AOPA Article: The glory days are over

[satpak77]

FedEx and UPS have pensions and they won't be going away.

Replace with

Pan Am
TWA
American
Delta
United
US Airways (old)
Flying Tigers

of course, with your extensive experience, you knew that.

Never say never in aviation

 

[Lake Alice]

FedEx and UPS have pensions and they won't be going away.

Thats where you are dead wrong!

The thought that FedEx and UPS are immune or somehow not succeptible to any of the problems that plague US carriers today is not only naive but irresponsible.

The problems we face in the pax world today were never predicted. I'm not saying, by any stretch, that a downturn is inevitable just that its certainly possible. Like I said, to think otherwise is very, very naive.

Unlike the above post this is not a shot at anyone and I'm certainly not questioning your experience. Knowledge of an industry, past, present or future has little to do with type ratings.

 

[Snaab]

I second that,SNAAB Hang in there brother you are on track.: )

Thank you. In case anyone missed my point, I was saying I enjoy the tangibles of my job; the flying part. Would I like to and do I think I should make more than a paltry $20,000/year? Absolutely! I'm not proud that figure. I said I'm 26 and single. I don't have a mortgage, payments on a new Bimmer, or kids in private school. If I had to shoulder these things, I couldn't possibly be in my current position. But, gotta start somewhere, folks.

Snaab

 

[Reebo]

If you're bouncing around from job to job like Schiff's son it's a lousy way to go.

Paul didn't have to leave Trans States, he elected to. Thought Air Whisky would be a better deal. Had he stayed at Trans States he'd be a EMB Capt making 65k with about 13-15 days off a month. Not the best, but not to shabby either.

 

[ivauir]

This job is changing as we speak, but the longer the artifical stasis of regulation remained in place, the harder the change to deregulation. Remember, many of the lousy jobs that we bemoan today did not exist in the "glory days".

By no means am I defending lousy wages and lack of benefits, especially what has happened to the legacies. but I also don't think the industry is anywhere close to equalibrium. The worse conditions are in the industry today, the fewer people will pursue it, reducing the supply of pilots and eventually driving compensation up. Well, untill it goes down again!

 

[satpak77]

But, gotta start somewhere, folks. Snaab

Thanks for the words of wisdom spoken from the high altar that your extensive experience as a SAAB F/O has given you.

the flightinfo readership was not aware of all the points you brought up

maybe when you DO get a mortgage, a wife, and kids of your own (oh yeah and your ATP), you can continue to educate us about "life" from your perspective.

 

[PCL_128]

Dave Ben-

Do we all have to be cynical bitter losers?

I'd rather be bitter than delusional.

 

[flx757]

FedEx and UPS have pensions and they won't be going away.

Ready2Fly is TheGuat, Rhoid, IHaveAPension, LucyFurr, E170GuppyKiller, TheGuppyKiller, GuppyKiller, TheMissingLink, ABXpert, UPSer, RJDC, OUT, 410Dude, BR549, FreightNazi....etc...etc... Ignore anything and everything he has to say. He has been "permanently" banned over 20 times yet continues to come around just to annoy people. Swat this fly.

 

[Ready2Fly]

Ready2Fly is TheGuat, Rhoid, IHaveAPension, LucyFurr, E170GuppyKiller, TheGuppyKiller, GuppyKiller, TheMissingLink, ABXpert, UPSer, RJDC, OUT, 410Dude, BR549, FreightNazi....etc...etc... Ignore anything and everything he has to say. He has been "permanently" banned over 20 times yet continues to come around just to annoy people. Swat this fly.

If he is, at least he will have a pension and you will not!

 

[flx757]

Sorry, but I already do. However, thanks for playing. Play while you still can.