Industry Outlook:

[flyitup]

Can someone please remind me why we're all involved in this industry? Sometimes I wonder...

[davetheflyer]

Pretty much where we are now. I think that UAL and USAir will not be the only airlines in bankruptcy. I think that UAL will survive, no thanks to the machinists (according to USA Today, their current unofficial motto is "Highest pay until the last day"). The BK judge will probably approve pay cuts for UAL.

I think that there is no question that the regionals will continue to expand as the majors cut costs. Low fare, low frills outfits will also do well. I think that for much of the flying public, their choice of airline is based solely on cost of the ticket.

The full fare majors are obviously going to be hurting for at least 3-5 years. This is based on their high fixed operating costs, not just labor.

Wild cards are the current war fears, terror attacks, and how many pilots will flood the market if one or more companies fail.

[Louie1975]

Hey Doug(& A300 capt, or anybody for that matter):

Does the radiation thing ever bother you? I read that a transatlantic flight is equivalent to a chest x-ray. I think I also read that the actual cancer rate for airline crew isn't really that much higher than the general population, I think the concern becomes for pregnant women and maybe some other cases. But getting nuked a couple times a week(I'd love to fly transatlantic) isn't a comforting thought. I guess I'l deal with getting nuked if I get to fly a Boeing/Airbus JFK-Athens!

Those guys in the GV flying at FL510 must be getting fried. But I know they dont fly as much as airline pilots.

[Snow]

Well I'm trying to look at the bright side being a prospective pilot. Surely you think the benifits outweigh the bad aspects or else you wouldn't be doing it? Sure it's a pain being out at hotels at weird hours but all the time off without having to write reports and such must be nice, not having to take your work home with you.

But isn't it a case of, if you love what your doing, then everything else will fall into place? You do love the flying don't you?

Me personally, I think what pilots have to put up with is a million times better than having a office job, that would drive me nuts.

Are you really unhappy with what your doing or just idly complaining? Maybe you'd be happier as a corporate pilot Doug?

[Doug Taylor]

[ QUOTE ]
Well I'm trying to look at the bright side being a prospective pilot. Surely you think the benifits outweigh the bad aspects or else you wouldn't be doing it? Sure it's a pain being out at hotels at weird hours but all the time off without having to write reports and such must be nice, not having to take your work home with you.

But isn't it a case of, if you love what your doing, then everything else will fall into place? You do love the flying don't you?

Me personally, I think what pilots have to put up with is a million times better than having a office job, that would drive me nuts.

Are you really unhappy with what your doing or just idly complaining? Maybe you'd be happier as a corporate pilot Doug?

[/ QUOTE ]

Nah corporate aviation is, in a lot of ways, worse than the airlines because you may be part-91 and all of the rules and protections of part-121/135 don't apply. Plus, I wouldn't be comfortable with the ever present possibility that the company would sell the aircraft and utilize a fractional to keep costs down.

We don't have to write reports on our off days, but we do have recurrent training, 5 1/2 hour poorly written recurrent groundschool on a CD-ROM... We have way more bulletins and memos than the law allows (and many conflict with one another).

Some are funny like "If you have a control malfunction in flight, please be sure to follow applicable procedures while noting flight control deflection, airspeed, altitude, throttle position, level of automation and atmospheric conditions and include that in your report".