Originally Posted by
JayHub
I've enjoyed reading the different perspectives on this subject matter.
I believe it wasn't long ago that the hour requirements for a new FO were in fact around the 2500 hour mark. Pay back then, was in fact STILL shabby. Many argue that this is because 'back then' the flying was done in smaller aircraft and the pay scale reflected that......well guess what Mr. CEO there Is nothing regional about a RJ......only the name. I'm up for anything to get our pay where it needs to be. Back when I did my Aero degree we always had heated discussions on the pros and cons of the deregulation of '78. I'm all for the free market....but when all the players in our small world are a bunch of crooks something has got to give.
But there was one HUGE difference back then...those pilots were truly paying dues with a reasonable expectation of a six-figure income in a couple short years.
If a major FO got $100K back in say 1980, that actually works out to about $260K in todays dollars
I'd pay some dues even for a fair shot at that deal!
Unfortunately us regional pilots inherited that commuter dues-paying mentality...of course what we didn't inherit was the spectacular opportunities that used to come with it. A lot of regional CA's can't afford the pay and/or QOL cut they would incur if they took a major job...