Ty Webb
Hostage to Fortune
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2001
- Posts
- 6,524
Re: I suppose I should chime in, eh?
UAL78:
For the past few years, you have provided many intelligent, cogent posts, the vast majority of which I have agreed with wholeheartedly. I guess the strain of what is going on at UAL must be wearing on you to some degree, because I must take exception at an uncharacteristic "dig" in your last post.
You said:
And as long as guys were willing to fly jets for a fraction of what your contract paid you, the outcome was inevitable. Couldn't pull them up, so you're going down.
If you are referring to the LCC carriers, as seems obvious, let me clue you in to something that your brethren at UAL and DAL and others have not yet grasped: We are not being paid "a fraction" of what your guys are being paid. While it is true we are being paid less per hour, we are scheduled more productively, so the end result is we are being paid pretty well. Our average line may pay 85 hours, and we are probably flying 70-75 hrs for that pay.
In my first year at AirTran, my pay was "only" $37.50 per hour, and my W-2 for the year showed $44,000., or $39,500. if you back the per diem out. Not exactly a "fraction" of a UAL Shuttle newhire. Second year pay is $52./hr ($60K+)and by the third year, I'll be a Capt., expecting around $110K for the year. Twelfth year pay should be around $175K a year. Hmmmnn, for an airplane the size of what you guys were flying at the Shuttle, that hardly seems like we are pulling the industry down. We do have a company-funded retirement, profit-sharing, stock options, etc. etc. etc.
What I am trying to say here is that we are not "harming" the pilots at UAL. What "harmed" you guys, in my opinion, was the chowder-headed decisions of your management (Avolar??!??) and throwing bad money after bad pursuing the USAirways deal, not to mention your Union striking a contract that was un-doable from the moment it was signed.
That would make as much sense as me saying that if UAL didn't dump seats on our routes at prices that cause them to lose money in an effort to protect "market share", maybe our company could charge more money and pay us more- hell, maybe UAL is keeping our wages down . . .
Neither I nor anyone at any LCC wish you guys ill will, hell, we have mostly all been through ups and downs and know what it's like, so please think twice before you place the blame at the feet of pilots who were "willing to fly jets for a fraction" 'cause it just ain't true.
UAL78:
For the past few years, you have provided many intelligent, cogent posts, the vast majority of which I have agreed with wholeheartedly. I guess the strain of what is going on at UAL must be wearing on you to some degree, because I must take exception at an uncharacteristic "dig" in your last post.
You said:
And as long as guys were willing to fly jets for a fraction of what your contract paid you, the outcome was inevitable. Couldn't pull them up, so you're going down.
If you are referring to the LCC carriers, as seems obvious, let me clue you in to something that your brethren at UAL and DAL and others have not yet grasped: We are not being paid "a fraction" of what your guys are being paid. While it is true we are being paid less per hour, we are scheduled more productively, so the end result is we are being paid pretty well. Our average line may pay 85 hours, and we are probably flying 70-75 hrs for that pay.
In my first year at AirTran, my pay was "only" $37.50 per hour, and my W-2 for the year showed $44,000., or $39,500. if you back the per diem out. Not exactly a "fraction" of a UAL Shuttle newhire. Second year pay is $52./hr ($60K+)and by the third year, I'll be a Capt., expecting around $110K for the year. Twelfth year pay should be around $175K a year. Hmmmnn, for an airplane the size of what you guys were flying at the Shuttle, that hardly seems like we are pulling the industry down. We do have a company-funded retirement, profit-sharing, stock options, etc. etc. etc.
What I am trying to say here is that we are not "harming" the pilots at UAL. What "harmed" you guys, in my opinion, was the chowder-headed decisions of your management (Avolar??!??) and throwing bad money after bad pursuing the USAirways deal, not to mention your Union striking a contract that was un-doable from the moment it was signed.
That would make as much sense as me saying that if UAL didn't dump seats on our routes at prices that cause them to lose money in an effort to protect "market share", maybe our company could charge more money and pay us more- hell, maybe UAL is keeping our wages down . . .
Neither I nor anyone at any LCC wish you guys ill will, hell, we have mostly all been through ups and downs and know what it's like, so please think twice before you place the blame at the feet of pilots who were "willing to fly jets for a fraction" 'cause it just ain't true.
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