This.

I can remember back in ‘99-‘01 when all the airlines were signing fat contracts and hiring left and right; it was all sunshine, unicorns, and everyone got a free puppy if they wanted one............then 9.11 happened, followed shortly by a recession. Something along those same lines will happen again and anyone who doesn’t think so is just whistling past the graveyard. I’d love to go somehwere else, but being the same age as you and about halfway up the seniority list, I’m hooked to this wagon for better or worse.

It’s a calculated gamble on my part, and a very personal decision, but I’d rather stay and fight than be back on the bottom and risk having to figure out how in the hell to find a crappy corporate job again, then get all of those bags in the back of a Citation.....at 50 years old.

So, for now, I will fly the contract, do my job, go home, and not be volunteering for any extracarricular duties with the company.

 

Good plan. I’ve been furloughed before, after 911 from Expressjet. It sucks, but when your in your 20’s and already broke it’s much easier to deal with. So I completely understand.

 

Not to mention, another upward adjustment of the retirement age is coming. With my luck, it would probably take place about six months after I get furloughed.

 

I hope your wrong about the age adjustment. I’m still on track to be done at 60 barring another furlough. The key is to live like a second year FO. Which at f9 has been the equivalent of year 5 at Home Depot. Seriously, I live like an fo as a captain.

 

One thing is different is that there is a world wide pilot shortage. It’s fact, not fiction. Yes, furloughs may happen during a world wide recession but I don’t live in fear with what if’s.

 

Also, in addition to 9/11 furloughs, the mandatory retirement age went from 60 to 65. All of this contributed to the “lost decade” (really more like lost 14 years) where most Airlines hired few or none.

Plus many other contributors. On example is before 9/11 the majors flew 2/3 full on AVERAGE. Today it is a rare bird with the majors that flies 2/3, let alone the average. During this time the amount of metal flying has grown at a much slower pace than PAX growth. There is not much more that can be done todayother than upsizing to larger aircraft or more aircraft (read that more pilots).

 

Hello fellow Bus Pilots,

Hope everyone’s doing well. I am just curious about something & would like to gain a bit more knowledge on how things are run in the US. I am currently flying the 320 in Vietnam & I had a couple of opportunities to return to the US. I currently do a 6/2 contract (6 weeks on 2 weeks off) works out to 90 days vacation per year, chance to upgrade soon & a tax free salary.
Frontier Pilots are paid lowest in the world probably. Why can’t you guys go on strike immediately? Do the courts prohibit a strike, Union prohibits a strike or the Mgmt? Isn’t it time to show the mgmt that you guys & gals stand in solidarity? I am sure it’s more complex than that, otherwise you would have gone on strike by now. Some kindly explain??? Thank you. If anyone wants to explore Vietnam or Asia in general, I would love to help you out.

 

You copy and paste the same thing in two threads yet don't know how to use a search engine?

 

I'm guessing he gets some recruiting bonus for roping in typed Airbus guys.

 

Gary yes I posted in 2 places as I was looking to see the appropriate place to post it. Nevertheless I should have googled prior to posting. Thank you for reminding me that. I actually thought there’s more to the matter as & wanted to get a better perspective from a Frontier Pilot to see if there were more options along the lines of a strike & not officially call it one. Like a mass sick call out or something like that. Didn’t mean to offend anyone as I am a fellow pilot too & I would definitely stand in solidarity with you guys any day. Hope you guys get better pay soon.