WSJ: Airline-Pilot Shortage Arrives Ahead of Schedule
- Thread starter M20B_pilot
- Start date
juxtapilot
Snowflake
Why? What has he said that's inaccurate?
jynxyjoe
Queso King
Absolutely. I'd add the rest rules too. I have some experience dealing with the history of FAA regs, and they always waffle. Some would have you imagine they are ever constraining rules beings created every year to stifle innovation or whatever load of crap people make up. The truth is the rules are made, then adjusted, then disregarded entirely until something bad happens, then over-reaction, then amendments, then adjusted, then disregarded entirely until - you see where I'm going?
Screaming_Emu
Joe Conventional
Up until now...yes, absolutely.
He's been crying pilot shortage "right around the corner" since I started even considering learning to fly over 13 years ago.
Blind squirrel...
juxtapilot
Snowflake
Then its not inaccurate. With the economic meltdown, and age 65, maybe he's not far off.
jynxyjoe
Queso King
If I scream often enough the sky is falling, and a meteor finally falls to Earth and explodes in front of me, that isn't a prediction, that's just being annoying.
The fundamentals are good for movement in the industry, why that is being confused with a shortage is beyond me. Maybe this lost decade has just made pilots desperate for any hope, and when it comes they have to make up stories of why it's all been worth it. No idea.
Side note: did Kit get his money when he sold the business? Why is he still a thing?
The fundamentals are good for movement in the industry, why that is being confused with a shortage is beyond me. Maybe this lost decade has just made pilots desperate for any hope, and when it comes they have to make up stories of why it's all been worth it. No idea.
Side note: did Kit get his money when he sold the business? Why is he still a thing?
PhilosopherPilot
Well-Known Member
Well, the fundamentals of a shortage have been in place for quite a while. The 65 rule granted a 5 year reprieve, and the economic downturn also helped.
jynxyjoe
Queso King
Again I'll say, you have fundamentals of movement in place. Not a shortage. Movement after 5 years does not make a shortage.
A Life Aloft
Well-Known Member
The only thing that Kit has been good at, is self-promotion. He's made a second career stumping for himself and marketing himself as a consultant. In truth, he's a salesman. He sold loads of wannabes on his so called job fairs, seminars and ancillary items. He made a ton of money off them. He's put a lot of false and inaccurate info out and has for many years. What exactly makes him an expert on anything? Because he was once a Legacy pilot? Predicting the same thing for 15 years does not make you a soothsayer. At some point in time if you say the same crap long enough, things may come around to look like, 'wow what a great prediction'. He couldn't even mange to keep Air Inc. in business. When he has posted salaries for carriers for instance, they have been way off. He doesn't even seem to know the correct salary at his former carrier and once stated that that a 5 year UAL FO makes more than a 5 year FO at FedEx. He's said many things which were simply not true.
Carriers are infamous for dragging their asses to effect reasonable changes, restructuring, goals or be really forward thinking. They should have started looking at issues when the age of retirement went to 65. They should have been looking at the entire Regional situation years ago.They have had plenty of time to plan for the new rest rule changes, etc. Nothing that happens in this industry is really a "surprise" or why management continues ignores their issues.
edit: I was going to comment on his "retirement" from UAL, but I am going to take the higher road instead. The truth is out there.
Carriers are infamous for dragging their asses to effect reasonable changes, restructuring, goals or be really forward thinking. They should have started looking at issues when the age of retirement went to 65. They should have been looking at the entire Regional situation years ago.They have had plenty of time to plan for the new rest rule changes, etc. Nothing that happens in this industry is really a "surprise" or why management continues ignores their issues.
edit: I was going to comment on his "retirement" from UAL, but I am going to take the higher road instead. The truth is out there.
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DE727UPS
Well-Known Member
One small airline raises pay to attract and retain pilots. I like the statement from the Teamsters rep.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/airline-professionals-association-teamsters-local-110000785.html
Silver Airways and its pilots, represented by the Airline Professionals Association Teamsters Local 1224 (Local 1224) and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Airline Division (IBTAD), today announced that they have successfully partnered to reach an agreement that will help address pilot shortages at the airline and provide Silver’s pilots with pay increases and quality of life improvements.
The two groups have been working since August 2013 on a midterm contract solution that will increase pilot pay and provide quality of life enhancements, while at the same time allowing the airline to better operate and continue to grow. Once ratified by the pilots, the Letter of Agreement will also assist the airline in attracting and retaining high quality pilots by immediately boosting pay, enhancing commuting and schedule flexibility, and allowing all pilots who remain with the Company for another year to earn a cash retention bonus.
