I don’t know 1980 pay scales but in 1986 a Delta new hire made 21,600 a year flat rate. In the second year he made 28 a hour. In year 5 he made 56 give or take in the right seat. A L1011 CA made 160,000 a year. A 727 Captain about 130,000. Greenslips were virtually unheard of and there was no real soft money like reroute pay. Quality of life was however unquestionably much better if you lived in base. Commuting was virtually impossible in any category as a reserve.

Serious question: what do you propose people do with comparative data to a 40 year-old reference? I’ve noticed one or two other things that aren’t quite the same now as they were in 1980…that doesn’t mean a wiser game plan will or could snap them back to legacy.

$28 in 1986 is 66.79 today
$160,000 in 1986 is $381,672.98 today.

Also a smaller industry 40 years ago as the effects of deregulation hadn’t fully propagated. Meaning less total pilot jobs available.

There were also a lot less people on the earth. What is your point? A smaller industry should have no bearing on the pay of pilots doing similar jobs. But inflation shows we are underpaid.

Actually to be 1000% honest I’m pretty sure we’re overpaid when you look at what most people in this country make for how much work they do or even compared to most other pilots in the world. But whatever

How much work they/we do is irrelevant.

“1000%” agree. I am constantly amazed and embarrassed by how little some pilots regard themselves and their fellow Delta Pilots. Their path to get to Delta and stay a qualified pilot must have been very different than mine.

Looking around at all my friends and noticing that I’m the highest paid with the most time off isn’t devaluing myself. I hustled my butt off to get here but that doesn’t mean I ignore reality.

Just because you make more than your friends, does not mean you're overpaid. Maybe it's just that they're underskilled or underpaid. Or they're paid what they negotiated...maybe they under valued themselves.