why it is that we, as pilots, seem willing to fly larger and larger equipment for less and less money? Especially in a time when even if the demand for pilots isn't growing (and I believe it is), the supply is certainly dwindling. Why are most of us, for the lack of better way of putting it, financially dumb?
Its called SJS or "Shiny Jet Syndrome". It usually infects underqualified pilots who want to get ahead at any cost. Therefore, they'll sign up to fly an A320 for half of what the average A320 Captain is making.
Unfortunately, there are some (here even) who believe that flying for low wages doesn't effect other airlines unless they have overlapping route structures.
This could not be farther from the truth. As an example let's look at what I call the "jetBlue phenomenon". When jetBlue opened their doors, they were paying approximately 60% of the wages for narrowbody Captains at U.S. legacy carriers. They paid no pension. Their benefits were substandard by Union Contract standards at the time.
They were, however, the hometown airline in the biggest media market in America. We were bombarded with praise on an almost daily basis about how jetBlue was going to revolutionize the industry. They cut fares in the heavily travelled East Coast market and instituted Transcon service (even though their airplanes frequently could not make the trip non-stop in the winter).
The response from the legacy carriers? They either forced the pilots to take pay cuts by threat of furlough or used the Bankruptcy court to drop pensions and narrowbody wages to jetBlue levels...route system overlap notwithstanding.
Now along comes Virgin at 30% less and Skybus at 50% less than jetBlue. The downward spiral continues and its all due to the individual greed of pilots who accept employment there. They cannot quaify for jobs at the legacy carriers, so they go to work for non-Union airlines who are actively undercutting Union contracts.
Pilots. We're our own worst enemy. And until we band together and treat these "outlaws" like the disease they perpetrate on our profession, they will continue to drive our wages and standard of living down.
A small beginning would be to deny them the Union negotiated privilege of the jumpseat. If they can't get to work, they can't cut our throats.