Will regional pay ever go up?
- Thread starter future pilot
- Start date
N826AW
Off-Duty Cop
Agreed. I think the only thing that prevents that from happening is the fact that the only airlines flying 777s in the US have heavily unionzed pilot groups, where the top 300-500 guys have a ton of seniority.
If an upstart like Virgin America started paying guys $75k to fly left seat in a 777 I don't doubt they'd have trouble filling seats.
I would imagine insurance requirements at a major flying 280 seat airplanes are a little different than that of a regional. I seem to remember Colgan had issues putting their 250 hr guys directly into the Q when they first put it online.
Regional pay has been going up for years now. Hasn't kept up with inflation(what job has?) but it indeed has been going up for quite some time. In the late 90s FOs used to start at $14-16/hr on the jet.
Pshhhh. Look at the yearly earnings, not the hourly wage. My last year as an auto tech, I made $22.50 an hour, and grossed $76k. I worked mon. thru fri. one saturday a month. And I never maid a red cent of overtime.
P.S. It's a good thing I have an understanding wife, else I'd still be a greasy d-bag.
SpiraMirabilis
Possible Subversive
Regional pay has gone up. Look at Continental Express' payrates in the 90s. It's just sad that while regional pay has gone up a bit, the number of seats and range of "regional" aircraft have gone up a lot more.
NOGUFFCHET
Well-Known Member
Regional pay has been going up for years now. Hasn't kept up with inflation(what job has?) but it indeed has been going up for quite some time. In the late 90s FOs used to start at $14-16/hr on the jet.
14 dollars an hour x 1400 hrs= $19600/yr.
16 dollars an hour x 1400 hrs= $22400/yr.
uhhhh, doesn't look like pay has gone up. just thought i would point that out, nothing personal.
Actually, it has gone up!
Unfortunately, that sector is still set up to put the fire under your butt to upgrade quickly, which isn't necessarily the most product to keep an experienced butt in the right seat in the macro sense.
Alchemy
Well-Known Member
Doubtful, unless scope clauses at the majors get even more lax (not that I advocate that, quite the opposite). Bigger planes were the impetus for the regional wage increases over the past 10-15 years. I was just forced to take a 6% pay cut so I'd say we'll be lucky to keep up with the cost of living for the forseeable future. Heck even Mesa wasn't really able to improve their pay in the last contract. If the bottom rung can't even get thrown a bone, that doesn't bode well for the rest of us.
planesiscool
New Member
Unless you realize that being a pilot is a job like anything else. It is very fun to fly but paying $70K for flight training to rush to the top...what's the point? As a pilot you don't make the $200K anymore unless you are lucky/well connected. It is certainly a worthy profession but SJS isn't worth mountains of debt and years of hard times.
CoffeeIcePapers
Well-Hung Member
Regional pay has been going up for years now. Hasn't kept up with inflation(what job has?) but it indeed has been going up for quite some time. In the late 90s FOs used to start at $14-16/hr on the jet.
And how much more does the RJ fly now, as opposed to 19 years ago?
Trip7
Well-Known Member
And how long have you been an auto tech? What's starting pay like?
Are you an airline pilot? You do know the max you can fly is 1000 hrs in a yr right? So its more like $14,000 to 16,000 a yr in the 90s.
Pay isn't great but overall it has went up with the conditions at hire alot better. Had a Capt tell me he was making $21 an hr 3rd year of the CR2. This is after paying $10,000 up front after getting hired at ASA, and then going thru a brutal Brasilia program where close to 50% washed out while paying for your hotel during training.
Pay was on the verge of going up even more recently until Age 65 closed the doors and gave regional management, and flight school owners(who were losing all their instructors) and sigh of relief. 3 more years and the music will start again.
Trip7
Well-Known Member
CoffeeIcePapers
Well-Hung Member
The RJ flies just as many people today as when it came out in the mid to late 90s.
According to this MIT study, the RJ has expanded exponentially since 1993.
http://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/handle/1721.1/35881/regional-jet-operations.pdf?sequence=1
SpiraMirabilis
Possible Subversive
Where is 1400 hours coming from? Considering that is 400 more than you can fly legally in a year.
CoffeeIcePapers
Well-Hung Member
It doesn't really matter... The pay sucks. The pilots know it, management knows it, and yet, as a pilot group, we take it. Again, where are the unions?
These pilots are getting paid slightly above poverty line. I understand there are training costs, but that is a cost of doing business. If they can't afford to train their pilots and pay them a decent wage, THEY SHOULDN'T BE IN BUSINESS. IMO, starting pay should be 30k a year guarantee. At 70 hours a month, that averages to about $35 an hour. Doesn't seem all that unresonable considering plumbers get more than that, and they aren't responsible for 20-70 people in the back.
SpiraMirabilis
Possible Subversive
What are the unions supposed to do exactly that they haven't been doing before? Do you know anything about the Railway Labor Act? For the past 8 years unions have been able to say "Well it's not fair!" and that's it.
Firebird2XC
Well-Known Member
As of about sometime last year, RJ flying, aka "Regional Feed" has grown to cover nearly 50% of revenue operations per most major brands. AA seems to be an exception and their scope clause has limited Eagle and regional affiliates to about 38%. AMR currently wants to change that as well.
In OTHER words, Regional pilots, WELCOME TO THE REST OF YOUR CAREER.
Click the link in my signature line before if you'd like to learn more.
CoffeeIcePapers
Well-Hung Member
You mean the Railway Labor Act of 1929? What the hell is the point of a union then?:banghead:
SpiraMirabilis
Possible Subversive
Amended in 1936! Well, if you want a union that is actually able to negotiate then we should have voted Bush Jr out of office 5 years ago. It was his policy of saying 'No Airline Strikes' which basically means that management 1) can negotiate in basically bad faith, because all they gotta say is 'what you gonna do about it? strike?? nya nay nayhhhh!' plus 2) even if they do agree to something they could if necessary just declare BK and void the contract.
Realistically the best solution is to modernize the RLA, or remove it entirely.
Realistically the best solution is to modernize the RLA, or remove it entirely.
To be fair, let's not fully blame Bush Jr. Clinton didn't allow American to strike in the late '90s, ordering them back to work.
