What airlines don't realise and/or not care about is that pilot life is all about 2 things and 2 things only:
1) Rostering (this includes destinations, day/night operations, days off and leave)
2) Money (this is about cost of living and whats left over for saving after all bills)
Other issues like ease of admin (ME carriers are big on this) or ticketing is nice, but not pivotal to happiness. Schools are important for folks with kids and school fees would play a role here. Housing is important too, but already covered in 2)
The days when airlines were run by pilots proved to be disastrous economically for the airlines. The days where airlines ARE run by accountants are disastrous for crew morale and attrition rates due the negligence of the 2 main items above.
When do we get to a healthy and mutually respecting, win-win crew management style? I think we are on the way there, but the process is slow and still in the starting blocks. Are we going to hear the opening bell on this one?
Hope to see this before I retire..
Good luck to all of us.
