Originally Posted by
jeeps
I wished we got payed more and treated better, but until pilots begin to quit because of it, wages aren't going to change. There's too much labor chasing after a limited number of positions, that works to the bean counter's advantage, not the pilot's. By further limiting flying positions, you'll only create a greater surplus of pilots.
True Statement. And that is the downfall of re regulating the airlines. As glamorous as it seems, the can of worms has already been opened. If the airlines started making more money and weren't struggling to stay alive, pay wouldn't go up, just executive bonuses. After all, if they can make more money and pay everyone the same, why not?
Aviation isn't the only industry that is having wage decline issues. Look at health care. Who would want to be a doctor or a pilot anymore? As glamorous as it may seem, being paid to fly isn't all it used to be, and most people who "wanted to since they were a kid" are better off making money doing something else and flying on the weekends. Once it is not as easy to become a pilot, instruct for 6 months, then get a job in a jet, fewer people will become pilots and the surplus will slowly go away as the baby boomers retire. But you are right, there will still be a surplus.
And for the record, I am not a socialist/communist. I believe strongly in capitalism, but I struggle with seeing an industry this messed up as well. This didn't happen over night, and no single event is going to fix it. The industry has changed (in some aspects for the worse) and it is nice to look back at what it used to be like in the beginning.