What's a major airline pilot worth?
06-04-2011, 09:51 PM
#11
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jul 2007
Posts: 735
Originally Posted by Selfmade92
Sorry for hijacking this thread but, why did they pass this law? Were they scared of if they strike the whole transportation system would collapse? Are bus driver included in this law? For me it makes no sense to forbid them to strike. 
06-05-2011, 12:20 AM
#12
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Oct 2008
Position: yes
Posts: 319
Originally Posted by Selfmade92
Sorry for hijacking this thread but, why did they pass this law? Were they scared of if they strike the whole transportation system would collapse? Are bus driver included in this law? For me it makes no sense to forbid them to strike.
06-05-2011, 12:28 AM
#13
Day puke
Joined APC: Feb 2006
Position: Out.
Posts: 3,865
Originally Posted by forgot to bid
The pay could be so much higher, as soon as we get rid of competition and go to a national airline like most foreign carriers. Oh then the pay will be awesome.
I'm all for a national carrier. As long as it's Delta.
I'm all for a national carrier. As long as it's Delta.
06-05-2011, 01:20 AM
#14
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Mar 2006
Position: FO - 757/767
Posts: 1,228
Originally Posted by Selfmade92
Sorry for hijacking this thread but, why did they pass this law? Were they scared of if they strike the whole transportation system would collapse? Are bus driver included in this law? For me it makes no sense to forbid them to strike.
06-05-2011, 04:07 AM
#16
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Mar 2006
Position: FO - 757/767
Posts: 1,228
Originally Posted by Swa717
In about 10 years you will find out what we are worth. When the pilot shortage comes.
06-05-2011, 05:13 AM
#17
Runs with scissors
Joined APC: Dec 2009
Position: Going to hell in a bucket, but enjoying the ride .
Posts: 7,728
Originally Posted by Boomer
Funny you should ask.
I was just looking at a textbook... Intro To Economics.
It goes through a few definitions (cost vs value vs worth, etc) and by page 3 they start with the first lesson: What is worth more, a diamond or a glass of water?
Then they go into the discussion of a guy in the desert and how he would gladly trade diamonds for a glass of water. I guess anyone in the world can relate to diamonds, water, deserts, and thirst.
Reading on to page 5, they go into the second lesson: How much is a 747 Captain worth? (I swear I'm not making this up!)
This discussion goes along the lines of all the training, experience, the lifetime of preparation, a clean record, incredible responsibility, long hours away from home, and so on. So is a 747 pilot worth 300,000 a year? Yes, they reason, as long as there are only so many available.
However, they go on to point out that if there is a surplus of qualified persons to fly 747s, then the "value" of a 747 Captain drops rapidly. Thus ends the second lesson in the economics textbook.
Honest to God... the first two examples in an economics textbook are a rich man dying in the desert and a bunch of 747 pilots that think they're worth more than the market will support.
I didn't read any more after that.
I was just looking at a textbook... Intro To Economics.
It goes through a few definitions (cost vs value vs worth, etc) and by page 3 they start with the first lesson: What is worth more, a diamond or a glass of water?
Then they go into the discussion of a guy in the desert and how he would gladly trade diamonds for a glass of water. I guess anyone in the world can relate to diamonds, water, deserts, and thirst.
Reading on to page 5, they go into the second lesson: How much is a 747 Captain worth? (I swear I'm not making this up!)
This discussion goes along the lines of all the training, experience, the lifetime of preparation, a clean record, incredible responsibility, long hours away from home, and so on. So is a 747 pilot worth 300,000 a year? Yes, they reason, as long as there are only so many available.
However, they go on to point out that if there is a surplus of qualified persons to fly 747s, then the "value" of a 747 Captain drops rapidly. Thus ends the second lesson in the economics textbook.
Honest to God... the first two examples in an economics textbook are a rich man dying in the desert and a bunch of 747 pilots that think they're worth more than the market will support.
I didn't read any more after that.
