Originally Posted by
Whacker77
Have you seen the unrest taking place in those countries where high union wages dominate? The Western European countries have highly paid pilots and their economies are failing or stalled at best. Just look at England. BA is set for a three day strike and Greece is falling apart. Higher wages in the foreign countries may not be all they're cracked up to be.
You're mixing politics and flying and have both of your fact sets wrong. Germany has some of the highest wages out there, is heavy on unions and is one of the worlds largest export economies. The BA strike is by the cabin crews, not pilots. It's over reductions in staffing and service levels that could be achieved dollar for dollar by a labor union offered concessionary package that BA management refused to consider. The issue at BA is a CEO that is beholden to the Conservative Party and is hoping to break the union and use cheaper, less qualified employees.
When I was working my way up, I made a concious decision to walk away from a flight instructing job that put 100 hours a month in my logbook at a well respected 141 school. I chucked the hours and pay for a 60% pay cut to go fly a Navajo hauling passengers, because I knew CFI time was not going to cut it if I wanted to get anywhere. Six months later, it led to a job with a large regional as an F/O in turboprops in the Northeast. One year as an F/O and one year as a Captain with no autopilot or flight director in snow, ice, boomers and ATC put the time in my logbook to get to a major. It was the EXPERIENCE...not hours...that mattered.
It should be ATP minimums to get to the right seat. Sorry, but when the crap hits the fan, the Captain keels over, or the magic goes "poof," I don't need a 250 or 500 hour button pushing wonder in the right seat. I need someone who can think, act and has some experience.
The people in back and the people on the ground under us deserve no less.