My son made more than me (per month) during his software engineering internship at a startup last year than I make as a SWA FO. His 19-year old girlfriend, interning for the company behind a well-known app, made significantly more than him. His buddies who interned with finance companies made about as much per month as junior line-flying captains at SWA (esp when considering perks).

Remember, interns are usually kids who haven’t even graduated from college yet. In years gone by, and still in some industries, interns worked for free. Now, interns in certain careers earn more than experienced pilots. Something to think about.

The world is changing for a lot of reasons: globalization, technology, corporatization, the decline of organized labor, etc.

Whatever the reason, the glory days of this profession are gone. Concessions during the 80’s, 90’s, and 00’s all helped to bid adieux to the days of Catch Me If You Can. We have never come close to recovering. Accepting concessions now will only resume the decline in this profession and perhaps put a nail in the coffin that automation and artificial intelligence will one day probably drive home.