All recruitment at SAA on hold (The world according to JetNut thread)
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Perhaps you're misunderstanding me - your point seemed to be that SAA salaries are none of my business. I maintain that as a taxpayer, SAA's non-profitability is of interest to me. If salaries are looked at (eventually, obviously there are more pressing concerns) to return it to profitability, I would consider that logical. That is all. You also seemed to argue that because the billions of Rands of support given to SAA was a small amount when compared to the total expenditure of government, that it was irrrelevant. I disagree with that. Nonetheless, while I won't say that there's something so special about SAA pilots that they deserve such notably higher salaries than anybody else in the local industry (there have been one or two rather arrogant posts about that in this thread), that is what they have negotiated for, and what's in their contract, so I have no personal 'fairness' issues' with that. Like you say, we all signed our own contracts.
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Shrike200 If you take the political issues out of the equation, because a lot of people are using the tax thing as a quick scape goat to have a go at a Salary that is higher than his.
What a lot of people do not take into account is that flying internationally around the world does bring on more challenges and different issues than flying around South Africa where your infrastructure is to 1st world standards and fairly easy.
For years pilots operating in deep dark Africa were getting paid more due to the danger of flying there, so it also right that SAA pilots get paid more for the type of operations they are doing?
What a lot of people do not take into account is that flying internationally around the world does bring on more challenges and different issues than flying around South Africa where your infrastructure is to 1st world standards and fairly easy.
For years pilots operating in deep dark Africa were getting paid more due to the danger of flying there, so it also right that SAA pilots get paid more for the type of operations they are doing?
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Type of operations? You mean being chauffeured in an airconditioned bus from your 5 star hotel to the airport to fly your airborne cinema to international first world airports with full facilities? Gotta be rough, that
Compared to the guys flying in darkest Africa, Iraq, Afghanistan etc its a bit tame. Keep a balanced perspective.
Compared to the guys flying in darkest Africa, Iraq, Afghanistan etc its a bit tame. Keep a balanced perspective.
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Firstly which schedule operator is currently flying in Iraq Afghanistan?
Secondly when was the last time you de iced or did a Cat 3B approach, fly in to an airport like JFK, Heathrow, operated on a contaminated runway. When was the last time you were 1000nm from a suitable diversion field? When did you do a landing in a Typhoon?
When did you sit on board for 10-12 hours and then do a landing on the back of the clock?
I bet you don't even know what equipment you need to do RVSM! What about a GPS approach?
Please do not tell me that flying around SA is the same as flying to all corners of the world.
Secondly when was the last time you de iced or did a Cat 3B approach, fly in to an airport like JFK, Heathrow, operated on a contaminated runway. When was the last time you were 1000nm from a suitable diversion field? When did you do a landing in a Typhoon?
When did you sit on board for 10-12 hours and then do a landing on the back of the clock?
I bet you don't even know what equipment you need to do RVSM! What about a GPS approach?
Please do not tell me that flying around SA is the same as flying to all corners of the world.
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Secondly when was the last time you de iced or did a Cat 3B approach, fly in to an airport like JFK, Heathrow, operated on a contaminated runway.
When was the last time you did a Non-Precision Approach in terrential rains with a 300 Hr Co-Pilot?
When was the last time you landed on a runway which has a "new" pothole on every arrival?
This whole "Mine is bigger/tougher than Yours" is getting a bit boring now!
Thought the original thread was about Recruitment at SAA..
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Ladies and Gents,
The last time I flew with a 300 hour co-pilot in a war-torn third world country with de-mining units working next to the Apron in Angola or using an unofficial "company" GPS let-down through a sand storm in Afghanistan was about 10 years ago. Not to mention dodging huge Charlie Bravos between Maseru and JIA in a B1900C for Air Lesotho (No guessing who I worked for??) with no autopilot or flight director and with the occasional approach directly through an area of torrential downpour!!
Now I am working for SAA and feel that I am worth every cent I'm paid - and why? Because what I gained operating for the military, UN, Red Cross, charter operators and commuter airlines before SAA hired me, together with my three years of long range P3 flying and 4 years of short range P2 flying and now 3 years of long range P2 flying at SAA, has collectively given me a wealth of experience that allows me to sit and twiddle my thumbs for 6 or 7 or 8 hours on every long range flight because the day the sh
t hits the fan, all that experience will come into play and allow me to make the best possible decision and react in the best possible way that all that previous experience has collectively primed me for.
So I sympathise with those, including many of my own friends, who fly for operators who do not pay as much as SAA does, but we all make our choices in life and if you are not working for SAA then that was either your choice or your destiny, but don't keep bashing away at SAA pilots when most of us have come from your ranks!
And sure times are changing at SAA - In fact, the SAA pilots union has, for over three years, offered management a reduction in entry level salaries because the union feels that the salaries are too high and the pay scales too flat, as well as due to the reduced entry level requirements for certain designated groups of pilots, but SAA management has yet to act on this for whatever reason they may have.
Now going back to the topic, there will be no hiring at SAA for the forseeable future. All pilots with letters of employment will still be taken but everyone else is on hold!! Unfortunately, it looks like SAA will have to shrink a bit, consolidate, and then possibly start expanding again.
