...just came here to retire.
So how relevant is your opinion on today's reality?
Enjoy your retirement! I sincerely hope you've enjoyed the true glory days of aviation and that you have an ample and well deserved pension.
Unfortunately the rise of the LCCs will make this nearly impossible for today's generation of pilots. Where Sir Freddie Laker failed with his Skytrain, nowadays Norwegian, Air Berlin, Air Asia, Scoot and Jetstar are successful. It's great for the traveling public, but a horror for any long haul pilot. Life for the short haul pilot is not much better, because the only jobs are in the LCCs.
The same is more or less true for the Middle Eastern carriers, who are disguised low cost airlines when you look at their
overall costs, aided by cheap immigrant workers, no unions and errr 'flexible' labour laws (just read the topics about poor the pay is compared to inflation and cost of living in DXB, DOH and AUH), yet with a premium product so
employees easily confuse them with legacy European carriers.
Sorry old man, I know that it was not all fun and roses during the 70's and 80's, but with the EU deregulation, Open Skies, the EASA FTL's, the Middle Eastern carriers and the EU LCCs hammering away at the T&C's it's a
totally new and different game now.
Unfortunately it seems you're stuck in the past and you think that you can just 'copy paste' the past into the future with all it's ups and downs. You can't...Everyone who is honest and realistic has to admit T&C's are on a seriously downward slope, it has nothing to do with sour grapes, frustration or a poisoned mind.
Again, JW, if you really enjoy flying then stick to general aviation and a PPL/IR/ME!
