Sorry man but i could really care less what your last paycheck was, but if your so ashamed of it, then heres a word of advice as to what you can do about it: FIND ANOTHER CAREER! remember, you picked this job, no one forced you to become an airline pilot and no one is forcing you to continue to be one.

 

People are aware of the compensation and lifestyle when they accept an airline job, this is true. That said, I'm sick and G-D tired of people saying "If you don't like it, quit." The grandeur of a 121 job wears off real quick after a few months on the line and management having absolutely zero regard for your life outside of the cockpit.

I very much enjoy my job but I'm not satisfied with many things about it, the least of which is the compensation. That said, I'm actively working to make things those things better...and everyone else should be, too.

 

So, you never answered my question, what airline do you work for? Judging by your repplies, I find it hard to believe that you're an airline pilot. Perhaps you work for gojets, or mommy and daddy pay all your bills.

 

Does it really matter what company i work for? but if you must insist i work for a fairly reputable regional and no it's not gojets, and i've payed my own bills for many years now. so please, stop with the cheap childish comments and actually post something that makes sense and contributes to the forum.

 

Jmack, I don't justify SkyWest's first year pay by using the pay being based on number of seats logic. However, even prior to 9/11 LEGACY carriers were paying $35 for first year pay. And then it made a big jump second and third year.

Every time someone posts something based on pay, they always use first year pay as their basis. I have spoken with people who have made mid 40's in their second year at SkyWest. I don't think that that is that bad to complain about. Would I like more? Yes. Do I think that $40/hr should be first year pay? Yes. One regional airline has a payscale that we all want to see and that is Horizon. Other than that, the majority of regionals are all around the same pay.

If you guys think that Mesa, Trans States, ASA and whoever else is in negotiations is going to be paid what we want you are dreaming! Negative attitude? NO, let's be realistic.

We need to quit fighting each other because NO ONE'S pay scale is that significant above the other's. You should all be complaining about SkyBus, Virgin America, Allegiant and all of the others who are flying well below industry average.

What kind of rates do you guys want anyways? Everyone complains, but for the people who are in negotiations, what kind of payscales are you guys asking for? Just a curiosity question.

I wanted more than what SkyWest gave us, but we had idiots who figured that the company wouldn't negotiate if we said no. They wanted something, even if it was small and that is why they voted yes. A reason why I think a union isn't good here; a pilot group with no stugots.

 

First year of FO pay at 40$ and hour. Instead of BIG jumps, raise the starting pay initally and make the raises smaller. I am more inclined to go to a company who has an "ALL FO / ALL CA" payscale or at the most, a two airframe payscale. It is less to worry about and less to have to fight management with when it comes time for contract negotiation. I think it breeds a tighter pilot group. Just my thoughts.

 

I'd love to see probationary pay $40/hr, but it simply won't happen at the regionals for at least the next decade...$40/hr is more than what many legacies/LCCs pay their newhires! I think $30/hr is much more realistic for pilot groups to expect and spend negotiating capital to obtain...and $40/hr is a nice starting point for 2nd year pay on a 50 seat small jet.

I actually support a single rate for all CL-65 variants (-200/700/900/1000). There is precedent within ALPA for a single rate for larger aircraft, and a single rate allows all pilots at a company with a small number of large airframes relative to the total fleet (for example, 10 -900s and 60 -200s) to get a nice raise while allowing folks to bid for QOL instead of a paycheck. Dual qualification also provides the company with training & maintenance cost savings among other synergies.

Work rules being the equal, make the single payrate the highest 70 seat rate in the industry and you'll likely have no problem getting a pilot group to ratify it.

 

Who cares about the frickin payload? That's for the bean counters. UPS has it right. Pay should be based on seat and seniority, not aircraft.

 

That may be....but the only similarity between any regional carrier and UPS is that they both fly airplanes.

If I'm not mistaken, the UPS rates are based on the 757...which is pretty much median aircraft which they operate.

 

There are certainly more similarities than that. Besides, the differences in operations at 121 pax vs freight are not enough to make pay by seat and seniority exclusive to the likes of UPS. It was even done this way at a Fractional, Raytheon Travel Air, before the merger with FLOPS.

Why not have the same philosophy in the regionals? Determine a median aircraft.

just my .02