Not true... I flew the metro in the 80's and never had to pay anyone $10,000.00 ! Also made much more than $12 an hour to fly it. Not really sure where this guy supposedly went for such a bad deal?
Nice job Paid2fly! A close friend had to pony up that fee when he was hired at CoEx around 98-99, one of the last generations to come through who did. And ACA was still charging the 10G fee into that period too. I know many pilots who’s deciding factor for a job was that fee, and American Eagle, TranStates, and Mesa were some of the operators who didn’t charge it.
And the pay rate quote isn't rumor either, I’m sure there’s somebody on this forum who could supply the pay rates for many of the probably now defunct, regionals, or “commuters”.
Anyway, a realization while thinking about the differences between then and now was that back then the cost of getting into professinal flying was much lower, but you paid your dues in the amount of time it took. Now it’s exactly the opposite. The Time it takes to become a Barbie jet FO replete with a jaunty walk, ear buds, frosted tips and a backpack is relatively short, but the cost is exorbitant.