Quote:
Originally Posted by Firebird2XC  [I]
Doesn't your career, your livelihood, and the means you provide for your family deserve the same diligence? |
FirebirdXC brings up some excellent points about the state of the regional industry. The legendary Barry Schiff has said that the only way he would recommend anyone entering this industry is if the person entering had an alternate source of income. I am currently trying to pursue an online degree that can lead to job opportunities which satisfy 3 conditions:
1. A source of income during a possible furlough in the airline industry
2. Job security to supplement my present job’s insecurity
3. Flexible work hours with the possibility of working from a remote location. working on the internet while on reserve/overnights)
I think it is every pilot's responsibility (if they can afford it) to have an alternative career that you can switch into if things deteriorate to the point where the regional airline industry is no longer worth it. Otherwise, YOU HAVE TO TAKE WHATEVER YOUR PRESENT COMPANY GIVES YOU in terms of contractual violations, pay cuts, qol decreases because you have no other source of income than the job you already have.
You can call me naive or you can call me extremely naive and stupid, but so far in my time in this industry, the threat of leaving the present company if things get very ###### causes management to take notice. Look at ASA's pilot contract which was being negotiated for so long; the TA was reached at a time when the company was very desperate for pilots because a ton were leaving for DL/NetJets etc and the new hire pilot supply was drying out fast. Look at NWA (as a lesser example); when the company tried to recall all of their pilots in the Spring/Summer 07 to work for lower wages, qol etc, hardly anyone came back forcing NWA to be short-staffed all summer long and many flights to be cancelled towards the end of the months as all their pilots timed out. I hope NWA management will at least have these consequences in the back of their minds when they try to pull a stunt like that next time.
These days you can't responsibly make a regional to major jump in your career unless you have a backup plan that allows for an additional source of income to wait out a furlough.