Originally Posted by
acl65pilot
When you a guy that never saved a penny for retirement because DAL was going to "Take care of them," three kids in college (State or better), trying to pay off that mortgage that you signed on Sept 10, 2001, etc you are darn right these guys cannot make it on 70-75 hrs a month.
DAL has many Capt's right where they want em. They are leveraged to the hilt and know they only have a few years to make it right. It is completely in their right to fly like this, but it is a difficult way to live.
His experience should serve as a lesson to the rest of us to live below our means and save for the future for any future pay cuts or furloughs. If you follow this guy's advice you'll be in good shape:
Dave Ramsey Homepage - daveramsey.com
I'm praying for scholarships for my kids! Plus I was lucky enough to get into the new GI Bill (as a soon to be retired Air Force guy) which allowed me to transfer the benefits to my kids.
However, I think in the next few years we'll see qualified pilot supply go down, demand for air travel (especially international) go up, and wage increases should logically follow.