Last night I watched the movie "Cast Away" with Tom Hanks. It reminded me of my big aviation dream. It was to be working for a company that treated me with respect, generosity and also valued my services. I loved flying and what a better dream it was then to be doing something I loved for a company I loved just as much.

Towards the end of the movie Tom Hanks is celebrated through a huge company sponsored party. Eventually he is lead into what appears to be a well stocked pilot lounge with food games, TV's and comfortable furniture. What a life it must be. All I ever received from my employers was a kick to the crotch every time I opened my pay check and a dingy crowded pilot lounge with an old TV in rabbit ears and free phone calls to the suicide hot line.

I wonder if the dream really does exsist?

SKyHigh

 

Woe is ME!

 

not really because too many people are willing to work at places like national which brings the rest of the industry down...

 

If the dream is fading its because we, collectively, were willing to settle for less (short term?? ) so as to get the big "pay day" later. While pilots aren't to blame for the bad management decisions which created the finacial meltdown leading to bankruptcy; pilots have been part of the problem when it comes to being brow beaten into accepting sub par terms. The union, whether ALPA, Teamsters, or in house, are there to protect the members, both from injury (safety and scheduling) and financially. The problem is unions look out for thier own members (within the bargaining unit) not for everyone else's (off the property). So we have regional airlines with bonafide unions being whip sawed against other similar companies. Scope clauses at majors (which should have prevented this from happening) with holes big enough to fly a (90 passenger ) jet threw have also exasterbated this issue.
If things are going to turn around its got to stop at the regional level, the major guy have been beaten by the courts and Washington politics (so much for your good friends the Republicans); the lowest level, the pilots with the least to loose and (long term) the most to gain, must work, hand in hand, to stop being played against thier fellow airmen. I'm not familiar with all the payers, but each major has its "team" that its playing against each other. Stop the fight for an incremental increase in staffing by giving away more pay, more time at home, more, more , more. You can't look at it as advancing your career because the regional you help (by bidding down your services) today is eating away at the major you hope to work for tomorrow.
Good luck, its going to take a strong, unified, (and IMHO p!ssed off), pilots group to stop the give aways. The good news is, as low as your pay is already you can't give up too much (in the junior FO's seat). Just say NO when your told you have to accept less to keep your job. And keep your options open.

 

Woe to all of us.

SkyHigh

 

I said no and am out of aviation because of it. What really can a line pilot do when asked to take it a notch lower? In the end we are only worth what the market will bare and there are a lot of eager young pilots in the wings ready to take the job for less. So long as there are new waves of martyrs all is lost.

SkyHigh

 

So what you are saying is you want people to kiss your a$$ because you can fly a plane.


If you are so happy being out of aviation, why do you come on here with all your misery? It's really sad actually.

 

My QOL is pretty good, and I trully enjoy my job everyday. The pay is not what we deserve anywhere including the majors...but that's a different story. The dream is very much alive for those who can live it with a possitive attitude.

 

Yep, it still does. Thanks for checking!

 

Don't get carpal tunnel wasting your time trying to reason with Skyhigh. He says he is happy being out of the industry but it's obvious he/she is not, so he/she comes on here and tries to create misery.