CaptNate, I wanna thank you. Your posts are so obviously mgt or just general trolling that it makes for decent entertainment. But I especially like posts like this because it gives me an opportunity to help out my fellow pilot brethren. You see, F9 pilots aren't the most unified. We're disjointed. We have a lot of those who feel like they don't deserve legacy rates, that somehow they're lesser because the company is lesser. That it's their job to make sure the company makes money despite the fact that the company could give a rats a$$ about what any pilot thinks, suggests or cares about. So your message is an opportunity to help bring us closer together. To get all of us thinking the same - the way OTHER airlines also want us to think. To help out ourselves and the collective pilot groups across this nation by not accepting less than the going rate.

But to your point specifically...your comparison above is a comparison of apple and oranges. Yes, being a pilot is better than being a landscaper or plumber or accountant or <insert other profession here> but make no mistake, each profession pays different. Surgeons make more than landscapers. Attorneys make more than plumbers. Accountants make more than McDonald's cashiers. Why? Because surgeons, attorneys and accountants (and pilots) are SKILLED labor. It takes 3-5 years to become a surgeon. Same for pilots. And, it costs a sh!tload to do so. You or I could work for McDonald's w/ a high school diploma.

Second, surgeons in NY do make more than those in OK. The cost of living in OK is much less than NY. This argument has nothing to do with pilots. This is an apples to wheelbarrows comparison. Pilots obviously don't fly in just one state. You're a pilot who flies to over 120 different destinations. And, you could be FORCED to be based in a place you don't necessarily want (a more expensive base) due to a base closure. Not sure if you were here then, but F9 closed a base in the 3rd largest city in the US and displaced about 100 pilots involuntarily. Do you think that ever happens to a surgeon in Tulsa? And, while we're on the subject, I'm sure you know that surgeons in OK still make more than F9 pilots (and work probably about as much). Surgeons (not just doctors) are the elite of their profession. Insurance usually pays most of it but have you ever looked at a bill where surgery was needed (even in OK)?

So, there's really no way around it. Pilots at F9 should be compared to pilots at other major airlines. Plain and simple. That's apples to apples. Any pilot that flies an Airbus A321neo (or the equivalent Boeing) is our comparison group. Does that include Spirit and Allegiant? Yes, it does. But it ALSO includes Big 4, AK, JB, etc. You certainly can't leave any of them out just to fit your narrative.

In the end, there really is no way around the fact that despite how WONDERFUL your flying job is here, it's EVEN MORE WONDERFUL at other places for doing the same thing. There are 10 other major airlines in the US (DL, AA, UA, NK, JB, AK/HW, WN, SY and G4) and the ONLY one that pays less is G4 (and they're in negotiations as well). UA 321 pilots have the same days off, better reserve rules (18 hour long call, short call that includes extra pay, etc.) and are paid more per hour. AA 321 pilots fly some of the same routes, have jumpseats they can reserve (for commuters) and are paid more per hour. DL 321 pilots get meals, stay in better hotels and are paid more. And when I mention paid more - it's a HUNDRED+ dollars more PER HOUR.

Is your flying really that great that someone else who looks just like you, went to the same schools and has the same experience worth $100+ more per hour than you? Im sure there's a landscaper that just LOVES their job but if they found out the landscaping company across the street pays 45% more, they would consider asking their boss for a raise.

Legacy rates, Captnate. Legacy rates.