The Airline Industry

[Joshrk22]

As a very young student pilot (16 years old) I'm curious as to what is wrong with this industry. I have always inspired to be an airline pilot since god knows when. Anyways, you hear a lot of negative talk towards this industry and I don't see why. Airline pilots are ranked 13th on the salary chart of jobs in the U.S. and the only jobs above that require medical school or being the CEO of a company.
I do know that regionals are pretty crappy, but what else is screwed up in this profession. What can be done to fix it and get it to be a "stable" job to work? I'm just curious as to what people will say. Please no stupid/ useless comments.

 

[FN FAL]

As a very young student pilot (16 years old) I'm curious as to what is wrong with this industry. I have always inspired to be an airline pilot since god knows when. Anyways, you hear a lot of negative talk towards this industry and I don't see why. Airline pilots are ranked 13th on the salary chart of jobs in the U.S. and the only jobs above that require medical school or being the CEO of a company.
I do know that regionals are pretty crappy, but what else is screwed up in this profession. What can be done to fix it and get it to be a "stable" job to work? I'm just curious as to what people will say. Please no stupid/ useless comments.

There isn't anything "wrong" with the industry. It is, what it is.

 

[Metro752]

#1 reason why making your SN readily available to people on forums.....

[19:54] Metro752: THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY IS MELLLLLLLLLLLLLLTING
[19:54] Metro752: MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
[19:55] Metro752: AWW COME ON
[19:55] Metro752: SAY SOMETHING
[19:55] Metro752: MUHAHAHAHA
[19:55] Joshrk22: thanks (I guess)
[19:55] Metro752: lol
[19:55] Metro752: peace out homey G sliceeeeeeeeeeeee
[19:55] Joshrk22: later

..... is a baddd idea.

 

[Joshrk22]

#1 reason why making your SN readily available to people on forums.....

[19:54] Metro752: THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY IS MELLLLLLLLLLLLLLTING
[19:54] Metro752: MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
[19:55] Metro752: AWW COME ON
[19:55] Metro752: SAY SOMETHING
[19:55] Metro752: MUHAHAHAHA
[19:55] Joshrk22: thanks (I guess)
[19:55] Metro752: lol
[19:55] Metro752: peace out homey G sliceeeeeeeeeeeee
[19:55] Joshrk22: later

..... is a baddd idea.

I see you have yours "readily available" too.:laugh:

 

[Metro752]

yes but i like the attention...........

 

[Bjammin]

The only thing wrong with the industry, in my humble opinion, is that the airlines are going though a huge transition from a multi-class, multi-fleet environment to a low cost, no frills one. Southwest airlines is booming because it figured out early in it's life that cutting costs, thus being able to offer lower fairs was a welcome practice for the american public.

Example: Why would someone pay a HUGE price to fly on a 767-300 first class from Dallas to St. Louis?

The legacy airlines such as Delta, American, and United are scrambling to compete by lowering their costs as much as possible. They're cutting pilot's pay, meals, and offering very reasonable upgrades to first class. This shift is not easy, but people are just not willing to pay big money to fly anymore. The airlines have to comply or go bust.

9/11 added insult to injury by hurting the consumer base even more.

Personally I see an end to this. It may not be pretty, but eventually the airline industry will recover. It may look very different from the majestic beast it once was. I see airplanes with no windows (because I'm sure it's cheeper not to have them and everyone uses laptops nowadays anyways), fast food every couple of gates, and only on line ticketing.

 

[FN FAL]

The only thing wrong with the industry, in my humble opinion, is that the airlines are going though a huge transition from a multi-class, multi-fleet environment to a low cost, no frills one. Southwest airlines is booming because it figured out early in it's life that cutting costs, thus being able to offer lower fairs was a welcome practice for the american public.

Example: Why would someone pay a HUGE price to fly on a 767-300 first class from Dallas to St. Louis?

The legacy airlines such as Delta, American, and United are scrambling to compete by lowering their costs as much as possible. They're cutting pilot's pay, meals, and offering very reasonable upgrades to first class. This shift is not easy, but people are just not willing to pay big money to fly anymore. The airlines have to comply or go bust.

9/11 added insult to injury by hurting the consumer base even more.

Personally I see an end to this. It may not be pretty, but eventually the airline industry will recover. It may look very different from the majestic beast it once was. I see airplanes with no windows (because I'm sure it's cheaper not to have them and everyone uses laptops nowadays anyways), fast food every couple of gates, and only on line ticketing.

Majestic beast? Simple, cut the number airframes down to half of present numbers and limit that total number by federal law. By cutting airframe numbers to half, you'll be able to quadruple prices. By limiting airframe numbers, you'll alleviate stress on the ATC system and end once and for all, the overuse of the little boy airplanes.

Oh, by the way, since the american public is what pays the fares, you might just want to spell it American public. Just a thought.

 

[pilotyip]

FN, good idea that will get rid of about half the pilots also, which will you be on the employed or the unemployed?

 

[FN FAL]

FN, good idea that will get rid of about half the pilots also, which will you be on the employed or the unemployed?

Freight would be unaffected, the freight industry knows how to charge more for the product when it costs more to offer the product and besides, the boxes bring their own peanuts.

If you want to get paid more, your company has to be able to charge more. By limiting airframes, you'll have people begging the airlines in order to get a ride. You could auction those seats and charge people just to come to auction.

No, I see what you're getting at, we should double the airframes and then through the majik economic phenomena of over-capacity, the "majestic beast" will rise up like a phoenix, flapping it's beautiful wings...chirping "free airline tickets for everyone!"

At least then, everyone will have a seat.

 

[Publishers]

It is always somewhat amusing when everyone has an idea that is exactly the opposite of what this country was created and has prospered in. You see what we do not like is the right to fail. Individually we are opposed to failure as if companies fail, the employees are then cut loose and have to find something else.
In oru parents and grandparents time, everyone looked for job security and to work for the same company for many years. For teh most part in this country that part has changed. The average middle manager college grad has changed jobs 7 times before they are 30.
The short version of that is that we expect loyalty but give none. Only in the airline business where you get locked up by the golden handcuffs of a seniority system do people still expect to be guaranteed a job. The industry has changed may times in the short history. We have to change with it.