Forbes Article on Regional Pilot Pay vs McDonalds Pay

Some very good comments.

Probably will not go down well with some of our anti-responsibility types.
 
I thought this was impactful:

Why should I pay more for an airline ticket to subsidize someone’s dream of being a pilot?
 
He may end up paying more if that can't staff those flights and the seat count on the route goes down. Funny how those pricing models adjust quickly to full planes.....
 
jtrain609 said:
Until people understand that ticket prices aren't tied to regional compensation, because the regional isn't selling the tickets, the discussion will go no where.
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At the end of the day, the carriers selling the tickets are not going to negotiate regional feed that loses them money.
 
jtrain609 said:
Until people understand that ticket prices aren't tied to regional compensation, because the regional isn't selling the tickets, the discussion will go no where.
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This could go soooo much farther than that as well. It's not about "supporting a dream."
 
drunkenbeagle said:
At the end of the day, the carriers selling the tickets are not going to negotiate regional feed that loses them money.
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They aren't loosing money. If they were, they'd take the flying back. Ever seen an RJ make a run from ATL to MCO? Everytime I've tried to get to Orlando, I end up sitting up front. Because the airplane, that seats nearly 250, is full. And I have an option to leave aboout every hour, and that only includes just one carrier.

Edit to add: Regional airlines, for lack of a better way to say it, fly the "left over scraps" that mainline doesn't really want from what I can tell so far.
 
It's really sickening to read the comments of customers trying to justify UNLIVABLE pilot wages. All because the "perks" should count so heavily as part of your compensation as an airline pilot. :mad: Sorry, it's not the pilot's fault you decided to have a boring desk job, and that is not adequate justification to get paid at the poverty level.
 
mshunter said:
This could go soooo much farther than that as well. It's not about "supporting a dream."
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Isn't it? The reason there aren't (by and large) accountants making $16k a year is because nobody dreams of being an accountant. If teaching was a crappy job that nobody wanted to do, they'd make more as well. You can post a job teaching at a four-year liberal arts college for $35k a year and you'll be flooded with Ph.D. holding applicants - because for them, college teaching, and the QOL and perks that go with it is "a dream". Any one of them would have a leg up and opportunity to enter the corporate world at a starting salary closer to $50k at least, but that's not what they want.

Remember Freakonomics and the tale of street level drug dealers? They made, on average, less than McDonald's employees too - but it was the dream of making it to the next level that drove them to accept such crappy wages and such tremendous risk - even though less than 1% would advance.
 
Murdoughnut said:
Isn't it? The reason there aren't (by and large) accountants making $16k a year is because nobody dreams of being an accountant. If teaching was a crappy job that nobody wanted to do, they'd make more as well. You can post a job teaching at a four-year liberal arts college for $35k a year and you'll be flooded with Ph.D. holding applicants - because for them, college teaching, and the QOL and perks that go with it is "a dream". Any one of them would have a leg up and opportunity to enter the corporate world at a starting salary closer to $50k at least, but that's not what they want.

Remember Freakonomics and the tale of street level drug dealers? They made, on average, less than McDonald's employees too - but it was the dream of making it to the next level that drove them to accept such crappy wages and such tremendous risk - even though less than 1% would advance.
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All those jobs you mentioned having nothing to do with transporting people in an environment that demands safety. I see your point though, but I don't think a Mickey Dees employee is worried about the safety of the customer much past proper food prep...
 
JustinS said:
All those jobs you mentioned having nothing to do with transporting people in an environment that demands safety. I see your point though, but I don't think a Mickey Dees employee is worried about the safety of the customer much past proper food prep...
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You want to know why first year regional pilots make crappy pay? Because first year regional pilots will take a job for crappy pay. That's the bottom line. It's 100% about chasing a dream and cutting throats to get there.
 
rframe said:
You want to know why first year regional pilots make crappy pay? Because first year regional pilots will take a job for crappy pay. That's the bottom line. It's 100% about chasing a dream and cutting throats to get there.
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I suppose so, but I don't think just because that happens so much it should invalidate pilots trying to get better pay... Just my 2 cents. I agree what you're saying is true to the core, and it's sad. :(
 
JustinS said:
It's really sickening to read the comments of customers trying to justify UNLIVABLE pilot wages. All because the "perks" should count so heavily as part of your compensation as an airline pilot. :mad: Sorry, it's not the pilot's fault you decided to have a boring desk job, and that is not adequate justification to get paid at the poverty level.
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We (passengers) don't control your wages - you do. My company will pay whatever it costs to fly me to Seattle. If you guys want to keep signing on for impoverished wages, they'll pay $300. If enough of you say "thanks but no thanks" and supply declines, they'll pay $600.

It's hard to get sympathy from folks when I'm sure you were able bodied and capable of taking another job that paid more. Chasing a dream sounds better.
 
Murdoughnut said:
We (passengers) don't control your wages - you do. My company will pay whatever it costs to fly me to Seattle. If you guys want to keep signing on for impoverished wages, they'll pay $300. If enough of you say "thanks but no thanks" and supply declines, they'll pay $600.

It's hard to get sympathy from folks when I'm sure you were able bodied and capable of taking another job that paid more. Chasing a dream sounds better.
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<<<< Not an airline pilot... I'm speaking from my view outside looking in...
 
JustinS said:
All those jobs you mentioned having nothing to do with transporting people in an environment that demands safety. I see your point though, but I don't think a Mickey Dees employee is worried about the safety of the customer much past proper food prep...
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You're fighting against mathematics here - the importance of your job is not even a variable in the salary determination equation. If it were, teachers would be making far more than any of us. Safety is a commodity in the US. If I have a choice between Southernjets and any Russian airline, I'll pay exponentially more for Southernjets because I have a differentiated safety perception. But among US carriers? I can't point to any US mainline or regional carrier that strikes me as less safe than the others (although I did rebook my wife off of a Gulstream flight a few years back).
 
Derg said:
Why should that regional pilot work for less to subsidize someone's dream of being a flying door-to-door vacuum salesman? :)
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Because the regional pilot begged and pleaded for the job, agreed to subsidize the airline for the honor and privilege of working there, and would probably gladly line up to scrub the lav if needed too if it meant he got to sit at the controls of a JeeeeeettTTT?
 
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