CaptainTeezy

Exactly what they are making. You cant say we are professionals...when a guy with 300 hours of experience is considered to be equal with a guy that has 1500 hours and actually learned a lot more as a long term instructor, or 135 single pilot freight hauler. You are rated by the FO who sets the lowest standard of qualifications. And since most airlines were taking pilots with 300-400 hours they werent really bringing a whole lot to the company. So yeah sure there may be be a guy with 2000 hours...but the airlines dont pay based on experience. So the pay is set to the lowest bidder which is always the lowest qualified people. I would hope they wouldnt pay a guy with 300 hours $40,000. He would not be worth it...and that is the honest truth. Now if all the most junior FOs were ATP or 135 qualified then I would say they are probably worth 24-27K a year. If a guy has a year of 135 experience he is definitely worth 35-40k a year.

Pantera

One of the problems we face is not being able to change employers which benefits the employer and not the pilot. In most other areas of aviation there is no level of first year pay. So if the employer sucks (Delta) you can go to the greener grass if you think you will be treated better. This is incentive for employers to offer competitive salary.

We are really stuck due to our seniority. Being recently displaced to JFK which is the worst, I would gladly change to an employer (if they were hiring) that offered ANY other base other then JFK. But it is really hard concidering I would have to start out at 1st year pay again.

This industry is the only industry that does this. We compare pilots to doctors a lot and you would have to agree a brain surgeon working at Cedar Sinai who wants to move out of Long Island would never have to stoop to residents pay to move to work at the Mayo clinic.

Someone also said once that they did not make captain because of what they knew or the skill they had aquired but because they were the next number in line, our pay is very much the same. We don't get paid based on our experience, our pay is based on how long we stuck out the B.S!

Pantera

how about adding a location bonus like most every other company in NY for instance. 35-40K a year will afford you a refrigerator box to camp out in under the FDR drive.

Trip7

Realistic my friend, realistic. This salary is completely unreasonable for a 1st year regional FO.

ditto..not realistic.

Completely agree

I like this scale the best. 35k minimum to start. Avg pay after a couple years should be in the highs 40s to mid 50s. The regionals can afford this. They should be paying this. But they dangled this carrot called "rapid upgrade" in front of CFIs and we jumped for it. Now everybody is starting to realize the "rapid upgrade" game is a dangerous gamble to make. Ask Colgan FOs.....

CaptainTeezy

What the REGIONAL airlines should do is have their own apartment complex at each hub and provide housing to pilots who want it. Almost like a college dorm. I am not saying that it would be fun for those who lived there. But imagine if you made $15,000 your first year and you didnt have to worry about your housing. I instructed at ATP and lived right at the airport underneath the office building with another instructor. Was it fun? No. Did I get the experience I needed to move on? Yep.

Outlaw2097

Take year 1 FO pay (at each respective 'regional') and multiply it by 1.5

Cap out all FO pay after year 3.

Thats probably the fairest way to theoretically 'fix' the issue for starters.

boeingt7

35-40k bare minimun as a first year FO at the regional level. and in my eyes they should have at least 1000 hours. no lower than 65k for a first year FO at the majors.

Seatownflyer

Right... Places with no upgrade in the foreseeable future would love that. Let's see, Horizon and Eagle come to mind. Of course, everyone is stagnant right now but you know what I mean. If you don't then sod off.

dashtrash300

Must meet ATP requirements (not necessarily have the ATP, just meet the time) and with 1,000 multi should start at $45,000 a year first year, then $55,000 second year and $60,000 a year after that going up 3% each year.

shadyops

People like you drag our standards down. You shoot for 40K we get 20K. We shoot for 60K we get 40k...but you want to be realistic. I would never want you to bargain for my behalf.