Airline Pilots, They Aren't In Control Of Their Career
Airline Pilots have very little control.
That is the conclusion I have come to after being in the airline industry for over six years now. I am in very little control of my future. With the airline pilot seniority system I am very limited in my ability to switch jobs. This is especially true after a pilot is with an airline for a few years.
Now throw into the equation all the other factors like the economy, fuel prices, airline managers mismanaging the airline and the FAA, I don't have any control.
Before you say "That is life, it is like that for all people", I say just the seniority system alone makes airline pilot careers much different.
I know that there are a lot of things in life that we are along for the ride but I feel like I have less control then other jobs. The biggest limiting factor is the seniority system. If I go to any other airline I will start at the bottom of the seniority list. It doesn't matter if you are Chuck Yeager you start at the bottom and at the bottom of the pay scale.
The problem with this is that there are not many good choices to make a job change to. Sure there are a few good airlines that I could handle being at the bottom of the seniority list, but this is just a couple. These airlines are also very hard to get on with and you often need to know the right people to get in.
When the economy takes a dump I know a lot of people suffer and have to make job changes. A middle manager or educated person often can apply to another company and stay at the same level or improve. An airline pilot on the other hand can't change because of the seniority system and they have to ride it out with the airline and take whatever pay cuts the airline wants to make the pilots take. If the airline goes out of business like Independence Air did the the pilots have to start over and there are not that many flying jobs out there. Oh, and they get to start at the very bottom no matter what their experience is.
Fuel Prices and Airlines
Fuel prices have really take a toll on the airlines. The problem with the airlines is that they are not raising ticket prices fast enough to offset the fuel costs. They have taken it out of the only expense they can, the pilots and employees of the airlines. The employees that have probably taken the smallest pay cuts as always are the management. Most companies are able to raise the price of their product or service to offset the fuel prices. For example the Post Office raised the Priority Mail. Starbucks coffee at the store is now higher. If the airlines could raise their ticket prices this easily then all would be ok.
Airline Mismanagement
I have seen this in action at the airline I am at and read about it at others. There are not too many airlines that seem to have the best and brightest. This in the end really decrease the quality of a airline pilots lifestyle. The are in control, not the pilot and when they want to do something that is not good for the pilots they do it. They disregard the pilot contract constantly, some issues are small and some big.
The FAA
When a pilot makes a mistake there are times it is career ending. When a pilot develops a medical condition many are career ending.
A airline pilot doesn't get too many chances to make mistakes. The FAA can be very harsh in some situations where the pilot is no longer qualified to fly.
An airline captain has to take a medical exam every six months. If the pilot develops a condition the FAA may find him not fit to fly. Guess what, the pilot gets to start over.
I think the biggest limiting factor for airline pilots is the seniority system. This is why so many pilots are stuck at the same airline for so many years no matter how good or bad it is. This is going to be a serious problem in the future with such instability at the airlines. Over the next 30 years there will be so many airlines come and go and each time an airline goes all the pilots get to start over. A pilot can only afford this very few times. After so many it is not worth continuing in the airline industry.
For some this could be a blessing in disguise. I have heard of some Eastern Airline Pilots who have been very successful after finding other career outside of aviation when the airline shut down. They were much more successful then if they had continued being airline pilots.
That is the conclusion I have come to after being in the airline industry for over six years now. I am in very little control of my future. With the airline pilot seniority system I am very limited in my ability to switch jobs. This is especially true after a pilot is with an airline for a few years.
Now throw into the equation all the other factors like the economy, fuel prices, airline managers mismanaging the airline and the FAA, I don't have any control.
Before you say "That is life, it is like that for all people", I say just the seniority system alone makes airline pilot careers much different.
I know that there are a lot of things in life that we are along for the ride but I feel like I have less control then other jobs. The biggest limiting factor is the seniority system. If I go to any other airline I will start at the bottom of the seniority list. It doesn't matter if you are Chuck Yeager you start at the bottom and at the bottom of the pay scale.
The problem with this is that there are not many good choices to make a job change to. Sure there are a few good airlines that I could handle being at the bottom of the seniority list, but this is just a couple. These airlines are also very hard to get on with and you often need to know the right people to get in.
When the economy takes a dump I know a lot of people suffer and have to make job changes. A middle manager or educated person often can apply to another company and stay at the same level or improve. An airline pilot on the other hand can't change because of the seniority system and they have to ride it out with the airline and take whatever pay cuts the airline wants to make the pilots take. If the airline goes out of business like Independence Air did the the pilots have to start over and there are not that many flying jobs out there. Oh, and they get to start at the very bottom no matter what their experience is.
Fuel Prices and Airlines
Fuel prices have really take a toll on the airlines. The problem with the airlines is that they are not raising ticket prices fast enough to offset the fuel costs. They have taken it out of the only expense they can, the pilots and employees of the airlines. The employees that have probably taken the smallest pay cuts as always are the management. Most companies are able to raise the price of their product or service to offset the fuel prices. For example the Post Office raised the Priority Mail. Starbucks coffee at the store is now higher. If the airlines could raise their ticket prices this easily then all would be ok.
Airline Mismanagement
I have seen this in action at the airline I am at and read about it at others. There are not too many airlines that seem to have the best and brightest. This in the end really decrease the quality of a airline pilots lifestyle. The are in control, not the pilot and when they want to do something that is not good for the pilots they do it. They disregard the pilot contract constantly, some issues are small and some big.
The FAA
When a pilot makes a mistake there are times it is career ending. When a pilot develops a medical condition many are career ending.
A airline pilot doesn't get too many chances to make mistakes. The FAA can be very harsh in some situations where the pilot is no longer qualified to fly.
An airline captain has to take a medical exam every six months. If the pilot develops a condition the FAA may find him not fit to fly. Guess what, the pilot gets to start over.
I think the biggest limiting factor for airline pilots is the seniority system. This is why so many pilots are stuck at the same airline for so many years no matter how good or bad it is. This is going to be a serious problem in the future with such instability at the airlines. Over the next 30 years there will be so many airlines come and go and each time an airline goes all the pilots get to start over. A pilot can only afford this very few times. After so many it is not worth continuing in the airline industry.
For some this could be a blessing in disguise. I have heard of some Eastern Airline Pilots who have been very successful after finding other career outside of aviation when the airline shut down. They were much more successful then if they had continued being airline pilots.
posted by Jet Airline Pilot at 2:59 PM
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