A long time ago I left the cockpit and went into university teaching. Now I help students interested in service management understand the transportation industry and often point to my previous experience as a pilot and manager in the industry. We often discuss how the LCC model has influenced the entire industry.
When I started out flying we were aghast when an airline didn't pay some level of salary during training or even required those in initial training to pay their hotel expenses. Southwest required a self-funded type rating on a 737, but nobody really complained about that (
AFAIK, for a period they may have refunded the cost upon completion of training).
Now it seems like the focus on costs, which is understandable, is reaching new levels. I hear of immediate base reassignments with no support for moving, those in sim training sleeping in terminals to save their own dough on a hotel room, the ever-expanding use of contract and temporary pilots (in the US where I flew that was unheard of among the major airlines…where are the unions?), and the list goes on and on. It seems like the national players, e.g. British Airways, Lufthansa, etc. can't just watch and are forced to follow the herd.
I'm wondering…in your experienced opinions…are the LCC standards becoming
the standard? What are the new T&C you have to work under? Are there any bright spots out there…or are we just happy to have a job these days?