well, add my name to the list then, YES.. there are cheap dates in our profession.

you guys skyhigh is just ****ed because someone took him down a peg in another thread. he is an ex horizon guy that left before times got better. maybe he doesn't know what its like to fly anymore. i did roofing, framing and sales. i quit roofing and framing for the same reasons. i could see myself turning 30 and looking like 50.(i worked with several people that went down that path, not much older than me, but WORN out.) then i did sales. sure i did good but i got sick and tired of trying to pressure someone in to getting something that in reality they didn't really NEED. so good luck to you out there sky high. i will enjoy working 14 days this month, and having 16 days off. and you are incorrect about police, fire, and ups guys earning a captains wage after a couple years. first of all, very few police and firemen pull in 70 grand a year. second most ups drivers are part time so they aren't entitled to benifits such as health care, 401k, and all the other stuff that workers should be entitled to. so you see, your negative outlook on the airline industry is misplaced. i think where you need to be looking is why you can still get on these boards everyday and tell us why we should hate our jobs so much.. sounds like you really miss it here, and you know misery loves company.

Isn't a crash-pad similar to a homeless shelter? It sure sound like it from descriptions you hear...

-LAFF

True, look at MESA. Anyone that accepts sleeping in an airplane needs to riot against their company and have some serious changes made.

wake up call for what?..he is out of the business and comes on here bitching about wages and the profession he no longer is in.. we all know what the wages and conditions are...do we need him on here reminding everyone on how bad things can get..review his posts...still a tool

I agree with Captain Mark...skyhigh is just a pain to have on this forum. I have never once seen a positive thread coming from him. Every job has its positives and negatives. Being an airline pilot is a dream and many people love doing it. Yes you might get paid **** wages your first year but it gets better. It all depends on the decisions you make and your outlook on life. If you make good decisions and have a positive outlook you will get to that well paying job flying nice equipment. If you're always negative then no one wants to listen to you (or recommend you into their company!)You can tell that Skyhigh is miserable with everything.

if his motive is as a "hater" and someone trying to rain on our parade then I agree, he's indeed a tool... but some of what he said in this thread is true.. FDX CA is not indicative of the wage/work rule situation at 95% of pilot jobs today.. FDX should be at the top of the food chain, as the company is making hand over fist, but there are far too many people flying cargo, pax and such at 1/2 to 1/3 FDX wages.. why? I don't have the full answer.. but we need to come together and find a way to change it.

Instead of attacking the messenger, what about the message?

I see the point of the this thread as comparing wages in relatively unskilled labor vs. pilot labor. Consider the skill required to produce revenue as a pilot for an airline, then contrast the revenue that's actually produced.

Are pilots underpaid relative to the revenue they produce? IMO, yes!

Until pilots can agree on that point without attacking each other AND negotiate to improve compensation, maybe Skyhigh is right: Pilots tend to be their own worst enemy.

Its true fellas, we bash mesa, gojets etc...............Managment is laughing all the way to the bank, pre 9/11 wages were beautiful, I mean wonderful, that was 5.5 years ago and airlines are flying more pax now than pre 9/11 how the hell can we not be back to pre 9/11 wages..................5 years later. Everybody wishes they were at FEDEX, UPS, SWA, take a look at pre 9/11 payscales, everybody was right there!!!!!!!!!!! These airlines mentioned above just didntcut pay................. Rather than bash each other we need to make sure that future contract negotiations allow us to raise the pay, I hate to say it cause it sounds cheesy, but Johnny Prater is right, Fu*kin take it back already its about time. The attitude that SLAPPY the SKW pilot has, "I dont mind taking lower pay if it means more flying for my airline" is what is killing this industry, enough is enough.

The world is full of pilots who just "want to fly" - EAA, SSA, AOPA, etc. Hopefully professional pilots are motivated by a love for flying, pride in their level of accomplishment, a desire to be safe and (sin of sins) renumeration.

I've yet to meet a professional in any occupation who don't care what they are paid. Some may be willing to work for low wages - it may be the price of being in the profession. Suppy and demand has lots to do with it. RNs, in surplus and lowly paid twenty years ago, are now in one of the best paid professions.