Originally Posted by
Lowlevel
Crazy talk! I left a truck driving job, where I was home every day at 4pm and was making $60K to come to a regional and make $18K. Yes, it was by choice, but since when should anyone with up to 76 lives in their hands make $18K a year? When I came to the airlines, I had 2200 hours, many of which were Part 135 cargo in the Northeast, at night. So, should I have made more than other FO's without that experience? Yes! But then, if you are a union, you work for the same wages as everyone else with the same seniority. You have to admit, $346 a week to fly a plane ($18K a year)is insane! That is a $8.65 an hour, 40 hour week job!! Can you say "Would you like fries with that?"
I don't understand your logic at all. You left the other job that you claim had better quality of life and pay for a job that made less than a third of the compensation. According to the market, you deemed the worth of a first year regional pilot to be exactly what you signed on to make. You weren't tricked were you? The market works. If nobody signs on to make $18,000/year, the wages are forced to increase. If people like you leave higher paying jobs to make that pay, then the price was set correctly.