FLYBOYMATTHEW,
first of all, I don't know who took a leak in your wheaties, but go back and read my post again, then get a fresh bowl of cereal.... now throttle back about ten percent and chill. You're still in that us versus them mode. Nearly every pilot at Delta over 50 is gone (perhaps around 100+ remain). Do you think that was because everyone of them was making $750,000 a year and thought they deserved more, so they just left. They left a job they loved because they were trying to protect their retirements and their family. You are buying into the trash that the media wants the average American to believe (And God help me, I hope you are not an average American and flying passengers around). The truth is that these guys left a company they loved because a management team with MBA's from Harvard completely blew it. Delta had the best balance sheet of any company in 2000, now we're at the bottom of the barrel. You have the audacity to infer that this was caused by the pilots. Get your facts straight FLYBOY. The buying power of a major airline pilot has decreased significantly since the 60-70's.
Here's a dirty little secret that Delta does not want anbody to know. Our mainline CASM is around 10-11 cents. The CASM for our RJ50's is over 20 cents. It's a little gas hog, flying around with a 80% load factor if there is any weather, the temp is too hot or the moon is in the wrong phase. The pilots could fly for free and it would still lose money. Meanwhile, we're told that Delta has too fly its a/c with a 92% load factor to break even....... We bought RJ's like a bunch of drunk sailors to break the back of the pilot group, what it's wound up doing is breaking the back of the company. Now we're talking about parking RJ50's in the desert or selling them overseas. The future is in the 90-100 seat a/c which will have a lower CASM and can actually do the job it will be purchased to do. The pilot group may have the opportunity of flying this machine. $88 for a 6 year Captain, $44 for a 6 year F/O.
Now.... Do I make too much money? I guess that depends on who you ask. I fly the MD90, a 150 seat a/c as an F/O. Delta wouldn't even talk to a pilot without years of PIC experience in either the military, regionals or corporate flying. No college degree!!!! Don't waste your time submitting an application. I will say that the Pilot group at Delta is among one of the most talented group of people I've been around. I'm sure that the pilots on the forum from American, Northwest, Fedex, CAL, etc. will tell you the same thing. I will make $84,000 this year before the next pay cut of 19.5% then I'll be at around $67,600. Is that too much to fly 150 people around? You tell me FLYBOY.... would you do the same job for say.... $23,000 a year? $40,000?, $50,000? What's your number? How much do you expect to make when you're in your mid forties? I do know this. When I came here from Raytheon in 2000, I was making in the $60's with a good schedule, retirement, med, dental, 401k, etc. So I view my career as going backwards. How do I blame? I blame myself..... I'm my own A/C commander and I have made my own decisions....... I'm flying along at FL350 at night, one engine is surging, I have a wall of red being reflected on my radar and I'm in moderate turbulence...... I believe it's time to divert and choose another course of action. Have you been there yet FLYBOY? If you haven't, you will... come talk to me then and I promise that instead of throwing rocks at you, I'll step back from the situation and calmly give you my analysis of what action needs to be taken (If you ask). You know why..... Because I'm a professional pilot, educated, experienced, analytical, and insightful. I support my fellow pilots, whether they are just thinking about learning how to fly, they are sitting next to me in the cockpit, chatting on a forum, or if I'm standing beside their grave and paying them last respects. I support you FLYBOY, I want you to have a great career and make an honest living. I want to sit next to you on the flightdeck. We're all in this together...... Hey FLYBOY, this aircraft is falling apart, let's do a little CRM, put our differences aside, get it on the ground and get our passenger safely home. Respectfully, Tomcat