Originally Posted by
DarkSideMoon
That wasn’t what I was saying at all... I have no idea what your status is and if you’re furloughed I’m glad you found something. I hope all our furloughees find either a temporary job that gets them through this time or an equal or better flying gig.
What I am saying is, in general, things could be worse than being a furloughed pilot at an airline that is still in business. In all likelihood the average pilot is probably going to get recalled before they could get hired at another 121 carrier. I’m not saying it doesn’t suck, but the darkest timeline does not involve recalling almost 20% of the furloughed pilots after a single month.
Here’s the reality coming from a furloughed pilot and what some of us are facing and yes AW is like any business that doesn’t really care because it’s all about money for them at the end of the day so no need to tell us “you knew what you were getting into” when you’re perched high enough to be safe from the flood.
1) I’m going to lose my home most likely.
2) Maybe if I’m lucky I’ll get an apartment or basement in a sketchy area (maybe).
3) I can’t afford car payments on unemployment benefits let alone pay bills or buy food for my family.
4) Flight instruction is BS because it is chump change and people aren’t spending in the current environment even if you teach full time.
5) We can’t afford daycare on one income and family is too far away to help watch the baby.
6) We basically have no health insurance (COBRA yeah whatever) so we can’t even get our baby checkups or vaccinations needed which renders her susceptible to infection or illness.
7) 26 job applications to 135 carriers and either its rejections or “we’re not hiring” and other jobs either don’t pay enough to survive or aren’t hiring.
8) Credit shot to s— because you either make late payments or no payments because your savings are being depleted or have been depleted.
9) Can’t go back to school because it involves more debt and no income.
10) The idiots in DC can’t seem to agree on a stimulus because of their political differences thereby screwing the very people who put them in office and who they are supposed to look after.
This the reality some of us are facing so forgive me if I don’t really care whether or not AW survives because they don’t really care if we do either.
As for a recall in the spring, as with all things AW I’ll believe it when it happens and I’m bailing the moment I find a job be it aviation or non-aviation related.
The irony? People I know who failed in training and got the boot are now in 135 carriers flying and making more money than a second year FO at AW.
Flying isn’t a dream anymore, it’s a nightmare and that’s the reality.
Don’t mean to sound grim but this is the life we live.