You're a professional, remove the stickers from your flight bag!

[aircombat]

..I wouldn't want my doctor to walk into the waiting room with a clip board covered with his alma mater's brand. Or my lawyer having his collegiate logo pasted on the side of his briefcase next to the sticker sporting his favorite local microbrew..

Why do pilots always compare their professionalism to doctors and lawyers? At one point in history that might have been an accurate comparison but not in todays age.
Here is what makes doctors and lawyers professionals. Advanced degrees, high pay, and treated like professionals from their employers/customers.
Here is what makes being a pilot not even close. Requires a high school diploma, Pay is comparable to a NYC bus driver, treated like a bus driver by employers/customers.
You are a mass transit provider. Stop putting yourself on a pedestal.

 

[IBNAV8R]

Here is what makes being a pilot not even close. Requires a high school diploma, Pay is comparable to a NYC bus driver, treated like a bus driver by employers/customers.
You are a mass transit provider. Stop putting yourself on a pedestal.

Maybe it's because people are paying money to put their lives in your hands. When city buses crash, a few people get hurt. When airplanes crash (at least in the public mind) everyone suffers a fiery end. At least doctors and lawyers can only screw up one at a time.

But don't worry, doctors are taking the hit now too. But wait, it's about to get much worse in about 16 months if things don't change. And ask any new lawyer about the job market now. But, hey, that lawyer shortage is right around the corner.

Hate to break it to you guys but EVERYBODY profiles. It's human nature. Case in point: one poster infers the overweight lady in sweats is lazy, uneducated, unsophisticated and oblivious or uncaring in whom she entrusts her life. On the other hand, one assumes the guy in the business suit is an highly-educated, astute, and savvy professional.

Can you tell me which one is the University president on the way to cancer treatment at a prominent, specialized hospital, and which one is the pot-smoking, Taco Bell assistant manager coming home from his/her mother's funeral? Which one is worthy of feeling confident that the person in whom they are about to entrust their life is a professional?

 

[aircombat]

Maybe it's because people are paying money to put their lives in your hands. When city buses crash, a few people get hurt...

That's funny that you believe that. Keep raising that pedestal.

 

[big pimpn']

this is the problem with pilots in general; our industry is in dire staights. So many importaint things on the table to discuss, and we are talking about stickers....really?

 

[IBNAV8R]

That's funny that you believe that. Keep raising that pedestal.

This is why we shouldn't gripe about the bar constantly being lowered. We keep insisting that it be even lower.

Sorry, but I've never really enjoyed limbo.

 

[Little_Bill]

How many stickers are we talking about here?
You do realize that the minimum amount of "flair" is 15.

 

[Freebrd]

stickers on fly bags! what I miss is porn in the cockpit! all these female pilots killed that, and dispatchers posting on pilot forums instead of gazing at eBay

I keed I keed

 

[xjhawk]

Both crews wore clean, sharp looking uniforms; both displayed personal grooming standards equal to or above any airline's requirements.

really? my polyester uniform is really what makes me professional? Or that I like to be clean shaven and not stink? Clean shaven....and why again is that professional? Why is that a rule anyways? Studies have proved that O2 masks work just fine with facial hair. Stickers on a bag? Unless they are vulgar-leave it alone. Its their bag. Oh and iPods and listening to music while walking in the airport is hardly unprofessional. Did they say talking on those new cell phones was unprofessional back in the day? Do you have to sit hundreds of hours a year on airport ready reserve? I will even if I want change my shoes for a long walk while I listen to my music. Screw you. Let me guess, no hats and leather jackets also define unprofessionalism in your book too?

 

[LearLove]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Dy2fo6E_pI

 

[Oakum_Boy]

I've noticed of the FO's I fly with, those who have the most stickers tend to have their own "style" of doing things. It borders on poor technique sometimes and annoys me to no end. The pros are low-key, well spoken, calm, and don't stand out with idiotic cusomization of their luggage.

You don't see Emirates, Lufthansa or United pilots with the "DMB", "Vail", "Terrorist Hunting Permit", nor the prolific "Mile High Club...Giggity" stickers, do you? Nope. I've had FO's doing walk-arounds with Jamba Juice in their hands, cell phones, etc. There is an issue with professionalism at the regionals, and you can't blame it entirely on age.

 

[Clutch]

Zomg!! Not jamba juice!!!!

 

[Freebrd]

coffee spiked w/ Red Bull baby

 

[Stifler's Mom]

"Mile High Club...Giggity"

I figure since the company allows them to be sold in the company store, they must be OK with them.

 

[Oakum_Boy]

Sure. They're ok with it because they're managing expectations. Who's gonna think-- gee, this is a serious organization with serious people, I may just stay here!

Not me. Unfortunately, I'm in pretty deep with my life to start chasing a reserve assingnment at UsAirways.

I would *hope* if management had any spare time from dealing with the daily nuclear fallout, they might say something about what's on sale in the "company" store

 

[SLUF4]

You need stickers to pick your bag out of a the long lineup of bags in the crew room. Should a flight be late because you spend 30 minutes looking for your bag? The stickers aren't a new thing. If you stroll through the bag rooms at major airlines you see a ton of really neat old stickers (Ozark DC-9's etc...) I agree there are some pretty unprofessional stickers out there, but I think that's the minority.