939

 

[whoisthisguy?]

You guys complain too much. Where else can someone without a college degree make $100,000/yr while only working 10 days a month. It is a lot better than a cubicle I can tell you. Oh yes. Go to his seminar to hear the truth ... http://www.jet-jobs.com/ABOUT AIR INC/aboutairinc.htmlHe has truly changed my life for the better. Tank God I diddent go to kolledge -- that wood have bin a totle waste of munny.

 

[dojetdriver]

Go to anyone of the online calculators that figures out inflation or what x amount of dollars in a past year equals in todays dollars.

$8000 dollars in the mid 1930's is equal to between $110,000-$115000 in 2005 dollars.

 

[91100 100 set]

On the other side E. Gann talked about not being able to live on his pay as an AAL co-pilot in 1939

I thought the same thing. 8 grand sounds pretty sweet in 1930's money (compared to the other incomes listed), but that 8 grand is probably coming from the same type of source that says an airline captain nowadays makes $200,00+. We've all seem those numbers and know they are complete bunk.