Our next Contract: Food for (very simplistic) thought.

ALL new hires are gong to NYC. Why? Because if you don't already live there you sure can't afford to move there now. Every AE that comes out has all those new hires in NYC folks flocking to bases with lower cost of living.

LAX is in the same position. All the folks in LA either commute by air from nearby, or they have been living in SoCal for decades. You will see, in the near future, LAX becoming a mix of super senior and super junior. Why? Because if you haven't established roots here long ago, you can't afford to move here now. If the 717 opens in LA, this will expedite this scenario.

So recently, I was flying with a super senior Capt who owns a bad arse beach house. Now I don't expect to have a beach house but I'd love to stop commuting and buy a decent house in a decent neighborhood within an hour and 1/2 drive of LAX. Can I do that? No f'in way. I grew up in SoCal but haven't lived there for 20 years. I was hired in '07 and have not been able to bid LAX until this summer. I would like to be able move back but on 8 year pay, no way.

For our next contract, profit sharing should be off the bargaining table (as in "Don't touch it"). I want a raise that will allow me and my family to live ANY of the domiciles that Delta has selected to base pilots. Its called a domicile for a reason, you are supposed to LIVE there. For those that say "Commuting is a choice," I call bull$hit. I can't afford to not to commute and please don't tell me to move to ATL.

My wife would love to live in Manhattan. I'd move there too, to make her happy, but can we move to NYC? No.

The pilot groups at all the majors have been beat down so much over the last decade and a half that they just shrug their shoulders and say, "Well I guess this is going to be the best we can do." (AA contract for example).

I want at least a 20% raise out the gate (you may want more and I'm on board with that too), the company can afford it. I want to live in MY DOMICILE and the company need to pay me so I can afford to live in THEIR DOMICILE.

Rant over,

Humboldt