Why this industry will never be the same

[Smarta$$]

The current fleet is too expensive to replace, plus the system would colapse if one airline was operating pilotless. Single pilot however, is probably likely in the next 25 years.

I just dont think that either will ever happen. I just dont think that passengers that use computers on a daily basis and know that they will always have flaws will ever trust their lives to a computer in the air. I understand some will say that they already trust their lives to computers in many increasing ways. However I dont think they are as visable or dramatic as a pilotless airliner would be.

Then their is another problem. One airline would have to be the first to enter service. Even if it were 30% cheaper fare I think passengers would pay the extra for piece of mind. Management of airlines that still use pilots would just lower their fares to close to the pilotless fare and get concessions from pilots to do it.

Then when the inevitable pilotless airliner does burn one in it would be the end of customer confidence and the end of the pilotless airliner. Not going to happen. There is not even a pilotless ocean liner or city bus. Only things on a track.

Besides, one thing ALPA might actually be good at is a campagn scaring the public out of this idea.

I hope I am right.

 

[John Pennekamp]

The good old days weren't always good.

 

[YourPilotFriend]

I just dont think that either will ever happen. I just dont think that passengers that use computers on a daily basis and know that they will always have flaws will ever trust their lives to a computer in the air. I understand some will say that they already trust their lives to computers in many increasing ways. However I dont think they are as visable or dramatic as a pilotless airliner would be.

Then their is another problem. One airline would have to be the first to enter service. Even if it were 30% cheaper fare I think passengers would pay the extra for piece of mind. Management of airlines that still use pilots would just lower their fares to close to the pilotless fare and get concessions from pilots to do it.

HAAHAHA 30%, try 3%, the salary for both pilots is 3-4% of the ticket cost. A simple brake job is $22,000 per wheel.

 

[dojetdriver]

The pay will eventually come back.........

The pay will come back, the problem is, it will be the 2001 pay rates in say, 2010 ect.

Look at FedEdx/UPS's new rates. Highest in the industry, still much less than the UAL/DAL and what AA would have got had the cycle continued.

 

[Thebadcat1313]

David Bowie

There are 3 things one can count on......death, taxes and CHANGE.
Nothing, EVER, stays the same. Don't expect it or wish for it-you'll never get it.

 

[Papps]

The pay will eventually come back.........however I do not think that any of the current ATP's in the country will see it before we retire. Our kids may make a good living at it.

I knew we had problems when the number of RJ's outnumbered the number of Mainline airplanes at my old airline.

My kids will mutter the words "V1,rotate". for they are my last chance retirement plan

 

[Papps]

Things will never be the same again? I don’t get it, they have never been the same. The industry has been in a constant state of flux since the 30’s, when the DC-3 revolutionized the airline industry, the 40’s when 4 Eng. airplanes flew non-stop, the 50’s with the introduction of jets, to the 60’s with wide bodies, to 70‘s with de-reg, to the 80’s with the spoke and hub, to the 90's with the RJ, to 00’s with the LLC growth. The things that are the same are management failures, starvation wages for new hires, the seniority system, lay off, chasing jobs at the next airline, and dead pilots. Read Ernest. Gann’s " Fate is the Hunter"

flux sux

 

[KeroseneSnorter]

I have a copy of U's 1984 contract.........industry wide we are at roughly the same payscale currently..........NOT adjusted for inflation!

Adjusted for inflation we are making less that they did in 84. In fact if you adjust for inflation the mainlines are making less than what they did in the early 70's, and the RJ drivers are flying for less than Convair Captains did in 1971.

I have a truck buyers guide that I dug out of the folks house from 1978, back then a fully loaded 4 x 4 with all the goodies wouldn't even set you back 10k.......I looked at one early this year and the 1500 4 x 4 will pop you for near 40k. To say that pilots payscales has not kept up with the rest of the world is an understatement. That truck in 1978 only hit a mainline Cappy up for one month of pay......now he would need to make 480k to do the same......Current top of scale for a 737 Capt is 126k and that is if he flies a full 85 every month and has been there 15+ years.....F-28 Captains did better than that in the early 90's!!!

 

[ReportCanoa]

Is that there Bahia Honda?

 

[climbhappy]

quote, "the pay will eventually come back."

well, at the current rate of inflation, in ten years, 100k will be like 50 today. the longer it takes to come back, the less value it will have when it does.