FlyerJosh

Deregulation started in 1978

jsled

[QUOTE=mike734;79046]My point is, salaries should have doubled by now. Interestingly the pay for Horizon and Comair have pretty much done that. However the major airline pilot pay has done the opposite. This is not news but look how far we've fallen. 160K then should be about 320K now. Delta was right in there before their big fall. >>

United was paying over 300 per hour on the widebodies for captain. I was pulling in 169 per hour on the 777 in the right seat!!! The salaries did double, they just came back down. Sure was nice while it lasted though. BTW, I got the 777 bid in year 2 at United. There was also a TON of guys coming over from FedEx and SWA to United back then (1998 - 2001). So, in another 5 years, it will be interesting to see what is going on. I also remember guys using the "I won the lottery" statement about getting hired at United.

ToiletDuck

The best things the airlines can do is raise prices across the board. Less flights, more full. More money per flight. Higher paid pilots.

TankerDriver

Yes, and so should have ticket prices, but they haven't. As a matter of fact, they're cheaper. Face it, airline travel is too common place now-a-days to pay pilots $250,000 a year to work 10 days a month. The profit margins are too small. Ticket prices are cheaper, yet the cost of oil has more than doubled in the last 10 years. In 1999, a barrel of oil was down to about $15. I say, you want to fly, you pay the price. What choice do you have? Drive? Take a train? How about a ship? Do you know how much a ticket to take a ship to Europe costs? It's rediculous, but yet, you can fly from New York to London in 6 1/2 hours for $400. The convenience factor for air travel is taken for granted these days and everyone expects a cheap ride, hence all the budget airlines that have started up in the past 5-10 years. You know the ones. New York to Orlando for $49. This has ruined the industry.

dojetdriver

10 days a month? Yeah, I know there are guys that hold that kind of sched. But it is far from the norm.

Eric Stratton

how do you feel about $250,000 for 20 days of work? serious question.

JetJocF14

In the words of James Brown " I FEEL GOOD "

TankerDriver

$250,000 for 20 days of work? That is still 2 more days off a month than the average 9-5, M-F job that pays much less. I think I could live with that. I know some attorneys that make $250,000 a year, but they're behind their desk from 7am to 9pm every day and even go in on Saturdays. Could be worse.

I could be wrong, but considering most reserve lines have a minimum of 12 days off, I can't see someone with the seniority to make $250,000 a year working 20 days a month with a major airline.

dojetdriver

Well, we can argue this all night long and horse has been beat to death endlessly, but;

Even working 20 days a month is more days off than than the average m-f 9-5, but add up the total hours away from home, see what you get.

Lets be generous, and make a few assumptions and just talk about the time away from home that is only for the sake of the job.

The 9-5 m-f leaves his house at 8 am and returns at 6 pm for 22 days out of the month. 22 days X 10hrs a day = 220 hours away from home.

The airlire pilot flys 5 four days trips that show at 12 noon and release at 12 noon. 72 hours away from base X 5 trips = 360 hours away from home. Thats HALF the month, not at home

Yeah, I know I'm not working or sitting in traffic (unless on the hotel van) all that time. But I'm not eating food out of my own fridge, watching my own cable TV, working out at my own gym, mowing my lawn, spending time with kids, sleeping in my own bed, ect.

And I don't know what airline you are at, but not all of them (airlines) have 12 day off reserve lines.

Is this a good job, yes. Does somebody have a gun to my head making me do it, NO. But the mentality of you get paid alot of money to only work 10 days a month and it could be worse is just plain stupid.

Ski Patrol

Amen Brother!!!!! We need to get the word out somehow that pilots work a helluva lot more than 80 hrs per month!!!!!