So..the pilot shortage is coming?

[Flyby1206]

Seniority and longevity are two separate items.

Longevity payscales were created so there was a carrot at the end of a stick. 1st year pay sucks because those dollars/hr are used to fund that high end payscale at the 12+yr point. Senior pilots can say "youve gotta pay your dues, son" and junior pilots have no other option but to accept it if they hope to make a living.

Why dont unions eliminate that steep longevity? Because then pilots wouldn't be 'trapped' in a company payscale and could transfer between carriers without suffering financially. If that were the case then companies would be stuck paying for increased training events (people coming and going more frequently) and unions would be in danger of losing dues money from pilots going to companies represented by other unions (or non-union).

My dream would be for unions to assume all training and checking responsibility, and get a national training program approved for any given aircraft. If you fly the 737 for DAL, UAL, AA then the training program would be the same (like FlightSafety does with bizjets). When a company needs 737 pilots they go to the union and pay them a flat fee per pilot. Union takes current 737 pilots first, then anyone who has a 737 type, then applications from non rated pilots.

 

[Dumb Pilot]

It's going to get better for us (worse for them) in the next few years, barring some economic crisis.

We have several of our AirTran Captains planning to leave for these jobs and not come back. They are 50 or so with no hope of ever seeing the Captain's seat again. Can't really blame them.

A company like SWA losing pilots to the expat market, of course these individuals sircumstances are unique to them due to the merger but still, it is an interesting development none the less.

 

[Lear70]

A company like SWA losing pilots to the expat market, of course these individuals sircumstances are unique to them due to the merger but still, it is an interesting development none the less.

You're going to see some junior folks go to Delta as well. If they're under 40 and less than 5 years' longevity, they'll make over a Million more during their career with access to widebody aircraft and half the time to upgrade.

Not highly shocking; like you said, people will do what they need to for their own individual circumstances. Most will stay, but some will go...

 

[bluesideup1]

You're going to see some junior folks go to Delta as well. If they're under 40 and less than 5 years' longevity, they'll make over a Million more during their career with access to widebody aircraft and half the time to upgrade.

Not highly shocking; like you said, people will do what they need to for their own individual circumstances. Most will stay, but some will go...

Is that before or after the two furloughs?

 

[fam62c]

A company like SWA losing pilots to the expat market, of course these individuals sircumstances are unique to them due to the merger but still, it is an interesting development none the less.

We will see what happens but this may just be talk. When the rubber meets the road I don't think many pilots at AT are going to leave a good paying, stable flying job in the USA to start at a foreign carrier. Those jobs are the jobs guys take because they can't find a decent paying job for a good company in the USA. A lot of AT guys are frustrated by the way this went down and may say they are leaving but I bet very few actually will.

I do think there will be some younger, junior guys at AT and probably some younger "real" SW guys as well who will leave for Delta. 20+ years in the right seat of a 737 bouncing up and down all day probably doesn't sound that good to the younger guys who have a lot of years left. SW is a great company but many of the younger guys will want a career with more progression and more options.

 

[Dash Power]

You're going to see some junior folks go to Delta as well. If they're under 40 and less than 5 years' longevity, they'll make over a Million more during their career with access to widebody aircraft and half the time to upgrade.

Not highly shocking; like you said, people will do what they need to for their own individual circumstances. Most will stay, but some will go...

Ahhhhhh....

Someone has the airline pilot crystal ball. I have been looking for that going on 30 years now. Because NO ONE has ever accurately predicted the changes in the airline industry that inevitably occurs daily that affects our career progression.

Some guys just can't take a downgrade. Its not in their bag of tools. There are some at the regionals that made it a career there because of their addition to the Captain seat. Its ok. To each their own.

For better or for worse there is one thing I can guarantee, how one looks at Delta's future based on today's numbers will be completely wrong about their predictions today. This is true for every airline.

It looked like a 4 year upgrade at one legacy I was hired only to be furloughed 10 months later. No joke.

 

[Dumb Pilot]

We will see what happens but this may just be talk. When the rubber meets the road I don't think many pilots at AT are going to leave a good paying, stable flying job in the USA to start at a foreign carrier. Those jobs are the jobs guys take because they can't find a decent paying job for a good company in the USA.

I laugh every time somebody makes this statement, you have no idea as to how many people have and continue to quit jobs at mainline carriers in the US to go abroad, I am an example of it since I didn't accept a job with a legacy to come here, we have people here that have resigned their seniority to airlines in the US to continue their employment abroad, everyone has different reasons to do what they do, there is no right or wrong way and generalizing is unrealistic and pointless. I do agree that somebody in their late 30's has a long career ahead and it might be fruitful on the long run, but saying that the US expat community exists because they can't get a job in the US is a ridiculous statement, jobs there are a few in the US, jobs that pay 200+K a year with 14 days off a month, those are the ones that we can't get.

 

[Dumb Pilot]

This reminded me of a conversation we had recently with a couple of FDX guys, we were celebrating the upgrade of one of our guys (former NWA/DL) after the usual introductions and explanation about our work here, one of the guys said "of course you are updating your applications in the US right?" when he heard that our new captain had resigned his seniority, he got a little bent out of shape about it, I told him that I had decided not to take a job there and a couple more guys that were there mentioned how the have been recalled a couple of times but have no plans to go back, he started to mentioned several reasons as to why our position was completely wrong and how much he stress that we needed to put in our app with FDX yadda, yadda......! But our recently promoted captain said it best when he mentioned that none of us had given a good reason to work here instead of back home, the guy just answered, "I'm happy" To each it's own brother, to each it's own.

 

[LGU]

All the domestic jobs must go to those that are "punctual." 8)

 

[fam62c]

I laugh every time somebody makes this statement, you have no idea as to how many people have and continue to quit jobs at mainline carriers in the US to go abroad, I am an example of it since I didn't accept a job with a legacy to come here, we have people here that have resigned their seniority to airlines in the US to continue their employment abroad, everyone has different reasons to do what they do, there is no right or wrong way and generalizing is unrealistic and pointless. I do agree that somebody in their late 30's has a long career ahead and it might be fruitful on the long run, but saying that the US expat community exists because they can't get a job in the US is a ridiculous statement, jobs there are a few in the US, jobs that pay 200+K a year with 14 days off a month, those are the ones that we can't get.

Fair enough, so how many AirTran pilots have left for jobs like this since the SW merger was announced? How many SW pilots have left for jobs like this in the last year? How many Delta pilots have left for jobs like this in the last year? How many USA major airline pilots were leaving for jobs like this in the 1990's when things were still good at the US majors?

Don't take this personally, if you like what you are doing that's great and I'm sure some people love working for the foreign carriers and are very happy. I am sure some of those jobs are very good. I'm just saying that I don't think many AT pilots with 5, 10 or 15 years of longevity are going to quit and go work for a foreign carrier out of the USA regardless of what they may say. I will believe it when they start resigning.