Originally Posted by
bafanguy
A Squared,
With a lack of data, I don't know how McGee could have dealt with the expat factor any other way. As you've seen, his report is highly data driven.
The regionals here, on the other hand, are having a serious issue with pilot supply.
I say that's an artificial problem created, to an extent, by the recent action of the government. Not sure how that'll be overcome.
Maybe more Aussies ?
Yes, no doubt it would be hard to quantify accurately. How many US ex-pats still have a US address on their FAA data? A lot of them I bet.
No, not more Aussies. And that is not a position based in xenophobia. Here's my take on it: The regionals are weeping and gnashing their teeth about how *hard* it is to hire pilots because there is a *shortage* , yet they are still offering starvation wages. Seriously. as someone pointed out in the mirror thread on the Oz forum (maybe it was you) Starting Salary at Great Lakes is less than $16,000/yr. (and you train for free and sign a $7500 training contract) Granted, this is an entry level position, but it's not an unskilled entry level position, it's an entry level position that requires as a minimum, an fairly expensive level of certification, and the ability to perform a certain set of relatively complex skills. My point is that it's not like some entry level jobs where you show up with no skills, no training and no relevant experience. This exists because of supply and demand. historically, there was a greater supply of people who wanted pilot jobs, so salaries and working conditions were pushed downward. Now the airlines find themselves on the wrong side of the supply/demand equation, but they don't want to face the reality that when supply is down, you have to pay more for that commodity, whether it is barrels of oil, or pilots. I say too bad, until you're willing to do what the laws of supply and demand say you have to do, you can park planes, lose money, go out of business, etc, until you start responding to the current economic realities of the pilot labor marketplace. I have nothing against Australians, but I don't favor importing a bunch of them as a means of perpetuating regional airlines paying poverty level wages for pilots.