The same could have been said about Southwest in the 90s. Did you share those same views? SWA even in the 90s had several hundred 737s competing with the majors/legacies all across the country for some of the cheapest fares ever. Look how times changed and where SWA is now. I do hope VA succeeds and offers higher wage/QOL increases as time goes on. There have been 3 raises to date, and as the carrier becomes successful/profitable, there is room for much improvements for pay, QOL, etc.Chairman
Maybe this new UAL contract needs to keep those bottom feeding $32/hr rates so that we can better compete with nonunion, undercutting carriers like VA and others that will pop up in the future?
Let me ask you a question as a United furloughee who I assume is looking at the rates offered at airlines like SWA and Delta (and hopefully United)...... Knowing that VA is using undercutting, nonunion wages to help subsidize their low fares in an attempt to gain market share, do you hope that VA is successful in this undertaking? Do you hope that VA is successful in their new DCA route where it will compete directly against United? If you did come back to United or get hired at one of the better airlines out there, would you be OK with VA pilots coming in at payrates significantly lower than this round of pattern bargaining will likely yield for all of us? What if airlines like VA grew at your new airline's expense and that six figure narrowbody first officer job disappeared because your airline couldn't compete with an airline like VA and their discount airline wages?
I think we both know the answers to the above questions. Perhaps you shouldn't be attacking a guy who may be going out on strike (hopefully) in a few weeks in an attempt to raise those wages you are criticizing while your peers at VA sit on their collective butts and do nothing to further the profession?