Originally Posted by
206321
The major problem here is that you are comparing your pay and schedule to the regionals. Something below you in your career.
You need to be comparing yourself to your peers at Delta United and SWA.
That would be like a Doctor being content with sub-par compensation saying "well I am paid more than I was in my residency!"
Are you making more than Delta? Better work rules than them?
It's great they make more than us, I'm happy for them, but AA and Delta are not the same company and have different work group cost structures. I would hope everyone realized this before applying at AA. I had zero desire to work for Delta, I never applied. Guys trying to win the Richard measuring contest will continuously be sorely disappointed no matter where they are, and never be happy.
United once had an industry leading contract. They were already losing money prior to 9/11. I personally have zero desire to work at a place that gets more and more uncompetitive as time goes by and sees stagnation or worse due to labor cost structure. Money isn't everything to me, longevity and stability are worth way more with the ability to plan your life.
Imagine if AA/US/TWA had never stagnated and remained competitive to SWA. How much better would that have been for their careers vs a few guys at AA getting an A fund? At US, they got the PBCG. Yay for having an awesome contract but losing 1/2 of your pilot group over a decade!
As far as comparing to a regional, I was not the one who did that, I responded to someone who was. So maybe you should quote them instead.
It's important that we are at least industry average, which we are above when you look at competitor contracts and pay. YES, THERE WILL BE SOME PLACES THAT HAVE SOME GOOD THINGS IN THEM, but overall our compensation is quite good. And little base hit improvements should and will happen. Comparing us to a regional, at least mine which was still a decent place back then is laughable. Not even worth talking about.
If anything the regional level is like our residency, yet it pays more and you work less, and here in the majors we will outearn most doctors and work faaaaaar less with less stress. Yes some doctors will outearn us but again who cares if you want to make a ton of money and be stressed quit and go to medical school if you think you can hack it. It's almost laughable guys compare themselves to doctors, my CA this trip didn't even go to college yet he's making 300+ a year flying a domestic narrowbody.