Originally Posted by
sanicom3205
My thoughts exactly. This whole experience with a looming furlough has changed the way I think. I’m in a good position to weather this, but I can’t imagine having kids and a mortgage, college payments etc. I feel for these guys. I come from an airline family and I understand many guys have been through the ringer, but to go through any type of hardship and come away thinking that it’s some type of right of passage and to feel no sympathy is pathetic.
I think the new cadre will be better human beings.
Yeah, I don't get some of these older generation guys. It's almost like they want everyone to go through as much suffering as possible to make themselves feel better.
And I'm one of those in a bad position. We don't live outside our means at all. Still live in the same house we bought when I was a regional FO. Down to one car payment, one credit card, and one son in private school.
If the worst happens and I get furloughed though, I'm done. House will have to be sold. Son pulled from school. I've been looking for jobs outside aviation-because that's all we can realistically hope for-and I'll be lucky to make $17 an hour. That's just a little over $2,000 a month. Assuming my wife (who'll have to go back to work) makes the same..that's a whopping $4,000 per month. Working a 9 to 5 or retail job.
Yeah..it's BS. And the lack of sympathy makes it worse. The feeling that nobody outside the furlough group gives a F* twists the knife even further. This isn't a game. It isn't funny. Senior guys making north of $300,000 for multiple years now wouldn't miss a beat by lowering the ALV, or lowering RSV guarantee.. anything that would save their fellow pilots.
But no. They'd rather drink their beers, trim their walrus moustaches while chuckling about us "paying our dues". I can't wait for our generation of pilots to replace them.