Truth is I don't have all those toys.....just tired of this constant SAA bashing.....you guys lit the fire (again) and I'm just fueling it out of pure irritation at your "bash SAA at all costs" attitude.
After the taxman has taken his bite out of my salary and I have paid for all those things that my taxes should have provided, there's actually not that much left over for anything else. Private schools for the kids (nothing fancy, just the same that thousands of other Gautengers send their kids to), medical insurance, a bond of just over R1 million, exorbitant rates, taxes, electricity and water bills, insurances and security services, vehicle payments (over-inflated initial vehicle acquisition cost with Netstar, insurance etc), there's little left over for anything else. Certainly not for a BMW motorcycle, private aircraft or holiday spot.
Took me 13 years from the day I started flying to get into SAA.....worked my ass off in many of the ass end of the world places you guys flew, possibly with you, and made it into SAA......no apologies from me for that. We don't look down on you as lesser mortals as so many of you have intimated. We understand that your airlines don't get government bailouts, but you also don't have government interference and politically motivated appointees or commercial obligations. We know your salaries are lower than ours for similiar work.......but 27 years after I first climbed into an aircraft and 15 years after being hired by SAA I am still an FO and still have to make bunks and fold rags and bags when rostered as a P3 while most of you obtained your command after as little as 2 or 3 years with your airline. If you see us on a nightstop in SA, pop over for a chat and a drink.........you'll find that we are friendly and humble and not a bunch of elitists.
Hope to see you out there sometime so that we can change your mindset over a friendly brew.
Last edited by jbayfan; 24th Feb 2012 at 12:28.