How Is a Pilot ‘Professional’? No to Backpacks, Yes to Integrity. Wheels Up - Forbes.com

 

good find.

 

Can't remember the last time someone from management came into our gnd school wearing a tie. Same goes for the CP's. HR etc....

Shame professionalism in airlines only refer to pilots.

 

So are the mainline Us Airways pilots who have been there since most of us were playing with transformers and watching knightrider who now carry backpacks unprofessional? Or is it just the young kids?

 

Seen plenty of 40+ year guys carrying backpacks (from every major, lcc, regional), more of them than us in the under 30 crowed.

I agree backpacks look kind of silly in uniform, but sometimes necessary. Carry one if you want. I only carried it a couple times to carry extra clothes to go on vacation immediately after a trip, didn't carry the thing with me on the trip, just left it in ops. Oh I didn't put it on my back either while commuting, just latch that sucker on to the handle.

 

What a waste of ink that article is. Backpacks and unkempt uniforms are a function of what the majority of Americans consider important/unimportant today. It has nothing to do specifically w/pilots. Walk into any corporate office and you're going to see a myriad of personal clothing and grooming choices. This is not a pilot specific problem.

Narcissism at it's finest.

 

If only we could apply this to executives. Most of them LOOK snappy, but take care of no one but themselves and have a tendancy to treat others as either potential obstacles to their success or things that must be tolerated.

Especially the fatcats who are in or read Forbes.

 

When they start paying a Living Wage I will attempt to give a hoot...

 

1) hard to keep a shirt nice and tidy after 4 days of max duty days and reduced rest.

2) backpacks CAN look nice if they are a good design, not your college Jansport. Look at those chic leather messenger bags for something classy.

3) I'm sick of being scolded for not looking professional. For the last 10 years we've been beaten to a pulp, making a fraction of what we should, and in constant fear for our jobs. Yeah pilots are the face of the airline and should dress accordingly, but in the end it's just human to look like you feel. I don't think you'll find a pilot out there who doesn't feel as worn and wrinkled as the pilot shirt they're wearing.

 

Its called an iron...every hotel room has (or is supposed to have) one along with an ironing board. Plug it in, and 3 minutes later its hot enough to press your shirt which takes less than 5 minutes.

And you don't carry at least ONE extra shirt on a 4 day trip?

So its a chicken-and-the-egg thing, eh?

I'll look professional when I'm compensated professionally....but what if you have to look and act professional before you're compensated professionally?

This excuse rings more hollow than them all to me, especially in the regional ranks. You knew the pay going in, and accepted it when you took the job. The FOM/GOM discusses uniform & appearance/grooming standards - again, you accept those when you take the job.

Stop being lazy and stop making excuses - and act/dress/look like the professional you profess to be and argue you deserve to be paid like.

/off soapbox