The agreement was negotiated over the last several months, and it is being strongly endorsed by both the Silver Executive Council and their Teamster local. Final approval, however, is subject to ratification by Silver’s pilot membership.
“We are very pleased that we reached a mutually beneficial agreement that recognizes the value of our pilots and the key role they play at Silver, while at the same time ensuring that our company can operate successfully and continue to grow and expand. Achieving these goals is an outcome that will not only allow us to secure and better our pilots’ jobs, it will create more advancement opportunity enabling our pilots to gain the experience needed to quickly advance in their careers as professional aviators, both here and throughout the industry. We are fortunate to have very skilled pilots here at Silver, and we hope that they will make a career with us. We believe that our new agreement with the Union will satisfy all of our pilots regardless of their future plans,” said Silver Airways President and CEO Dave Pflieger. “I would like to thank Captain Daniel Wells, Captain Richard Green, the Teamsters, and our pilot leadership team here at Silver for their incredible hard work and dedication throughout our ground-breaking discussions. I firmly believe that we have achieved a unique win-win agreement that will strengthen the wages and quality of life of our pilots while ensuring our ability to grow and become a successful new, next generation regional airline.”
“We are extremely pleased with the outcome of our efforts,” said Captain Richard Green, Silver Executive Council Chairman for Local 1224. “We were not interested in discussions that didn’t benefit our members. This new agreement addressed key outstanding issues we wanted resolved, and it will provide economic gains and quality of life improvements for all of our pilots.”
Captain Daniel Wells, president of the Airline Professional Association Teamsters Local 1224, who is also a 747 captain with Atlas Air and 28-year industry veteran, added “We believe this outcome should serve as a model for the rest of the regional airline industry. We do not have a “skills-gap” but rather a “pay-gap” in the airline industry. There are plenty of people in this country who could become airline pilots – and want to - it’s a great career. But with low starting wages, it is presently not a good economic decision. This agreement with Silver helps toward the realization that the best way to address our nationwide pilot shortage is by enhancing the quality of life of regional pilots and by elevating the pilot profession. A significant step in the right direction is to help our pilots earn a decent living that allows them to recoup the costs they have invested to build flight time, earn the required FAA certifications, and become the highly trained and professional commercial pilots they are. Given the positive outcome we have achieved for our pilots here, we look forward to working closely with the new leadership team at Silver Airways as they strengthen, grow and hire more pilots.”
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/airline-professionals-association-teamsters-local-110000785.html
Silver Airways and its pilots, represented by the Airline Professionals Association Teamsters Local 1224 (Local 1224) and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Airline Division (IBTAD), today announced that they have successfully partnered to reach an agreement that will help address pilot shortages at the airline and provide Silver’s pilots with pay increases and quality of life improvements.
The two groups have been working since August 2013 on a midterm contract solution that will increase pilot pay and provide quality of life enhancements, while at the same time allowing the airline to better operate and continue to grow. Once ratified by the pilots, the Letter of Agreement will also assist the airline in attracting and retaining high quality pilots by immediately boosting pay, enhancing commuting and schedule flexibility, and allowing all pilots who remain with the Company for another year to earn a cash retention bonus.
The agreement was negotiated over the last several months, and it is being strongly endorsed by both the Silver Executive Council and their Teamster local. Final approval, however, is subject to ratification by Silver’s pilot membership.
“We are very pleased that we reached a mutually beneficial agreement that recognizes the value of our pilots and the key role they play at Silver, while at the same time ensuring that our company can operate successfully and continue to grow and expand. Achieving these goals is an outcome that will not only allow us to secure and better our pilots’ jobs, it will create more advancement opportunity enabling our pilots to gain the experience needed to quickly advance in their careers as professional aviators, both here and throughout the industry. We are fortunate to have very skilled pilots here at Silver, and we hope that they will make a career with us. We believe that our new agreement with the Union will satisfy all of our pilots regardless of their future plans,” said Silver Airways President and CEO Dave Pflieger. “I would like to thank Captain Daniel Wells, Captain Richard Green, the Teamsters, and our pilot leadership team here at Silver for their incredible hard work and dedication throughout our ground-breaking discussions. I firmly believe that we have achieved a unique win-win agreement that will strengthen the wages and quality of life of our pilots while ensuring our ability to grow and become a successful new, next generation regional airline.”
“We are extremely pleased with the outcome of our efforts,” said Captain Richard Green, Silver Executive Council Chairman for Local 1224. “We were not interested in discussions that didn’t benefit our members. This new agreement addressed key outstanding issues we wanted resolved, and it will provide economic gains and quality of life improvements for all of our pilots.”
