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On 3/14/2003 209 PM DCAflyer wrote:
The facts are simple, pilot pay has skyrocketed over the years (at ALL the big 6 hub&spokers) to an unsustainable level and this was one reason (only part of the problem, but a contributing factor nonetheless) that the airlines are in the trouble they are in.
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Pilot pay has not skyrocketed. Take 1990 pay rates, for example, and adjust them for inflation, and the pilots have actually fallen behind where they were 13 years ago. If you want to say that airline revenues have fallen relative to inflation, and that is why we can't afford to pay the pilots what they make, then you at least have a reasonable arguement. But to say that pilot pay has skyrocketed is just an ignorant statement.
Pilot pay has not skyrocketed. Take 1990 pay rates, for example, and adjust them for inflation, and the pilots have actually fallen behind where they were 13 years ago. If you want to say that airline revenues have fallen relative to inflation, and that is why we can't afford to pay the pilots what they make, then you at least have a reasonable arguement. But to say that pilot pay has skyrocketed is just an ignorant statement.
Well, if that is the case then why am I not making $157,000 a year? My father retired in 1989 as a US pilot, he was making top Captains pay at $100,000. Top f/a pay was only 45,000. (of course that is with working overtime) Just prior to the pay cut, top Captains made 350,000, which is 3 and 1/2 times what they did in 1989. So, what happened to the rest of us, if your pay did not sky rocket, maybe we just got the shaft?
I think you have gotten things a bit mixed up, Ralph Kramden said " You're going to the moon Alice", not "I'm Buck Rogers going to the moon".
And we all know what Ralphie boy did for a living.... he was a bus driver too!
So you should change your saying to "No bucks, no Ralph Kramden"
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On 3/15/2003 7:01:15 PM PSA1979 wrote:
Atlantic wrote:
"No bucks,no Buck Rogers"
I think you have gotten things a bit mixed up, Ralph Kramden said " You're going to the moon Alice", not "I'm Buck Rogers going to the moon".
And we all know what Ralphie boy did for a living.... he was a bus driver too!
So you should change your saying to "No bucks, no Ralph Kramden"
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So, if you now equate an airline pilot to a bus driver, it must then follow that:
*Flight Attendants equate to waitresses,
*A&Ps equate to "Jiffy Lube" mechanics,
*Utility workers equate to janitors,
*Gate agents equate to the ticket takers and box office workers down at the local metroplex,
* Res agents equate to the telemarketer who calls during dinner,
* Airline passengers equate "Greyhound" riders
Are you in management??
No wonder the industry is bankrupt. At least we know where $35M of the money went.
Dcaflyer maybe you should begin your lifelong ambition to become a pilot. You can get some of those skyrocketing wages for yourself and live happily ever after.
No. I am not in management, and it was my Father, a retired U pilot who originally said he was just a Greyhound driver in the sky. Public transportation is public transportation. I am a F/A or as you say "waitress" in the sky. I am a realist!
The last 10 posts have nothing to do the orginal intent of this thread! Nothing but the typical blame game, you make more or less than me, adjusted for inflation.
Come on, let's get back on the Airway here....Time is short, but blaming is runnning way to long.
That is exactly the point I was trying to make. It is sad; in the not so distant past, all airline workers acted and felt like they were part of family. Amongst different airlines, but especially within your own. Managements divide and conquer strategies have worked well to enrich themselves whilst labor groups bicker among themselves to get a share of the ever shrinking pie. Unfortunately the "Coaches" of the team see the score is 25-7 and with the clock running out, want the players to go back in and take some more hits for the team using the same game plan that has failed for the last 58 minutes. Time is indeed running out.
Once again, a big thanks to you! I don't see my self as a waitress and resent being called one. This is not to put down the hard work wait staff do, but they are not in a metal tube 35,000 feet in the air with limited ability to rely on anyone but their fellow coworkers should the going get crazy.
Waiters can call 911 or the cops. We have to deal with what's happening on the spot. That could be anything from an irate pax unhappy about his seat assignment to a fire in the lavs or a medical emergency. I am well-trained to deal with all those situations. Not many servers are called upon to evacuate their place of work AFTER making sure everyone else is out and safe.
I see my profession as a cross between diplomate, caregiver and safety professional first. I also take pride in a service well done, no matter if it's a pretzel and drinks flight or a full on proper first class dinner flight. Every day is a challenge to see to it my pax are as safe and comfortable as I can manage.
I further resent the pilots, mechanics and Customer Service Agents being demeaned. Take a walk in their shoes for just one day. I depend on the training, skills and talent of the these folks to keep ME and my pax safe. There is nothing "glorified" about our professions. Anyone who thinks otherwise is ignorant.
If someone thinks their job is so demeaning, maybe it's time to review your career choice. Don't try to "cop out" and give me some line about "waiting for your gold pass" or retirement. Those could be gone in any time now. Better you take a leave or quit and find something better suited to your personality and temperment. Start building time at a new job while you're young enough to hope for a retirement. Plenty of our coworkers are furloughed and would love the opportunity to fill your sad shoes.