Johnny 767 hit it right on the HEAD! “Imagine what a Boeing 777 Captain would earn, if his skill was transferable….”
This is the fundamental problem with ALPA and every other concept in American aviation. The fact is that YOUR skills ARE TRANSFERABLE just no one tells you so! A-320 Captains can make 200K a year after taxes. They can live in 4000 sq ft villas paid for by the company. They can receive 30-50K a year bonuses and stock GRANTS that only senior management receives in the USA. The problem is everyone argues about the scraps like a bunch of seagulls on the beach. Multiply the dollars for the larger equipment, but the facts are true. Here are a few websites to look at but guys until you take your services away from the folks in charge you will NEVER GET PAID WHAT YOU DESERVE!
Gulf Air = $10,000+ per month for sitting home (max 14K+ excluding housing.)
http://www.arabianbusiness.com/49598...in-20mn-scheme
Emirates $8,000+ per month basic + housing etc apx value $14K plus flight pay.
http://www.airlinepilotcentral.com/a.../emirates.html
Etihad = $12,500+ per month + flight pay and mortgage payment.
Air Arabia = $11,100+ per month + flight pay.
http://www.airarabia.com/documents/a...package_en.pdf
All of these include educations allowance that totals about 28-35K a year for private schooling for your kids. Free medical using USA, UK or German doctors and hospitals. Not to mention 45 days vacations a year to start, retirement, stock (for some companies) bonus etc. It is normal for Captains to make $13-15K a month ($16-18K with schooling and $17-20K for flying 90hrs/mo) for flying a B-737 or A-320. Not much difference for a B-777 or A-340 (or 380 for that matter.)
ALL TAX FREE AND NO DUES!
Go to Asiana, Cathy, Eva and do the same. Put in India and you will find it far more lucrative with guys flying A-340s making $15-17K a month. Want to fly an A-380 for Kingfisher, you have some heavy time, you could make a deal for well into the $25K range a month.
http://www.flykingfisher.com/careers.asp Want to fly an A-340 for Jet Airways to London? Ok you could command $20K a month and a base NOT IN INDIA but Europe.
http://www.jetairways.com/Cultures/e...t+Application/
Guys the opportunities are unbelievable, but it will never change in the USA as long as you guys continue to fight for the scraps. The rest of the world has guys flying 12-15 days a month making $15-20+ grand to do so. As I said in my previous post I retired from that mess a number of years ago. The fighting has not changed only the names did (Piedmont-US Air to American West-US Air.)
Take a small little company like Air Arabia, they started 4 years ago like most of the companies did out side the USA. I mean the Chinese companies (China Southern, China Eastern etc) the Indian companies (Kingfisher, Spice Jet, Indigo etc.) and the Middle East companies (Etihad, Jezzier etc.)
Air Arabia (ABY) had a couple airplanes and flew to a few cities – nothing for those of us in the mega carriers. Inside a few years they had 10 planes and flew to 39 cities. They just ordered 50 planes, paid $3.9 billion CASH and plan to fly to 80 cities in the next 2 years. They started with a dozen plus pilots and today have a couple hundred hiring all the time. 40% of their Captains were F/Os less than 2 years ago. Average pay is over $13,000 tax free per month plus perks. Average price for gas is less than $1.30 per gallon for 93 Octane (lowest available) and tuition for American University at Sharjah (accredited by Middle States Schools and Colleges in association with University of Delaware) is less than $5,000 per semester. Also GWU, George Mason, Boston College, Duke and SUNY are represented at the same price.
Furloughed guys from many carriers flew in this part of the world and while definitely different, no where near what anyone ever had the last 15 years in the USA. Guys that would not see the left seat in ANYTHING were sitting left seat in an A-330 of B-777 after only a few years. It would take them decades to get into the RIGHT seat but now they have time as boss.
Emirates just order some 20 billion dollars worth of planes including the 380 (total 60 planes after their initial order) along with only 11 more 777s. They have a fleet of over a hundred planes where the smallest is an A-330 (except for 2 A-310s for cargo that are going out.)
So while I gave 1% of what is out there, as long as every one of you argues over who gets what and who deserves what, the USA airline management will continue to have you fight over the scraps? The Steven Wolfs of the airline industry will walk away with millions, villas over looking the Seine River and their wine portfolios while pilots will loose their retirements, pay, lifestyles – should I say seniority.
You can blame ALPA (and I have little love for them even though I was a member for over a quarter century) it is not their fault. As my old instructor use to say “S—t or get off the pot!” Maybe it is time for the American aviator to take his services to a part of the world that appreciates it and is willing to pay for it in more ways than the average ALPA pilot could ever imagine. ALPA can not help you nor will it attempt. It will argue like a politician (we all know they are – featherbedding) and attempt to convince one side (the larger or more financially able side) that the other side is wrong and just should shut up and take it. But the ultimate goal is like a virus in the human body – simply perpetuate itself for its own purpose at whatever expense it may take! The Real World without ALPA!
China = 1.5 billion passengers and the world’s second largest economy.
India = 1.2 billion passengers and the world’s third largest economy.
FSU (Former Soviet Union) = 480 million passengers and the world fifth largest economy.
Shanghai to Mumbai (Bombay) is 2717 nautical miles with 2.7 billion people (44% of the world’s population and 29.1% of the world’s wealth.) Moscow-Shanghai-Mumbai triangle has 3.2 billion people (50 %+) of the world’s population with 59% of the world’s 2007 economic growth. USA <2%, Europe <3% and China 13+%, India 11+% Russia 7.3%. Throw in the Middle East and while the population only goes up slightly the economics leaps to over 71%. Cheap Oil too!
BTW load factors of all carriers mentioned above is greater that 85% year over year.
Guys and gals the world is wide open and would really like to see you guys do what is necessary to protect your – our – profession. I have done what I could and as many say, one man yelling is like “pis-ing in the wind.” Well it seems that more are feeling that anger. It is not the AMW or AAA guy that is the problem. It is what the aviation system has degenerated into in the USA. We are not the threats at security nor are we the enemy to our passengers. The system has portrayed each and every one of us as such and the only recourse we feel we have is to fight with each other. But I suggest we have another option. Take our football and leave the field. Maybe then, when the pulling guard has left the field, will the rest of the team (and fans – passengers) understand that the 400 pounder was the guy that allowed the half back to get through the line?
Burners and Out!