Captain Daniel Wells, president of the Airline Professional Association Teamsters Local 1224, who is also a 747 captain with Atlas Air and 28-year industry veteran, added “We believe this outcome should serve as a model for the rest of the regional airline industry. We do not have a “skills-gap” but rather a “pay-gap” in the airline industry. There are plenty of people in this country who could become airline pilots – and want to - it’s a great career. But with low starting wages, it is presently not a good economic decision. This agreement with Silver helps toward the realization that the best way to address our nationwide pilot shortage is by enhancing the quality of life of regional pilots and by elevating the pilot profession. A significant step in the right direction is to help our pilots earn a decent living that allows them to recoup the costs they have invested to build flight time, earn the required FAA certifications, and become the highly trained and professional commercial pilots they are. Given the positive outcome we have achieved for our pilots here, we look forward to working closely with the new leadership team at Silver Airways as they strengthen, grow and hire more pilots.”
Oh hell, it was 1984 my freshman year of high school when it was predicted that the Vietnam vets beginning to come of retirement age will shut down the airlines in the next decade.
In my opinion, the profession has regressed back to the point that the "mystique" that drew many into the business is a long, forgotten relic of the past and the compensation is no longer a driver.
If we're able to make strides in terms of compensation commensurate with other dedicated, well-educated professionals and bring to and end the "sweatshop" environment at some levels of our profession, things will be fine.
But it's going to cost some loot and, I'm sorry, but the new entrants bolstering their business plan with low-paid professional pilots needs to come to a close.
Another angle is that the airline business is an old diner, with lots of duct tape and too little help.
Once upon a time, that diner was the "place to be seen" where the movers and shakers would drop in for three martini power lunches, working out multi-million dollar deals, the food was solid and people knew that they would have a good experience.
Now that downtown diner is run down, full of duct tape holding relics from a bygone era together and instead of the captains of industry coming in for three martini lunches, it's a room full of people dropping in for the "buy one chili, get one chili free, free fries for the kids if you buy a soft drink" crowd.
The diner needs help and says there is a labor shortage.
Well, the problem is that no one lives downtown any more. People, and the cities heart have moved out to the suburbs and very few think it's worth commuting 20 miles, in traffic, to come serve at a run down diner to hope one of those "value diners" leaves a gratuity on the broken down formica tables.
Once they clean the place up, modernize, start cranking out quality meals with appropriate pricing and attracting experienced waitstaff because of an attractive benefits package, they'll never have to worry about staffing issues again.
It all starts with leadership, but any staffing issues the airlines are having falls solely in the lap of the Airline Transport Association/Airlines For America/Regional Airline Association, certain provisions of the Railway Labor Act and, well, labor in the last decade for serving as "enablers" in some circles. And, of course…. "Us".
I'm hungry. I'm going to go forage in the refrigerator.
Once upon a time, that diner was the "place to be seen" where the movers and shakers would drop in for three martini power lunches, working out multi-million dollar deals, the food was solid and people knew that they would have a good experience.
Now that downtown diner is run down, full of duct tape holding relics from a bygone era together and instead of the captains of industry coming in for three martini lunches, it's a room full of people dropping in for the "buy one chili, get one chili free, free fries for the kids if you buy a soft drink" crowd.
The diner needs help and says there is a labor shortage.
Well, the problem is that no one lives downtown any more. People, and the cities heart have moved out to the suburbs and very few think it's worth commuting 20 miles, in traffic, to come serve at a run down diner to hope one of those "value diners" leaves a gratuity on the broken down formica tables.
Once they clean the place up, modernize, start cranking out quality meals with appropriate pricing and attracting experienced waitstaff because of an attractive benefits package, they'll never have to worry about staffing issues again.
It all starts with leadership, but any staffing issues the airlines are having falls solely in the lap of the Airline Transport Association/Airlines For America/Regional Airline Association, certain provisions of the Railway Labor Act and, well, labor in the last decade for serving as "enablers" in some circles. And, of course…. "Us".
I'm hungry. I'm going to go forage in the refrigerator.
moxiepilot
Well-Known Member
Taco hunting?
HVYMETALDRVR
Well-Known Member
You know this is the equivalent of rolling up to a small gold rush town with only a handful of sheriffs complaining about horse parking… and there's an extra badge sitting around the constables office…
You volunteering?
HVYMETALDRVR
Well-Known Member
lol fair enough... the horse isn't just dead at this point...
I have had a whole week off work though, maybe that's why its gotten to me more.
I have had a whole week off work though, maybe that's why its gotten to me more.
🦈💜
All dragon~
You have a gift with metaphor. I like it!
I won't even make a snarky college degree comment. ^.^
~Fox
(but apparently I'm not above a meta-snarky meta-comment...)
