Originally Posted by
TransWorld
Yes, there is volatility in the industry. Ridership has gone up and down. Yes, profitability was all over the map.
I kept looking for a graph of the number of pilots furloughed each year since 1970 and then a tie to why it happened. I did not find it in either article. Did I miss the graph?
Specifically, when did furloughs across the industry occur? If the 8 - 10 year frequency is correct, there should be 6 to 9 across the board furloughs, not just when an individual airline went bankrupt.
Otherwise, people are waving their hands.
The problem with your line of thinking is that a pilot being furloughed isn't a good indicator of the health of the industry or career progression. If his airline liquidates is the pilot furloughed? You said you couldn't remember the slowdown in the early 90 or mid-80's and that chart showed the slow down with your exact timeline you were refuting. In the mid 80's pilots were picketing, a few pilots were scabbing or getting hired out of order, airlines were consolidating or disappearing ... the number of furloughs doesn't tell you that. The industry booms and busts with too many external factors but to say the 8-10 yr cycle hasn't existed is just not true.