I hear ya, but my gripe is with the industry, not so much Expressjet .

Ill take a case of Sam Adams Summer Ale, should be out by now .

 

I said A beer! Did you forget about my colgan pay. LOL

 

Here are my thoughts on this whole industry. Prior to this I was doing Satellite Engineering, and had 100k offers, but wanted to give this a shot, I love the office view and the flying.

I think some of the things that need to change is the fact that you are stuck in a company for better or worse and if you leave you start again. Also why should you be rewarded for only doing your job, can't think of any other industry consisting of highly educated individuals in which this behavior takes place. There are plenty of ways to distinguish effort without being a brown noser, coming to work and just doing your job is not enough. Anyone that argues this, hope you have experience in corporate America to back it up.

I understand that the unions are a necessary evil, but it shouldn't be used as a seniority number. The union should be there to protect QOL, safety and work conditions. Pilots should be able to go from one carrier to the next and be awarded a position partially based on their credentials. I think there should be at the very least yearly performance reviews besides sim/PC checks.

I know a lot of you will be quick to chime in and say that's how it was done and how ALPA came to be, please that was in the 30's, lot of problems everywhere in America during those times. Also flying the line is outdated, good material but behind the times, not a true reflection of the times.

 

Whoaa, man Now wonder why your broke. I'm looking at condos to buy right now and I found 2 bedroom for 105,000. Breaking it down with ultilities, condo fees, taxes, etc, I'd be spending at least 1000 dollars less per month then you and I'd own. Can't believe its that bad in jersey. I'm moving out into the rural areas, not so much in the city that helps but, still. Thats tough. good luck.

 

Security. Like the security of working for one of the big three auto companies in the 70s. All three still exist, but the UAW has given back much. Or the security of investing as Michael Milken taught us in the 80s. Or the security of working for a dot-com in the 90s. Or the security of being a doctor when the cost of medical malpractice insurance averaged 1/3 of his/her gross income. Or the security of working for "America's Most Innovative Company" aka Enron.

There is no such thing as security. Everything has risks.

And about finding another job and making the same amount right off: unless one is earning minimum wage, it doesn't happen.

 

This is the life we CHOSE! no one and I repeat no one forced us to do this job. so just buck up and do it or try selling real estate -yeah thats the ticket --- NOT !



There are old pilots and bold pilots but there are no old bold pilots!

 

I don't know many people who would consider any of those jobs "blue collar." I've been an entry level engineer and made $50k. I was underpaid compared to my contemporaries on the coasts. I almost became a military officer and have many friends who are. New LTs make about $45k in equivalent civillian pay (gets complicated with BAH). Teachers tend to start out in the $35k range in most markets, but they also don't work the summers. The only relation we have to blue collar work is our unions and the fact that seniority rules all. We have made ourselves interchangable labor in most markets. If we were expected to do more than drive the bus (like sell the airline to our customers) then we might be considered more than bus drivers. How many of us take the time to talk to our customers? I'd be happy just to have little wings to hand out to kids.

 

I know at my company its actually frowned upon for the pilots to say anything more than "good morning" or "thank you for flying with us today" to our passengers. Anything that pilots say can be used against us or the company, by a passenger who is ****ed off or scared to fly. If passengers were to ask how old I am or how long i've been the flying for the company and I tell them, they would prolly freak out, since most want a 50 year old gray haired guy thats been flying the same plane for half his career, but this isn't the majors, its the regionals, but they don't understand that.

 

I thought about jumping in here with my $.02, but I think I'll just read some more-

its funny!

 

A few months at Colgan and a year at XJT. If you don't like it, I'd quit. After all your pontification on here, I figure you'd be the complete opposite of wanting to quit.