Good news from Phoenix Channel 10

ZapBrannigan

ZapBrannigan

If it ain’t a Boeing, I’m not going. No choice.
Was just watching TV (channel 10 in Phoenix) and apparently the big story for the morning show tomorrow is.... (drumroll)

"The airlines need pilots. Tune in to learn how you can get started flying here in the valley!"
 
There was something like that on The Today Show or Good morning America about a week ago... Was watching it with the girlfriend, and she got real excited for me. Too complicated to explain to people that it's a sham.
 
Unfortunately, no one wants to talk about how the majors aren't having finding pilots because they're poached from the military and the regionals. But the regionals are having trouble attracting people not because of massive expansion and growth, it's largely because in comparison to other fields, many people don't feel that what it takes to get to, say, United, is really worth the flight schools, education, instructing, timebuilding, regionals, and then having to slog it out again if anyone is hiring.

We got our asses whipped after 9/11, got a little bit of it back and the job "up the food chain" is still much more attractive than the risk of trying to eek out a career at the regionals. However, we're not attracting people to the regionals because to someone who hasn't entered the profession yet, what it takes to get the golden rings doesn't match financial and lifestyle expectations.

And, largely, I have the diminished expectations of my comrades at the majors to blame.

We have accepted less than full restoration of the profession. "Oh, that's unrealistic now! Paradigm shift.. uhh... LCC carrier competition... uhhh... here, have a nice pen!" and we will see every reason in the world not to even dream about striving to get back to the cash and prizes which drew us to this profession.

I'd even go as far as comparing airline CEO pay and the number of vice presidents in 1982 and compare that to 2012. Seems like only a couple of sectors in the airline business are experiencing this "paradigm shift". eh? :)

No bridge programs, no roadshows, no glossy magazine articles will change the fact that people aren't willing to walk away from the military when they've almost qualify for retirement, or make the financial investment for civilian aviation in order to maybe break into the upper middle class after a few decades.

We live in a world where having a big butt and a sex-tape, or a perma-tan and spiked hair brings you millions over a long weekend.
 
Not exactly lies, the regional airlines do need pilots. But I'm guessing when the news runs the B roll footage, they don't show a shiny RJ. My guess is they quote median income and say that no degree is required.

It seems like a lot of news outlets are reporting about the upcoming pilot shortage. A few questions. Why now? Why are all of these news outlets picking up these stories now? Is there some sort of lobby or organization who's working for management to keep the supply of labor cheap? If so, why don't pilot organizations fight back? Why aren't there articles being written about the issue from the pilots side? Why isn't there any unbiased journalism to be found on the subject?
 
  • Nothing else to do
  • Maybe get a little "scratch" to run the ad, I mean story because they've got a big hangover from the end of the political season
  • Tacos
 
rockman2343@aol.com said:
What we need is a news story, or a movie about the real life of a first year regional airline pilot.
Click to expand...

Laudable idea for sure, but in my opinion it would fail.

1) Non-aviation people do not understand what it took to get to such a low-paying job to begin with.
2) Non-aviation people have their own demons with respect to work, and they will never really see flying in the 121 world as actual work.
3) The First-Year-Pay argument alone would consume any reasonable discourse with non-aviation people, assuming you got past items one and two.
 
Derg said:
people aren't willing to walk away from the military when they've almost qualify for retirement
Click to expand...

For guys like me who are close to retirement, that is definitely true.

The outlier is that there are a whole ton of military guys who are sick of having been beaten to death with deployments and other shenanigans over the last decade and cannot wait to jump ship for improved QOL. I think as soon as hiring starts in earnest, you'll see a whole lotta military pilots putting in applications at the majors.
 
rockman2343@aol.com said:
What we need is a news story, or a movie about the real life of a first year regional airline pilot.
Click to expand...

Why stop there? Why not show the first year as a CFI, or a jumper-hauler, or a banner tower, or a freight dog?

The regionals aren't the destination -- they're just one of many hard-working and low-paying rungs on the professional pilot ladder.
 
Derg, Not only do you run a great site that allows all of us great opportunities to learn and Network with people who may be the key to our careers but every now and then I see a post like this from you.

"Unfortunately, no one wants to talk about how the majors aren't having finding pilots because they're poached from the military and the regionals. But the regionals are having trouble attracting people not because of massive expansion and growth, it's largely because in comparison to other fields, many people don't feel that what it takes to get to, say, United, is really worth the flight schools, education, instructing, timebuilding, regionals, and then having to slog it out again if anyone is hiring.

We got our asses whipped after 9/11, got a little bit of it back and the job "up the food chain" is still much more attractive than the risk of trying to eek out a career at the regionals. However, we're not attracting people to the regionals because to someone who hasn't entered the profession yet, what it takes to get the golden rings doesn't match financial and lifestyle expectations.

And, largely, I have the diminished expectations of my comrades at the majors to blame.

We have accepted less than full restoration of the profession. "Oh, that's unrealistic now! Paradigm shift.. uhh... LCC carrier competition... uhhh... here, have a nice pen!" and we will see every reason in the world not to even dream about striving to get back to the cash and prizes which drew us to this profession.

I'd even go as far as comparing airline CEO pay and the number of vice presidents in 1982 and compare that to 2012. Seems like only a couple of sectors in the airline business are experiencing this "paradigm shift". eh? :)

No bridge programs, no roadshows, no glossy magazine articles will change the fact that people aren't willing to walk away from the military when they've almost qualify for retirement, or make the financial investment for civilian aviation in order to maybe break into the upper middle class after a few decades.

We live in a world where having a big butt and a sex-tape, or a perma-tan and spiked hair brings you millions over a long weekend."


I gotta say man, it is nice to know and SEE that other people, especially at the mainline level actually GET IT! So thanks, you just made my day. Off to study for my PC now.
 
Was this the one where they interviewed people at ASU? We had some news vans here last week. But why air this 7:40 AM when everyone's is at school, work, flying XC etc. Did I miss much as a noob who is also hoping to get a job after college?
 
During an all hands meeting, a pilot asked during Q&A what the airline planned on doing considering that Delta and United have recently gotten new TAs with huge pay raises for the A320. The CEOs response was that United and Delta pilots are (and I quote) "reckless." That they are now exactly where they were 10 years ago, and that they've screwed their own airline with these new high cost contracts. The pilots in the room went silent, and when the CEO was done talking, the audience applauded (FAs, mechanics, all positions in corporate HQs). It just goes to prove that everyone at the airline already views us pilots as overpaid glorified bus drivers, so you can only imagine but the general public feels.
 
Cherokee_Cruiser said:
During an all hands meeting, a pilot asked during Q&A what the airline planned on doing considering that Delta and United have recently gotten new TAs with huge pay raises for the A320. The CEOs response was that United and Delta pilots are (and I quote) "reckless." That they are now exactly where they were 10 years ago, and that they've screwed their own airline with these new high cost contracts. The pilots in the room went silent, and when the CEO was done talking, the audience applauded (FAs, mechanics, all positions in corporate HQs). It just goes to prove that everyone at the airline already views us pilots as overpaid glorified bus drivers, so you can only imagine but the general public feels.
Click to expand...

There needs to be more to the story for us to understand... Where are you talking about? A regional? A LCC?
 
No, one of the pilots was asking this in response to the growth slowdown. That a lot of guys came here for the quick growth, quick movement. (I didn't, I went there first bite). But for those guys, the pilot asked what they planned on doing since United and Delta are offering a lot more to fly the same plane to basically do the same job. That's what the CEOs response was to.
 
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