I'm frankly surprised how many people toughed it out at those pay rates. How is that even sustainable?

I was lucky, I was young. I lived with roommates and spent and saved responsibly. When I was hired things were moving pretty quick (2007) so I was hoping to upgrade in a couple years and leave within 5. Obviously things changed. When I left in 2013, about 50 pilots were quitting every month. I think market forces finally forced them to raise the pay to stop the bleeding once management shrunk the list to the size they were looking for.

Breath taken. Im fine with current pay and benefits. I also understand how far things have come.

Go back a bit further into the 1990’s and guys paid $12000 for the privilege.

Unlike passenger seats, jumpseats belong to the operating carrier and are subject to their policies, and reservation systems (if any).

I was at 14k my first year at my regional and went up 28k by my 5th.

I didn't have to pay $10k for training so lucky there. Fwiw I wasnt paid during training or have insurance for six months but they paid my hotels during training on the Brakillya. 18 years ago.

Why are we still not paying for hotels?

But anyways if I had been hired a few months before I'd paid for hotels and 10k for training whether you passed or failed. Hired just a few months after and i'd been furloughed.

You tell me to take a breath while in the same paragraph complain about the financial difficulties you faced, which were created by the yes voters. Perhaps you should take your own advice.

I already said before that I joined the industry at a pretty good time. It's people like you that I think about when making my comments. I don't base my opinions of historical events only on how they affect myself.

*shrug* A LT in the military doesn't make a whole lot more. I looked at my 1st pay stub from '94, my gross monthly pretax earnings were $2100. I graduated in '93 and didn't get picked up for active duty until March so I had 2 months of being unemployed; and after abusing myself for 4.5 years to graduate with an electrical engineering degree from a big 10 school I earned $21k my 1st year out of college. I'm not trying to marginalize what regional pilots go through, but it's not like the military road is all roses and cupcakes.

edit: and oh BTW, '94 was towards the end of a massive draw down. No pilot training slot for me, so just like most regional pilots I was paying out of pocket to get my license and build hours so I could compete for USAF pilot training. Again, this is not a woe-is-me complaint as I'm quite happy and lucky to have had the military career I had as well as my timing at DAL but I do get annoyed at all the regional pandering I see in the forum. I don't think some people know what bad really is.

That was 22 years ago. Ten years later, first O1 pay was $2400/mo + $1100 tax free housing + $190 tax free food allowance +flight pay for pilots. My first year at a regional almost ten years AFTER that was $1900 per mo. No housing. No sustenance. Oh, and I paid per month for health and dental. If I had to go to the doc, it wasn't free. I paid out of pocket. Plus flight school loans. Many people have school loans. It's not even close to being in the military

*nod* You're right, how many friends of yours died while performing regional pilot duties? You don't need to answer because everybody already knows. Again, I'm not trying to diminish what regional pilots go through but so many people here treat you as some kind of protected class. Get over it. Everybody pays their dues in one way or another. You're not special, you're not a victim, nobody forced you to work for some crap regional just like nobody forced me to be in the military.

edited for clarification and grammar