Originally Posted by
Old UCAL CA
911, foreign military campaigns, oil uncertainty, fierce competition, the very late management recognition that they were truly on their own and a recent recession brought it all crashing to earth for everybody over the last 10 years.
I'm not saying it's good or bad...it just is...and one brushes the dust off and deals with it.
During those difficult years the company was hemorrhaging money, but today they have achieved a successful business model with capacity discipline and additional fees. Times have changed, again, for good or bad...compensation will change again as well.
Add to this the fact that regionals can't fill their new-hire requirements with the ATP/1500-hour rule & low pay, along with thousands of upcoming retirements at majors: you've got a market that allows pilots to choose companies to work for. Most companies are hiring now, and my guess is that every major airline & cargo company will hire in 2012. If airlines want to keep their pilots then compensation will need to follow, or else pilots will leave for the money.