As soon as we get above 10,000', we make this PA. "Hi Folks, Wecome aboard Pay Me Airlines. We will be up front, doing all we can to get you to ATL as smoothly and safely as possible. As soon as we find some smooth air, Buffy and Muffy and Tiffany will be coming trough the cabin collecting our Landing Fees. As soon we have collected an adequate amount, say, $5.00 per person, we will request to be released from this holding pattern and we will get you into ATL ON TIME. Remember our motto, You want a safe, smooth flight? PAY ME!"
Then we go hold somewhere until the pot hits at least $500, (for a 1hr. flight, to be divided between 2 pilots, $300 for me, $200 for Junior) then we land, safely, smoothly.
A long time ago an American Airlines Capt. wrote a paper called, "What if we all worked for free." I still have a copy of it, it's several pages so I won't type the entire thing here, but the bottom line was, he used AA's own numbers, ASM's, CSM's vs. RPM's, and did the math, to show that even if AA paid their pilots ZERO, the actualy price of a ticket would come down about...$5.00. So when the Company starts with the, "We can't afford to give you a raise, our ticket prices would go up too much..." well, we all know that's a bunch of crap.
And in this month's ALPA magazine there is a graphic that shows where every cent of a Ticket Price goes, Pilots are about 3.2% of the total cost of the ticket. The sample Ticket they used in the example was $339.64. Of that the Pilot Costs were $10.87. Airport fees and taxes were all much higher than pilot costs, 9.9%! The bottom line is, Pilot Costs are a tiny fraction of the ticket price, only 3.2%.
As I still tell people when they ask about our pay, you are not paying me for the smooth flight, the flight is free, you are paying me for the safe landing. Like they guy in the desert willing to pay diamonds for a glass of water, how much is a safe landing worth? Well then, Pay ME!
Last edited by Timbo; 06-05-2011 at 05:53 AM.
06-05-2011, 06:06 AM
#18
Line Holder
Joined APC: Jul 2008
Position: L-382, Left/Right
Posts: 36
[QUOTE
As I still tell people when they ask about our pay, you are not paying me for the smooth flight, the flight is free, you are paying me for the safe landing. Like they guy in the desert willing to pay diamonds for a glass of water, how much is a safe landing worth? Well then, Pay ME![/QUOTE]
The problem with this argument is you must be willing to crash the plane to prove your point.
As I still tell people when they ask about our pay, you are not paying me for the smooth flight, the flight is free, you are paying me for the safe landing. Like they guy in the desert willing to pay diamonds for a glass of water, how much is a safe landing worth? Well then, Pay ME![/QUOTE]
The problem with this argument is you must be willing to crash the plane to prove your point.
06-05-2011, 06:13 AM
#19
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2011
Posts: 3,866
Originally Posted by HueyHerc
As I still tell people when they ask about our pay, you are not paying me for the smooth flight, the flight is free, you are paying me for the safe landing. Like they guy in the desert willing to pay diamonds for a glass of water, how much is a safe landing worth? Well then, Pay ME!
The problem with this argument is you must be willing to crash the plane to prove your point.
06-05-2011, 06:17 AM
#20
Runs with scissors
Joined APC: Dec 2009
Position: Going to hell in a bucket, but enjoying the ride .
Posts: 7,728
No, I'd just find a good thunder storm to go play around in, until their money shook out of their pocketts...
The traveling public seems to take safety for granted. Maybe we should have a Crash of the Month club! Put a little fear of God back in them!
I was flying for DAL back when DAL was doing a lot of stupid stuff, like landing L10-11's in thunderstorms in DFW, and departing DFW without flaps on a 727, etc. I told pax back then when they would ask, "Is this thing Safe?"
"Well, in about 10 minutes we are going to find out!"
Now, PAY ME, so I'll be thinking about setting the flaps instead of paying my mortgage.
The traveling public seems to take safety for granted. Maybe we should have a Crash of the Month club! Put a little fear of God back in them!
I was flying for DAL back when DAL was doing a lot of stupid stuff, like landing L10-11's in thunderstorms in DFW, and departing DFW without flaps on a 727, etc. I told pax back then when they would ask, "Is this thing Safe?"
"Well, in about 10 minutes we are going to find out!"
Now, PAY ME, so I'll be thinking about setting the flaps instead of paying my mortgage.
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