Those numbers are dwindling fast. It's one thing to "do your job for half your pay" for a few years to build time, but it's another to do it for an entire career. Before the economy took out most of the non-flying jobs, about half of Eagle's FO attrition was due to pilots who saw no future in aviation. Ask about any pilot who is a father if he'd recommend it to their kid. Most will not for the same reason there are less and less young people willing to shell out $150,000 for a $20,000/year job.


That said, I think many of pilots here are overly worried about the commuting issue. Think about it. The same group who are complaining about the "500 hour wonders" need to remember that those same low paid pilots can't afford to move to their domicile for a $20,000 job. They'll quit and find another career. Airplanes don't fly themselves so all those RJs, puddle-jumpers and other "commuter" aircraft will be parked. Think the Senators and Congressmen will recognize there is a problem when they can no longer fly to their hometown? Think businessmen won't raise a ruckus with Congress when commuters and mainline aircraft services are cut for a lack of pilots? Economics will solve this problem and it is up to Congress and airline management to figure out how to entice pilots to stick with a job that pays so little.

The solution I see forthcoming is to make commuting part of the duty day. How airline scheduling will work this out will take some doing but I don't see commuting going away. The order was to find a solution, not get rid of commuting. Commutable lines is a solution.