First off, awesome post and well said. I couldn't agree more. Once upon a time somewhere in the flight levels I was told a true story about how a Pilot (who happened to be the one telling the story) and his Anesthesiologist buddy were talking. When the pilot (a long-time captain at a regional airline) mentioned his pay the Anesthesiologist was blown away. The Anesthesiologist commented on how his job was similar in the fact that it is highly automated, fairly routine and the operator really only gets to show his skill if something goes wrong. He also commented that he only held the life of a couple human beings in his hand on a daily basis whilst the Pilot can hold literally hundreds in his. Yet the Anesthesiologist was making well over $100,000 more a year than the Pilot. This is in essence what I think is wrong with the airline industry. Why is there such a discrepancy here?
WE ARE UNDERPAID!
Don't even get me started on the strength of our union. I am a proud ALPA member, however, I think that the current conditions in our industry (both regional and mainline) prove how weak we've become. We have allowed CEO's and shareholders to walk their way to their G5's and multi-million dollar mansions on OUR backs! Some First Officers in our industry
literally qualify for food stamps while their CEO's are busy packing their golden parachutes. No matter how you argue it, that is wrong!
Another enemy for pilots is the FAA. They are completely in cahoots with the airlines. A good example of this is the NTSB's Most Wanted list. For years one of the #1 items has been "Reduce Accidents and Incidents Caused by Human Fatigue - Set working hour limits for flight crews, aviation mechanics and air traffic controllers based on fatigue research, circadian rhythms, and sleep and rest requirements." Yet at many regionals we are still routinely given schedules where reduced rest is scheduled! The NTSB has been trying to persuade the FAA to change it's rules regarding crew rest and scheduling for years, yet the FAA refuses to do so. Why? I thought they were looking out for us and the safety of our passengers? Or could it be that doing so would potentially cause the airlines to hire more crews in order to deal with rest issues which would in turn cost more money... Hmm. I'm sure the FAA has a perfectly good reason reason why they wouldn't make changes that would increase safety
. Just look at the Comair accident. Directly attributed to both pilot and controller fatigue. The only reason the FAA doesn't make changes to crew rest and duty requirements is because the airlines lobby Washington so hard that no one has the guts to risk losing funding for their next election. I guess 49 lives is a small price to pay to make sure you get that few extra bucks for a few more TV ads next election season.
Seriously guys this industry is in a sad, sad state. The underground, grass-roots movement that Tzadik suggests is just what we need to start attempting to make some actual change around here. It's obvious ALPA and the other pilot unions are moving at a snails pace if at all on these issues. I really feel that if the public knew exactly what was going on out there, they would force change. We all know the only thing that matters to the people that control our lives is $money$. You start messing with that, and things will change, guaranteed. I'm not sure how to do it, but this thread can be a place for ideas to come together.
We all know things need to change. Let's stand as one and start to force that change!