Originally Posted by
dhc8guru
The another real concern with all the airlines beyond the obvious, is minimizing furloughs and also how long those who are on furlough are out. If the cuts are deep and long
when this all turns around years from now, they could be facing Regional FO starting pay needing to be $100k a year because no one will touch this career with a 200 foot cattle prod. Something they can't afford to happen.
There is massive speculation the antiquated hierarchy and disparity in pay between senior and junior pilots will have to change in order for this career will survive.
Who knows, how this will all play out. Either way its going to both sad and historical come October.
I could see this happening. The clock just doesn't stop for old pilots that are about to turn 65.
I think it depends on how much smaller the airlines are going to be coming out of this and how small they stay.
Will demand come back to what it was pre-covid in a short amount of time?
Will the airlines flatten out demand by raising seat prices or will they keep prices low and offer more seats on more aircraft?
These are questions nobody knows the answers to.
Until march of this year I was ready to leave my current career where I am topped out making 130k annually with overtime that has a defined benefit pension to go to the airlines and be making the same or more money annually within 5 years and eventually much more when I get to a legacy or wherever I ended up.
Now- I am not so sure about leaving my stable job to gamble on a career in aviation. I have about 80k invested in the switch- so I definitely want to work to make that back one way or another- 121 flying might not be the express lane I was looking for if the hiring and bonuses are gone. After that- who knows. Maybe I can ride the wave, but right now it doesn't make sense to invest more just to get to the very front of the wave that might eventually come 2-3 years from now.
I hope regionals are forced to pay more, but for the next 12-18 months I see the opposite. Unless demand changes-