Originally Posted by
rickair7777
If 300-hour wonders get a nice fat bonus just for coming to work, why do those of us who suffered the consequences of 9/11, paid our dues, and put in years of service at depressed compensation levels not deserve the same bonus for coming to work? The answer should be obvious...
I agree that the labor force should share in the spoils of the recovery that was largely made on their backs. With that said, those spoils are a completely separate issue from the current problems in recruiting. Everyone who hired in at the current pay scales knew what they were getting into, myself included. If our companies cannot recruit quality pilots (or any staff for that matter), we will all pay a heavy price in the long run.
There is a major staffing issue in our face. Potential pilots have gotten the memo that this career isn't the dream that it has been made out to be. Management will find a way to staff their operation (or go out of business). Would you rather have well paid quality new hires with possible recruiting bonuses or ab initio candidates who work off their debt to the company for peanuts?
It doesn't sit well with me when we cross the two issues of total pilot compensation and retention with recruiting problems. You need the best people coming into the door to fight for better compensation in the long run. We lose a lot of quality pilots who simply can't swallow the cost of entry with respect to the reward.