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The pilot, who’s been apprised of these developments, must now make the crucial call of whether to wait for the errant valises and risk a late departure I'm ac
by creativename 14y ago
The pilot, who’s been apprised of these developments, must now make the crucial call of whether to wait for the errant valises and risk a late departure
I'm actually surprised that it comes down to the pilot's call - you'd think that their job is to just worry about flying the plane, not whether baggage has made it or not.
- autophil 14y agoAnd the fact pilots (in the U.S. anyway) make only slightly more money than a McDonalds employee.
- blhack 14y agoI'm sorry, but no, this is bullshit. SOME pilots on regional flights make a really low salary, but that's because they experience requirements for them are incredibly low. Working those jobs is like a continuation of school, except you get paid just enough to buy food, instead of paying for the right to fly.
- wtvanhest 14y agoIt’s not total bullshit. Salaries for regional pilots are extremely low and their hours are terrible which is why I always avoid those planes when possible. Private jet pilots are almost as screwed. Most regional jet pilots barely make enough to survive after they have a 4 year degree and have qualified for a number of ratings (licenses). After becoming a regional pilot, they then have a shot (small percentage chance) of working for a major carrier making approximately $50k per year (this would be someone in their late 20s early 30s applying for that job in most cases). If they are lucky they will make captain 20 years down the road and make $150k. http://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/pilot-salary-SRCH_KO0,5.htm http://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/pilot-salary-SRCH_KO0,5.ht...
- Wingman4l7 14y agoCheck out http://www.salon.com/topic/ask_the_pilot/ http://www.salon.com/topic/ask_the_pilot/ -- he's done at least one good piece on the myth of the overpaid pilot.
- bdunbar 14y agoI don't think your link - at least the first page - supports your conclusion. Average salary for a pilot at American Eagle - a regional airline affiliated with American - is 46k. Average salary for a fast-food manager/assistant manager are 33-39k (see my link upthread).
- wtvanhest 14y agoHere are the salaries for American Eagle Pilots: http://www.aviationinterviews.com/pilot/payrates/American-Eagle-10.html http://www.aviationinterviews.com/pilot/payrates/American-Ea... Notice how the FO (first officer) also called copilot starts at $21,669? Here is the shocking thing, if that same guy got a job as a store manager at American Eagle Outfitters, he would make almost 50% more: http://www.glassdoor.com/Salary/American-Eagle-Outfitters-Salaries-E2642.htm http://www.glassdoor.com/Salary/American-Eagle-Outfitters-Sa... And, before you say you should compare captains wages with manager wages, remember, the guy flying the plane is way better qualified to run an American Eagle Outfitters than the manager. But, what is the upper limit at American Eagle??? Well after you put in 20 years of service and you fly their absolute biggest jet you can expect to make just under $85k per year: Here is what you fly: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embraer_ERJ_145_family http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embraer_ERJ_145_family I'm not saying piloting is a bad job, I'm just saying that there are a lot of low paying jobs out there in Aviation and I think it is funny how little information people have on the topic. In short, it isn't "total" bullshit.
- stevencorona 14y agoWow- didn't think this was true, but googling found this: "On the low end, first-year pilots at US Airways would, theoretically, earn a minimum $21,600 a year. For that, they would work 72 hours a month at the controls of a plane (lots more hours are involved in flight preparations, overnights and sitting around waiting)."
- troebr 14y agoI had to deal with US Airways for the first time last week (not from the US). It was at Laguardia, all the other airplane companies had flatscreens and whatnot, US Airways seemed to have been stuck in the 80's with letter boards. They were very courteous though. But damn they looked cheap.
- jimktrains2 14y agoWhat's the matter with Solari boards?
- dguaraglia 14y agoThis is true of most American companies. A while ago I was travelling a lot to Europe (England in particular) from Brazil. On every single flight you'd get personal entertainment systems installed on fairly new planes and great onboard service. Now I'm living in the US. Every time I travel (either inside the US or to South America) I feel like American companies are not even trying.
- jrockway 14y agoThey are trying and succeeding. The only amenity that Americans care about are the absolute lowest prices. (Does your fare comparison site let you search by the availability of entertainment devices? Nope. Because nobody actually cares.) Considering you can regularly fly NYC-SFO round-trip for about $250, a distance of 5000 miles, I think they're doing a pretty good job. If you want free food and nicer seats, fly first class.
- 14y ago
- bdunbar 14y agopilots (in the U.S. anyway) make only slightly more money than a McDonalds employee. Really? Pilots http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Airline_Pilot%2c_Copilot%2c_or_Flight_Engineer/Hourly_Rate http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Airline_Pilot%2c_Cop... McDonalds http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Industry=Fast_Food_Restaurant%28s%29/Hourly_Rate http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Industry=Fast_Food_Resta...
- zalew 14y agoit's about the captain (while there can be many pilots, the captain is one), he's in control of the aircraft and the last word is always his. Yet I've heard they can get orders to wait f.x. for premium clients.
- rprasad 14y agoPremium clients can singlehandedly make a flight profitable (and in some cases, pay more for their last minute reservations than all of coach combined), so there's a damn good reason to wait for them.
- toomuchtodo 14y agoAs someone who has paid upwards of $8K for a last-minute first class ticket (6 hours booking to flight), I don't doubt this at all.
- zalew 14y agoAFAIK whole airline routes are determined only by business class demand, not couch (except discount airlines).
- mikeash 14y agoIf it wasn't his call, that would mean that somebody else would be telling him to wait for bags, or to go right away. That seems worse, not better.
- creativename 14y agoI guess I always imagined it was something like: Pilot(s) - *Doing pilot pre-flight things* Gate Agent - "Alright, gate's closed, you're all clear!" Ground Crew - "Alright, baggage is done, you're all clear!" Pilot(s) - *Done doing pre-flight things* "Okay, let's get permission from air traffic control to start taxi." I imagined that whether or not all the bags (or even passengers) made it was of little concern to the pilots.
- Splines 14y ago> I imagined that whether or not all the bags (or even passengers) made it was of little concern to the pilots. I'm imagining the pilot nonchalantly pulling away from the terminal while late passengers are spilling out of the terminal connector.
- mikeash 14y agoYour imagined scenario has him waiting for the bags, though! The pilot has to know what's happening with his plane (e.g. are all the bags loaded or not) and is the final authority on everything that happens with the plane, so it all just comes out of that.