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A300Capt · August 3rd, 2005, 16:04

[ QUOTE ]
Hey, UPS, I heard that UPS pilot slots are some of the hardest in the industry to obtain. Is this due to the type of flying you guys do or is it due to the type of equipment you guys use or something else (such as, why take lower time guys if you don't have too)?

[/ QUOTE ]

UPS is making profits of close to a BILLION dollars every quarter and double digit growth internationally. Pax carriers are bleeding red and losing 100's of millions a quarter along with an uncertain future.

I wish every airline was doing well, profitable and all pilots and employees enjoyed a secure future but the reality is that it's a dog-eat-dog business and very unstable. It's a tough career to make it to the top and it's tough to maintain that spot for an entire career. There are very few places that someone can probably still put in a 30+ yr flying career. UPS and FedEx are two of those.

The truth is...flying passengers has never been a money making proposition. Pax carriers make most of their profits from the freight carried in the belly. That being the case..imagine the profit margin of a wide body loaded to the gills with freight and next day air envelopes as opposed to $69 fares.

In this day and age, why folks put pax carriers as their number 1 choice for a flying career is beyond me. I realize we all take what we can get but to put a non-profitable pax carrier above a profitable cargo carrier on your dream sheet makes little sense.

Long term...who would you want to work for? You can then probably guess why slots are so competitive at UPS and FedEx.

August 3rd, 2005, 16:04	#59
A300Capt Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Louisville, Kentucky Posts: 711	Re: Any UPS pilots? [ QUOTE ] Hey, UPS, I heard that UPS pilot slots are some of the hardest in the industry to obtain. Is this due to the type of flying you guys do or is it due to the type of equipment you guys use or something else (such as, why take lower time guys if you don't have too)? [/ QUOTE ] UPS is making profits of close to a BILLION dollars every quarter and double digit growth internationally. Pax carriers are bleeding red and losing 100's of millions a quarter along with an uncertain future. I wish every airline was doing well, profitable and all pilots and employees enjoyed a secure future but the reality is that it's a dog-eat-dog business and very unstable. It's a tough career to make it to the top and it's tough to maintain that spot for an entire career. There are very few places that someone can probably still put in a 30+ yr flying career. UPS and FedEx are two of those. The truth is...flying passengers has never been a money making proposition. Pax carriers make most of their profits from the freight carried in the belly. That being the case..imagine the profit margin of a wide body loaded to the gills with freight and next day air envelopes as opposed to $69 fares. In this day and age, why folks put pax carriers as their number 1 choice for a flying career is beyond me. I realize we all take what we can get but to put a non-profitable pax carrier above a profitable cargo carrier on your dream sheet makes little sense. Long term...who would you want to work for? You can then probably guess why slots are so competitive at UPS and FedEx.