Feburary 12, 2009--- funny thing about blanket statements......

 

I believe 1500 ATP rules is a start but I also understand how difficult it is for CFIs to build up good quality hours. Anyway, this is all a moot point because regionals are hiring pilots with less than 500 hours.

Only thing I would add to this is if you are a young CFI under 25 years, it might eventually pay off to go to the regional at the earliest opportunity and see if you can get hired at one of the Majors. Just realize, the writing is on the wall that major airlines are not growing like they did in the 50s, 60s, 70, and 80s. In fact, all indications are they will shrink as top senior guys retire. So the job you want today might not be there when you are ready to move on.

If you are after money, forget about flying and try to get into airline management or better yet get into investment banking. Look at the salary and compensation for top dogs at every airlines.

 

if you follow the entire conversation, it was directed at those with 1500 TT or more.... the CFI's with the time as compared to the 500 hour wonder kids.

 

So let me get this straight... you are really convinced that paying regional pilots a livable wage would put them under?

Two questions:

1) How in the world did the airlines then manage to survive the oil going from $30/barrel to $130 in a span of 5 years?

2) Do you have any idea how much it would actually cost the airlines to raise the pilot compensation to a livable wage? The numbers are out there... and they'll surprise you.

 

The source for both, BTW, is anecdotal. Go take a look at forums military pilots frequent (baseops.net, airwarriors.com) and it's not tough to see the writing on the wall.

Years of abusive deployment schedules combined with misplaced priorities in terms of both career progression opportunities as well as organizational focus have taken their toll. There are also organized personnel drawdowns taking place in the USAF (VSP, RIF, and selcective continuation for passed-over officers) that are forcing people out the door who, in previous years, would have stayed. There has been a gap between the "8 year commitment" pilots (whose commitments last expired in 2008) and the first of the 10-year commitments (who are expiring this year), so the last few years have not had many pilots leaving.

The exodus is starting this fall (from the USAF, at least) and will likely continue for a couple years.

Again, anecdotal evidence says that they're interested in going to commerical flying careers.

Ignore it if you want, but the floodgates are about to open.

 

Nowhere did "liveable wage" get mentioned.

The original post said, "Raise the pay of new-hire regional pilots to $60k a year, and have regional captains start at $100k a year".

I replied asking which company's business plan would support that....and so far nobody has had an answer. Lots of pilots seem to think they know that airlines can apparently afford to pay a lot more, yet don't know/care about the other financial workings from the business end.

I offered, as an example, the much-loved United 2000 contract, which many analysts have in retrospect acknowledged was not a financially sustainable contract and which the company was essentially bulled into accepting (successful negotiations, eh!).

I'm not passing judgment either way...I just have a hunch (don't have any specific proof beyond looking at some basic financials I learned about while getting an MBA, and was asking for it from someone who hopefully knew more about it than me) that the starting wages offered above are in the ballpark for being sustainable under the current regional business plans.

 

Have you looked at the typical regional schedule?


(just joking for the non combat folks. For the combat folks, thank you for your service and letting me stay behind the lines)

 

already been said multiple times

 

Just making sure....but you do know that non-combat (arms) folks get deployed too right?

USMCFLYR

 

So then tell me, how can airlines which were so used to oil being less than $30/barrel just 8 years ago, even stay in business now that the oil price is at least 3 times that?

I'll take it one step even further - how do the "regional" airlines overseas afford to pay what they pay pilots abroad?

Don't be naive and think that the regional, or even major airlines for that matter, cannot pay their pilots more.