Originally Posted by
newKnow
delta,
I'm not an expert on making good arguments.
All I can do is point out professions where people make more than us with less education and skill. It, to me is unfair. But, I understand supply and demand and the free market. So, next time I will make an apples to apples comparison.
But, I thought your point was that passengers would be cheesed if we made $250K/year. To which I was saying that patients don't care how much doctors or radiation therapist make when their lives are being operated on saved (I don't think they blame the highly paid doctors when their premiums go up). And passengers don't care what air traffic controllers make when they are directing us around.
That's all I was saying. Sorry, if I misunderstood your point. I just want to get paid.
New K
Nah. I ain't fighting this, or any, point at all. Getting hot and bothered about an internet opinion is just retarded (although we've all gone down that road occasionally, eh?
)
I think in general most passengers hate the airline experience in general, even though by every reasonable standard THEY created it, what with deregulation and bottom-barrel, cost-is-everything internet comparison pricing.
The flying public will be "cheesed off" at anything that raises prices even in a marginal way, because the erroneous perception that somehow they "deserve" free amenities. From there, it's a small mental leap to blame the pilots and their greedy, exorbitant wages for their woes (I disagree, obviously).
But really, who cares? Pilot wages are about airline profitability and union negotiating power, not passenger perception or some "right" to a big paycheck. Hopefully, we'll have both when the contract comes up.
Here's a thought: in 1980, the average American CEO made roughly 40 times what their average worker does. Today, the Average CEO makes over 200 times what the average person in their employ does. THAT is a sickening statistic. I'm pretty right-wing, and I gotta say, that sort of thing needs to stop. John Bogle (founder of the Vanguard Group and low cost index fund guru) had a great article about this in the WSJ yesterday.