Ellen

If there are a series of accidents I do believe the QUALIFICATIONS to become a Part 121 pilot will be mandated. For example, if Govt. says new laws require 3,000+ TT pilots, how many pilots out there with that type of time would be willing to work for under $20/hr. NOT MANY.

But, I bet that you could start luring some of these (Total Time) qualified pilots from (Charter, Lifetime Instructors, High time GA , etc . . ) with a starting FO salary in the $60,000/yr. and within 5 years getting it up to $80,000+.

Next point. Would people stop flying if each ticket cost an extra $25-$50 per ticket? Ask passengers. You'll be surprised at the answer. You may lose a few PAX but most will continue to fly.

Flying is like buying a pizza. No one buys a pizza without a coupon. It seems reprehensible these days to pay full price for a pizza??? No way. So what do the pizza companies do to offset this . . .they charge for delivery.

If ALL pizza companies quit using coupons and offered NO deals, do you think people would stop buyuing pizza. Nope they wouldn't. They might buy frozen, they might reduce other expenditures in order to afford their pizza habit, etc.

Baradium

There are so many pilots currently working at regionals without an ATP that the idea doesn't really work.


Although increasing amount of time required from each ticket to next step might work. IE, require after your commercial 1 year before 121 operations. But that's pretty specifically targeting 6 month schools. University programs take longer than that anyway.


I know someone who's already been offered a job at Pinnacle and he graduates from college in May. Congrats to him, I'm happy for him.

Ellen

Hopefully it's a desk job.

JetJock16

Well said! I love the analogy and I think that when SWA fuel hedging his up you’ll see the airlines start to pass a little more cost to their customers. This example is already being shown, SWA raised prices by $5-$20 on some routes and their competitors on those same routes immediately followed suit.

ThreeGreens

Good article.

Ellen

Yep. Spirit Airlines now charging $5.00 for each bag. Hmmmm. Baggage complaints highest that have ever been and now airlines are charging for bags. Crooks!

Airlines will tack on fees everywhere. They are taking a page right from the Credit Card companies, who make over 40% of their revenue from FEES

AIRLINES

1. Ordering tickets online: $5.00 FEE
2. Ordering tickets over the phone: $5.00 FEE
3. Direct T.V: $5.00 / add movie, additional $8.00 FEE
4. Box Meal: $5.00 - $10.00 FEE
5. Booze, that airlines buy for $0.25: $5.00 FEE
6. Additional Bags: $80.00 FEE
7. Overweight bags: $50.00 FEE
8. Ticket Change: $100.00 FEE
9. Mileage Accounts: Increasing amount of miles for FREE tix. 30,000+ (20% increase for most)
10. Select your seat: $10.00 FEE (JBLU and proposed by SWA)

Care for some more . . .

1. Check bags curbside: $2.00 FEE
2. UM (Unaccompanied Minor) $40.00 FEE
3. Oversized bags: $50.00 FEE
4. Comfort Kit (Pillow and Blanket) $2.00 FEE
5. Infant in lap: 15%+ FEE added to tix price
6. what's next? 3,000TT pilot: $150 per ticket FEE (Seems to me the airlines could be onto something here if they did this . . .

Sick of it and want to complain . . . http://www.consumeraffairs.com/travel/airlines.html pass it on

C152driver

Ryanair already does this sort of thing in Europe. It hasnt hurt their bottom line any. At the same time, it hasnt helped increase the wages their pilots are paid.

Ellen

I just saw my initial post on another airline website. Seems that this is making the rounds. That's good with all the B.S. that is going on right now with the Airline Industry.

N5XXER

I agree with the notion that a lot of wanna bee airline pilots are going somewhere else. I have always wanted to be a pilot. I worked hard in High School and got into ERAU. I'm a year away from Grad, getting my CFI and seriously considering going to work for Lockheed Martin in the FSS business making a little less than 60K a year. Flying is what I LOVE to do, but with the current pay scales I cant pay off 150K worth of student loans.

The life of a pilot really isn't as glamorous as the general public thinks it is. I was one of them. Before I came to ERAU I really thought I would be making 70K a year after Graduation. This info needs to get out to the public, they will realize what the life of an airline pilot is like today, not what it WAS like in the glory days.

I know the airlines have been in deep trouble financially and the labor groups took pay cuts. I have also heard that if the pilots push to hard to soon things could go south quick. The airlines need to start back up the steep financial slope to begin paying their highly skilled and trained workers what they have worked hard for and deserve. They need to stop getting closer to child labor and do the right thing.

PCNUTT

atc just took a paycut on their last contract this past fall. That'll do wonders to invite the "flood".