Originally Posted by
AlaskaBound
I don't like justifying the low pay. $36k is still not sufficient and too low. We shouldn't have to credit 100 hours just to pay the bills. 100 hours is probably getting you to about 9-11 days off max unless you're getting a lot of "Soft pay" which would still mean you're working your butt off every single month. Not just that, but you eventually depend on that 100 hours a month and the second your airline needs to start cutting back, you get displaced, etc, and your 100 hours is in danger of going down to min guarantee then you're screwed.
$36k your first year IS good for the regional environment today. However, we should not settle OR get into the habit of saying "$36k isn't too bad"...we can't get complacent!
I agree with what you said. Just to clarify my schedule; normally I can get a line with 90ish hours credit, 85ish hours block and 11-12 days off(junior line). After making adjustments(allowed per the contract) I will end up with about 70ish hours block, 105ish hours credit and 13-14 days off. Those numbers can be higher or lower depending on the adjustments made. Right now guys are getting lines within a month after completion of IOE. The company says we have 650+ pilots but in reality there are only about 450-500 "active" pilots.