I guess I won't comment either way, other than I miss flying every once in a while.

Regional capt. 2007
50,000 ish
320 hours a month away
13 dollars an hour

Full-time manager at a shipping company 2012
44,000 ish
140 hours a month (working about 35 hours a week right now)
26.19 dollars an hour

I left aviation and it worked out. Not everybody has the same experiences in either situation. You only get so many years on this rock, might as well enjoy them. For me, not flying has been awesome, and like I said, I still miss it a bit.

 

You're right. It's all DAL's fault. Had nothing to do with SM or PT and the misguided management. Be sure to tell that to the passengers while you are engaging them with how bad off you have it as an airline pilot. I say take the higher road and project pride and professionalism to the passengers as opposed to crying to them about how bad off you think you may have it. I bet I have spent more nights on layovers and in my crashpad than you this summer. Nonetheless, the last thing I'd even remotely consider is to burden an airport traveler with gripes regarding commuting/pay/rest/hotels/missing holidays/scope or whatever else you feel makes you think you have it so bad off. I don't think it's appropriate or professional to do so. If you endorse or want to go on a mission to educate the traveling public about all your gripes then go for it. I'll pass.

 

Quite honestly I just avoid talking to passengers. In today's 'know-it-all' age people already have their minds set that pilots make some bank, but we all know that's not true. One thing that bothers me is when you do spit out the $40K number, some seniors and baby boomers think back to the 70's and 80's economy when $40K was decent money. They have a hard time understanding that in 2012 it isn't much money.

Save yourself some heartache and keep to yourself. Like someone else said start reading more books or pick up a new hobby. It'll make the trip go by quicker and save you some hassle.

 

Look where professionalism got the Comair guys. I agree, we should act like professionals, just saying sometimes it doesn't pay off. It's hard to act like anything other than paranoid while waiting for your airline to slip a weenie in your pocket.

 

Great point by PBSG.

If asked about my pay/QOL, I answer the question honestly and without interjecting my opinion or commentary. If the pax doesn't like the answer (which they usually don't, or they accuse me of giving a low number), I don't really care. Not enough honesty in business these days. Sometimes the most 'professional' answer is the correct one, not the most 'company image' friendly. Hey, they asked in the first place.

I'm always respectful to passengers, but if they start telling me about how my job works, or telling me how my 'union' hurts the economy (surprising how often I've gotten this recently, totally unsolicited.) then fine. I just go back to my mental happy place and let them go....

 

This. The exact reason why I commute out of uniform. Even if I just got off duty, I change my shirt. The extra 10 seconds to take my shoes off for TSA is completely worth avoiding all the dumb questions from passengers IMO.

 

Your posts are pure comedy, you were a FLOW THROUGH to Delta from Mesaba. You in no way earned your job, and have the audacity to make this post. You must feel guilty about it or something....

 

In a seniority vs. merit based system ENTITLEMENT is the very essence of this job. Everything that you have achieved so far in your career and what I have achieved in mine has been based on your/my inherent ability/luck to meet with the right people at the right time. A different interview panel on a different day may have sent yours or my career on a very different path, if you dont know/forget that than you miss entire point of this post. No one I have ever met has gotten to a certain place in life without the right opportunity aligning at the right time. Most of us are not fresh out of college and had we pursued a different field of study I have no question that a $40000 a year job would have been well within reach fresh out of college. I dont know you, I dont know how you got to where you are today, and in all reality I really dont care, but if you think you did it on your own and it was all based on your inordinate skill level then you are grossly misguided and in some ways dillusional, and that sir is the very essence of ENTITLEMENT. Entitlement is also a trait of an alpha male which in reality is not a bad thing to be.

 

Exactly. Last time I commuted in uniform, the tool next to me wanted to talk about crashes. How does that happen? Why did that happen? What did the pilots do wrong on that one? Yeah, my favorite subject. Not.

 

It depends on how you look at it. According to your logic very few legacy jobs are "earned" as you call it. Often it's being in the right place at the right time. Did my friend who got hired at SWA because he went through FFDO training with their chief pilot "earn" his job? Do all of the pilots with the right connections "earn" their job? It's often who you know or being lucky and in the right place at the right time. A school mate of mine was neighbors with M.B. who was the HR gal at NWA in charge of pilot hiring. He got on very young with no PIC, did he "earn" it? If you are more than qualified and get on I'd say you "earned" it. How many 300 hour FO's did you fly with back in 2007 who "earned" their job? I believe that your "earned" analogy is a little out of whack. I don't think a single flow up that I know feels any guilt over it as everyone who flowed was well beyond qualified and deserving of the job.