Really, new hires should be paid very low wages???***. I know college grads with 0 experience in their fields who who get paid 50-60k to start at companies nowhere near as profitable as current airlines are today. These are kids with 0 experience and you're saying someone with 1500 hrs should earn less than any other profession. Your kind of thinking is why we make such little money. Its near poverty first year pay that keeps pilots away from the regional industry-the low pay is a barrier to entry . Offer 50-60k first year and all regionals would have plenty of applicants for years to come.

 

I wouldn't argue with these points, but it doesn't change mine. I think airline pilots should definitely have a solid background of hand flying skills whether in a single engine prop or a harrier. In fact I think they should have far more than 1500 hours to get a solid background of flying skills before settling in to the routine of airline automation. But they still are going to face a significant learning curve their fist year in a jet transport (unless they came from jet transports such as corporate).

But the reality is most pilots wont have that much experience before settling in to an airline job.

The fallacy of this is that you are expecting pay should be based on some entitled amount set by what you think is fair rather than free market.

You are also assuming that the career transition from regional to major is the norm. Just because something is a certain way doesn't mean it's the best way or the only possible way for things to work. The only reason we have regional airlines at all is because of the seniority system. Without the power it gives airlines to control wages the industry wouldn't exist in its present form. A regional jet wouldn't be some low end career stepping stone. It would instead be just another jet airliner albeit slightly smaller than a A319 which is also slightly smaller than a A321 and so on.

In fact there wouldn't be that many regional airliners built without this system of controlled pay scales in place to take advantage.

 

Your comparisons are a bit off. I don't see that a college graduate with a professional degree has zero experience. And 1500 hours as a CFI is not 1500 hours experience as a jet captain and doesn't prove you can pass a type rating. If a college grad can earn $50-60K out of school it's probably because he or she can do something that's worth $50-60K for the company that hired them based on what they learned at school...like program a computer or build a bridge.

Many airlines do actually pay $50-$60K for new hires so I don't see the problem here. They also pay much more after the second year. Of course those airlines are attracting top candidates who can and have already proven they can fly an airliner.

The fact is that if regional airlines paid that amount you wouldn't be getting considered at 1500 hours anyway because there are plenty of higher time pilots who would take those jobs making your chances of getting hired at 1500 hours very unlikely.

Therefore....if you are looking for an airline job with only 1500 hours, you should be thankful they are paying so low because they are specifically trying to attract you and not higher time pilots.

(Not saying you specifically have 1500 hrs....I don't know...I'm just meaning "you" in a general sense)

 

What's needed is for a "couple dollars to be added to ticket prices", AND the regionals bought by the majors and integrated so there are NO contractors in the passenger world. The customers are not sophisticated in general and don't even realize they are being flown by overworked, beaten-down, underpaid pilots who aren't working for this "world class" major airline.

 

What really needs to happen is the public needs to find out what an airline ticket really costs.

Mail used to may still offset ticket cost.

Pilot low pay also offsets.

Now pay for water, blankets, toilet. Etc helps the airline.

Ticket prices need to rise.

 

There are NO overpaid regional pilots period, captain or not! Way to support the profession by agreeing with one of the greediest CEO's on the planet...

 

this could have been dated 1988, 1994, 2000, and 2014 and nothing has changed.

 

Or, if bottom feeders are unable to attract pilots and go out of business, the rates on new contracts can and should go up to allow increases in pay and benefits!

 

You lost all credibility in your post when I read this. Try $30 or $40...

 

Regional pay needs to be brought to a livable wage for new F/Os, with everyone else getting an increase as well. I think 50 an hour starting would be fair. A 2d Lt in the A/F takes home about 4k a month maybe more depending where they live. And thats 4k+, no experience, just to stock the snack room and go through training.