You know, I was thinking about this earlier. If I somehow went back in time to 1999, and presented DAL's last annual report, and the last TA to you. The first thing out of your mouth, after you picked yourself up from the floor, would be this is conspiracy. What has happened to the profession is so bad, it couldn't be incompetence.

Great post agree 100% Tell you what, how about you and ALPA take back scope and stop all farming out. This is what opened pandora's box anyway. Just absorb all regional pilots immediately and all flying is to be mainline flying regardless of size and everyone can have a normal progression as they should. No more cutting in line getting hired at a mid-level position as happens now and everyone must start at the true bottom. Get that in your mainline TA!

However mainline contracts flying to the cheapest bidder, taking aircraft from one company to the next because they got a cheaper rate. Mainline carriers have a lot of blame in this one. If they paid more for the flying regionals did they could in turn pay better. Endeavor is wholly owned and mainline still doesn't pay them well either.

Simple. Cheap, easy money.

Lenders have everyone by the cajones since they made private loans undischargable in bankruptcy court. If they were actually worried about you not repaying your loan (instead they will garnish your wages and ruin your credit for the rest of your life) the pool of money would dry up. The pilot-mills would go out of business and then maybe a real shortage would develop.

Any yes vote for wages less than this harms everyone in two ways.

1) you accept pathetic compensation

2) you delay going to mainline (if that is your goal)

By using today's leverage, we can make most flying jobs worth having.

Agreeing to substandard contracts, enables management and destroys the profession.

No one does what we do. No one.

Name one profession where a mistake costs this many lives and millions of dollars.

We have let management take us for granted.

No more.

Do not let this opportunity pass.

Wow. Just wow. I am never ceased to be amazed at the "simpleton" mentality of "We deserve it" in our profession. While I don't disagree with the value of the cost involved to be well qualified as a captain, it is only worth what it is worth. Bus Drivers (as in motor-coach) make under $15 an hour in many cities. They have to take care 40-50 passengers as well. Is driving a "Bus" equivalent to flying at 50 seat RJ? Of course not! But let's take a look at the realities of economics. There are a boatload of people with the required drivers license who can operate a public bus. And there is a government certification required to fly an airliner. Virtually NO ONE says 'I'm not flying on "Garbage Airways" because they are unsafe.' So the brand differentiation because of safety is basically moot. (Right or wrong) So management might be looking at someone who can safely and with qualification, get the equipment from A to B. It is very easy to assemble a group of qualified candidates who are physically and legally able to go from A to B. I live in fear that the pendulum swings the OTHER way. How about if Delta decided they were only going to hire newbies with a compensation cap of $50,000 a year for 10 years. With the green grass in the future the stack of applications might be a little shorter. Do you think they couldn't fill their classes? As long as we continue to act like unionists instead of executives and partners this will be our fate. Or we could just strike forever. How'd that work out for Eastern and Patco.

The fact is, pilots perform a service. And they are compensated based on how accurately and reliably they provide that service against their competition. Sadly, the airline business is now a commodity. While there is a group of people who wish for "Quality Service", the vast majority of passengers are starting to favor carriers like Allegiant. Why? They want to get from A to B in a cheap as a fashion as possible. They are looking to spend their money with Mickey Mouse not in the air. They spend 6 hours in the air and tough it out. Cheap = good. If I were a corporate travel person that's what I'd tell my traveling guy. "Get over it. We ain't dropping another $200 Bucks to American. How about a $50 "pain in the ass" next check?

If you got a few minutes in your off time, maybe you could help the fast food folks with their quest for $15.

It's not like I won't buy a $7.00 Big Mac. Good Luck.

Mods, Go ahead and ban me now. I accept your sentence.

Sadly that's still more than what 1st year FO's make. How much training goes into a bus driver as well? Yes they both transport people and have responsibility over their passengers but the level of skill is vastly different.

Can you please forward this to psa?

Airline Pilots in the U.S if UNITED, have tremendous power..The 80,000 Airline Pilots in America can entirely shut down the air transportation system if they acted as a whole...That's how much power pilots have collectively...Sad thing is that a useless institution like ALPA is the one who U.S Pilots have batting for them...And they are constantly striking out....

Maybe a nationwide strike would start a serious dialogue with managements all across the board...You must realize that the U.S economy CANNOT survive with the entire air transportation sector shut down...That's how powerful Airline Pilots CAN be if they focus and organize....It can honestly be done....If these 2 paragraphs can go viral across the Airline industry then there is a chance things can change for the better once and for all...Someone has to organize on a nationwide scale so that Pilots from all airlines walk off...I am willing to bet Pilots WILL get what they want if this was to happen....The pay rates I mentioned earlier can be achieved....Air Transportation is a necessity not a luxury, therefore Pilots are in demand whether we believe it or not....

I don't think any more concessions should be taken, and I won't vote for any. And your name-calling doesn't change facts.