My apologies if my questions are causing a flame. That was not my point. I will say though that using a word like "rape" is only used to scandalize, demonize and polarize.
Originally Posted by
WHACKMASTER
IF you are a member of the traveling public and NOT management, then allow me to just state that the cheap airfares (subsidized by employee wages.......of course, just like the high fuel bills that the airlines are/have been facing) have caused us to lose a lot of sympathy towards the flying public. Although, I sense that again IF you are part of the traveling public and not management, then most of your travels involve business and not the $199RT to FL.
Airline employees have watched their professions go down the schitter while the traveling public has been able to fly cheaper than what it costs them in gas to drive to their destination. That last part is just plain WRONG. From the Northeast to FL should be no less than $300RT, to the West Coast $500RT, and to Europe a least a grand RT, but I digress.....
You prefer to fly with happy pilots? Guess what? Your pilots would prefer to be happy, but they along with our profession have been raped by management with the help of the courts for about three decades now. Perhaps you can understand that in our own little world there comes a time when enough's enough. Think..........the movie Falling Down. You can only push people so far and this profession's been pushed enough. Hopefully the wheels start coming off the bus so we can perhaps reverse the course a little.
You also still hold this perception of the airline piloting career that was true perhaps 30-40 years ago but is a complete fantasy even just 10 years ago much less today.
So what should you do regarding your travel plans on AA? Perhaps the best thing you can do is avoid traveling on them during these trying times. Maybe that'll send a message to their management.
You have lost sympathy to the flying public? Really? How exactly do you compare to the flying public? What side? Those that fly 150K+ miles a year or those that fly once every other year?
Furloughs suck, getting laid off sucks.
Originally Posted by
LittleBoyBlew
Another "Perfect example" of how ignorant the flying public is. Most think that we press a "fly" and "land" button...
Perhaps a documentary on the life of a "professional airline pilot" needs to air. If Jersey shore can get on the tube, perhaps the piloting profession might have a chance. We need to educate the public about the 16 hr duty days, the reduced rest overnights, the crash pads, the loss of vacation, pay, retirement, missed births, birth-days, anniversaries, X-mas, New years, kids ball games, poor diet, irregular bowel movements, DVTs, check rides, medicals, doctors notes for calling in sick, life expectancy, TSA harassment!! etc,etc,etc....
99.9% of the flying public knows more about Snooky and lady gaga, than the job/lifestyle of those who run the front office, and so diligently perform their duty to guarantee their safety and all those on board....
Missed kids games - right there with you missed one last night. Calling home to find out how they did just isn't the same. Birthdays, holidays - check. Missed vacations - check, IBM - Check
80+ hour work weeks.
Don't even start on the TSA harassment - at least the pilots got some concessions from TSA, the flying public - I am guilty as soon as I buy a ticket.
Most everything you mentioned is similar to my world too. I would bet it is similar to most 150K/150 segment fliers also.
This isn't "Up In the Air" and a girl in every port travel for many of us.
This would actually be really interesting. Pilots are the least public, sans mechanics, of all of the airline employees that are public facing. I don't care about the bean counters and marketing folks. And really I don't want to chat with the pilots. There job is much more than a couple of button pushes.
Originally Posted by
XtremeF150
You know Mr. Bone it is hard to trust someone that shows up late to the party claiming not to be undercover but having to much inside info.
Your knowledge of airline codes and our lingo is puzzling. Maybe you are legit but it looks like your are attempting a fire fight at first glance.
I told you I was EXPLT. I do pick up some of the lingo just by talking to those I have access to. There is actually alot of lingo on this forum that completely escapes me, but I read and figure some things out. If you don't believe me ask admin/moderator to validate that my email address is one for a real company. You can also PM me and we can discuss who I am outside of the public and Google's eyes.
I asked an honest question. In previous threads several of you suggested that the pilots are not doing enough to educate the public. Someone suggested canceling their subscription to the Dallas paper.
So I will ask again, as a consumer what should I know?