Are the duties of a 12 year captain any more than the duties of a year 2 captain on the same aircraft?
are the duties of a year 2 FO any less than the duties of a 7 year FO on the same aircraft?
(i leave out year 1 cause thats your probationary year)
well then why is pay so vastly different?

if a truck driver doesnt like the company he works for, hell prob go get another job at another company and make pretty close to the same if he drives the same size truck. pilots are just glorified truck drivers. fix the longetivity based pay scales guys

 

Another quantum shift we need to consider is a move away from aircraft-based payscales. I think UPS has a seniority based payscale which is independent of aircraft flown.

Adopting a system like this would lower training costs at airlines immensely.

Most people think only as far as the revenue generated on their particular aircraft. But modern aviation involves many things which generate revenue or cost money.

I think pilots would be as well compensated while lowering costs at an airline if such a payscale were implemented.

Thoughts on this idea?

 

In case you haven't noticed Bob knows everything, he has solved all our problems. It's just we don't understand. How many times can Bob refer to himself as the all knowing oracle in a post?????? Bob next time you stuff your writings in the pilot lockers at the AOC use toliet paper so it will not scratch my a$$ or clog the toliets.

 

the larger the aircraft the more responsibilities and the greater the pay.
i dont think many people have a problem with that

 

But why that thought? This might have been the case back in the day when larger meant more complex or difficult to fly. However modern technology has reduced that variable.

I currently fly a 8 seat, 16,630 lb Citation Jet. Does the fact that it's much smaller or slower than other aircraft mean that the liability for my company is any lower than if we flew a Gulfstream or BBJ? How about if it was an 8 seat Challenger? What's appropriate pay for such an aircraft?

How about pay for an A300 captain flying boxes vs an A300 captain flying passengers? Does the fact that there's people in back equate to more responsibility? If so, should there be a pay differential for doing the exact same job? How about if the crews were flying the same routes and same number of hours?

I agree that the current system is broken. I just don't see how it can be fixed though without severe government intervention.

 

the larger the aircraft also generall equates to different schedules, the "harder" the schedule justifies an increase in pay.
but an A300 with boxes should be the same as with passengers. its funny how that one reversed in the last few years

 

A good friend of mine is a 777 captain for United. He tells me frequently that my job is harder than his. But he earns more. He has also 'paid his dues'. I am 'paying' them now. At least I hope so.

The idea that the larger aircraft flies a harder schedule is absurd. Not to dis their work at all. But we also work all hours and make up to 6 approaches per day, etc.

To say one is better or harder is just not right.

 

So what's a harder schedule? A day with 6 or 7 one hour flights and quick turns in a regional jet/turboprop, or one 7 hour leg in a 777?

 

Multiple legs, definitely. I like our flight across the country. I don't like the early wake up the next day but it is great to strap on the jet and fly for 6 hours and be done. No fuss, no muss.

 

I have never flown long-haul flights as a pilot. But I have been across the Atlantic about 50 times as a passenger and I have about 4000 hours of flying short-haul so-called 'regional' flying as a pilot. I can tell you which I would rather do!!!

I fly on the east coast of the US and we have frequent poor weather, big delays, very busy ATC. All day, every day. From north of Boston to south of Washington DC.

It is very taxing flying 4-6 legs in this environment when things start to collapse. In the past month I have had two evenings which were scheduled to finish around 9 PM end up finishing around 2:30 AM.

I am not complaining, and everyone here who flies knows exactly what I am talking about because they have all been there and done that. But give me a 777 and 10-hour+ legs any day over an RJ and 4-6 legs in and out of the same weather systems all day.

Just my $.02

I will admit that the so-called 'regional' flying is never boring. I have another friend who is now flying 747s all over the world and he said the novelty of flying that airplane and sitting for 10 hours at a time wears out after a few months and for the same money he would rather fly short haul back on our old SAAB2000s.

Key word here? "Same money"