Pay should also be based upon a free market economy. The only reason that I can see why pilots expect such high salaries is because of the fat paycheck tradition that the airlines have. Now that supply and demand is having an effect upon pilot pay it is relaxing to a more competitive level. The only reason that I can see for returning to regulation is to preserve the status quo. As a whole the concept is totally un-American. Perhaps the Russians should return to communism?

To Skyhigh:

Was my first reaction after reading your post with a little bit of added in too. Would I be right in assuming you in fact are not a pilot? I'm quite sure that if you were an airline pilot by trade your post would be situated 180 degrees. Despite being treated as bus drivers lately airline pilots don't drive buses. We fly 400,000 pound machines through the air through all types of weather, during the day, at night and at all hours of the day and night. We are highly trained professionals who have the lives of hundreds of people in our hands at any time while working. Bottom line: We should be paid as such and the drive to the wage basement must stop.

So the question remains, why are wages declining? Because the customer, any customer, will use price to decide which ticket to buy. The LLCs have stepped in to provide the lowest priced tickets, and how do they do this? They pay lower salaries than the major airlines, they don't provide retirement plans, they require pilots to pay a larger share of health care, they require the pilots to work longer hours on more days of the month...the list goes on and on. And how about those low priced tickets? You can fly on jetBlue coast to coast for $200. The flight takes 5 hours, can you honestly say you would spend less than that on gas, hotels (it'll take you 3 days) and food if you drove? My Goodness, what are those low cost tickets really costing the industry? Don't you think the price of tickets should be relative to the cost and frustration of driving yourself over the same distance?

I don't discount the need to eliminate some of the waste, fraud and abuse in the industry. Of course that means those bloated, greedy airline executives should follow suit. Why should we give up our pensions while those scumbags set aside money for themselves as a "contingency fund" should they lose their positions? I'm not spouting conspiracy here, it really happens. Delta Airlines executives did in fact set aside millions for themselves should a merger occur and they lose their jobs. Oh yes, they also have guaranteed pensions too. This while asking for pay cuts from pilots and demanding their pensions are terminated.

So, ticket prices must rise. Airline executives don't get special perks that the other employees don't. The result is air travel that is sanely priced and pilots get a fair wage. Any questions?

Respectfully,