ThePotato232: Well-put.
One benefit which many airline pilots had in the late 60s and 70s was the fact that many were hired, whether with a GA background, or from a T-38, C-123 etc, into a transport aircraft which had either reciprocating or turboprop engines. All pilots in this group flew around at lower altitudes and mostly in lower-performance airliners, no matter what their background.
A very large number were hired as FO on the F-27/227, the Convair
600/640/580 or the Martin-404. Some of these were not very high performance. I've jumpseated in a few of them. Anyway, they flew into many small airports with no control tower, and into some busy larger airports, such
as Las Vegas, Atlanta, Minneapolis and Chicago, to name a few, and in quickly changing weather.
Their companies then received either DC-9s or 737s, allowing them at a fairly young age to then quite often fly longer legs into LAX, SEA, ORD, MSP, LGA etc. Many of these became familiar with all-weather airline ops years before they first streaked in their first jet past the airport at 250 knots, wondering when to slow down. They learned quickly whether there was a tight 'coffin corner' at high altitude, or not (i.e. DC-9), and after a while, whether staggering to the highest possible altitude at climb power on a hot day (the same altitudes as the turbulence in storm overhangs/'blow-off') saved much fuel in a heavily-loaded plane after an interesting reduced-flap takeoff while wallowing into the air with EGTs near the top of the yellow arc (over 500*C.).
As for the pay, there is probably less purchasing power now, factoring inflation into it, on a CRJ FO's $1600/ month salary, than with first year pay in the right seat of a DC-9 or B-737 in 1985 (i.e. $1400/month, before taxes).
But this was only the bad first year pay. It increased, by contract, a good bit in the second, then third years etc.
Sadly, the new DC-9 or 737 is a CRJ or EMB-170. I doubt that the purchasing power of an FO's salary on the CRJ, even in the EMB-170's FO seat would ever begin to equate to what his predecessors' FO pay produced from about '85-2003.
And these jets' salaries have mostly replaced the much higher purchasing power (inflation included) which historically was fairly common, for flying aircraft on the exact same city pairs. Most of these city pairs, whether DTW-ATL, ATL-VPS, ORD-MBS, MSP-FAR, MEM-PHL, DFW-SHV, HOU-BTR, were all connected non-stop for many years by either a DC-9 dash 10, a 30, a B-737 200 or a Fokker 100 etc. Many younger pilots are not aware of what went before them. Upper Mgmts have often exploited this lack of awareness, in so many ways.
The promises of the fairly typical airline executives, that "for less money on your first jet, you can upgrade to jet Captain much sooner", will continue to depress, and even lower the buying power of the younger pilots' salaries. It is a very unfortunate trend. Far fewer major airline jobs are now available, and almost all of the best US jobs regarding salaries etc lure pilots to fly cargo, instead of passengers. Some are now told during the interview at a start-up carrier, they will earn about $99/hour on the EMB-170 etc. But they have no written contract (and worse, no union-yet).
One guy told me that he is considering giving up years on the CRJ to join such an outfit with no seniority, all on corporate promises. It depresses me to think about the bait and switch tactics so common in this industry, designed to lure pilots into an operation which will make dire threats as their careers become so abused that they desperately need a union, while fearing, as a result, the transfer of their planes to another carrier under the same codeshare, whether at Mesa, Mesaba, etc.
The pervasive corruption, "alleged"
insider-trading, total lack of integrity and half-truths and lies in this business never stop. Some companies' typical operating style is to break any and all promises, whether day-off guarantees, contract rest/duty rules (with the FAA's collaboration) and numerous basic FARs, or any combination of the above. One former airline stock-owner reportedly has a ship in the Med. which is at least 400 feet long. He and his partner tried to secretly sell off one of the lucrative Pacific routes and pocket the cash in the 90s, as that US airline struggled with an enormous debt load, due to the type of financing used to purchase the airline.
To quote one of our 64 year-old ROPEs ('retired old pilot FE', who is a former Eastern pilot) with whom I chatted last week,"There will never be a shortage of scumbag executives to work in this industry."
The best of luck out there to all you young pilots.