Post of the Week Award
- I'm not taking sides (honest) but this is the kind of bloke that this site is meant to serve. Now quit the whinging, get your head down (I don't care what colour you are) and get where he is. It doesn't mean you need to work for SAA - we all have our place in the sky and in the current qualification shortage we can all get where we're going.
Well done 2BSS - you made it. The rest of us are right behind you. 4HP
The last time I flew with a 300 hour co-pilot in a war-torn third world country with de-mining units working next to the Apron in Angola or using an unofficial "company" GPS let-down through a sand storm in Afghanistan was about 10 years ago. Not to mention dodging huge Charlie Bravos between Maseru and JIA in a B1900C for Air Lesotho (No guessing who I worked for??) with no autopilot or flight director and with the occasional approach directly through an area of torrential downpour!!
Now I am working for SAA and feel that I am worth every cent I'm paid - and why? Because what I gained operating for the military, UN, Red Cross, charter operators and commuter airlines before SAA hired me, together with my three years of long range P3 flying and 4 years of short range P2 flying and now 3 years of long range P2 flying at SAA, has collectively given me a wealth of experience that allows me to sit and twiddle my thumbs for 6 or 7 or 8 hours on every long range flight because the day the sh
t hits the fan, all that experience will come into play and allow me to make the best possible decision and react in the best possible way that all that previous experience has collectively primed me for.So I sympathise with those, including many of my own friends, who fly for operators who do not pay as much as SAA does, but we all make our choices in life and if you are not working for SAA then that was either your choice or your destiny, but don't keep bashing away at SAA pilots when most of us have come from your ranks!
And sure times are changing at SAA - In fact, the SAA pilots union has, for over three years, offered management a reduction in entry level salaries because the union feels that the salaries are too high and the pay scales too flat, as well as due to the reduced entry level requirements for certain designated groups of pilots, but SAA management has yet to act on this for whatever reason they may have.
Now going back to the topic, there will be no hiring at SAA for the forseeable future. All pilots with letters of employment will still be taken but everyone else is on hold!! Unfortunately, it looks like SAA will have to shrink a bit, consolidate, and then possibly start expanding again.
Post of the Week Award
- I'm not taking sides (honest) but this is the kind of bloke that this site is meant to serve. Now quit the whinging, get your head down (I don't care what colour you are) and get where he is. It doesn't mean you need to work for SAA - we all have our place in the sky and in the current qualification shortage we can all get where we're going.Well done 2BSS - you made it. The rest of us are right behind you. 4HP
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I believe that collective agreements MUST be protected, so I have no wish for SAA pilots to be forced into paycuts.
That said:
TooBadSoSad said:
Don't talk twaddle. You are the reciprient of many years of collective bargaining at SAA. You had nothing to do with your current fortunate salary, because
You are obviously still a first officer and will not really be taking those enormous decisions. Still, you earn as SFO10 more than any other captain in the country (outside SAA).
I have perused SAAPA's MOP agreement. It is a wonderful example of years of collective bargaining experience, but unfortunately does not take the realities of living in SA into account.
Like I said before in this thread. Don't let Seabury and SAA management take away what you have managed to collect over the decades, but don't try to justify your salaries to other pilots in this country. You can't. Especially not as an FO.
My contempories in SAA are now short range captains. They sacrificed and ate up years of cr@p as FO's and are now well-off. I took a different route in life and am very happy where I am now, so don't try to dismiss me as a wannabe.
That said:
TooBadSoSad said:
feel that I am worth every cent I'm paid
The last time I flew ... sob story ... was about 10 years ago.
allow me to make the best possible decision and react in the best possible way that all that previous experience has collectively primed me for.
I have perused SAAPA's MOP agreement. It is a wonderful example of years of collective bargaining experience, but unfortunately does not take the realities of living in SA into account.
Like I said before in this thread. Don't let Seabury and SAA management take away what you have managed to collect over the decades, but don't try to justify your salaries to other pilots in this country. You can't. Especially not as an FO.
My contempories in SAA are now short range captains. They sacrificed and ate up years of cr@p as FO's and are now well-off. I took a different route in life and am very happy where I am now, so don't try to dismiss me as a wannabe.
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Nugpot, your comments show that you are either a single pilot operator or else have no idea what CRM is - when the sht hits the fan in a multi crew environment then both crew members contribute to the successful resolution of the situation, not just the Captain!!
I also know of a few situations, both in SAA and outside, where the experienced first officers actions possibly saved the day, and in some cases definitely did.
As for
I see you are quick to jump to conclusions when you know nothing about the author!!
and
if I had joined any other airline in the country I would have been a senior Captain at any one of them, so stop feeling sorry for yourself and get on with your life. Why do you even bother reading this thread if all you can do is take swipes at any SAA pilot who responds to it??
And don't even try to insinuate that you have any idea about the MOP formulation - otherwise we'd be very interested to get your take on PPP, POM, NDI and market movement methodology, not to mention where you see yourself benchmarked in the commercial sector using the HAY unit methodology??
I am sure it is your obvious inferiority complex that saw your application to SAA land up in the "do not hire" file!!
t hits the fan in a multi crew environment then both crew members contribute to the successful resolution of the situation, not just the Captain!!I also know of a few situations, both in SAA and outside, where the experienced first officers actions possibly saved the day, and in some cases definitely did.
As for
You had nothing to do with your current fortunate salary
and
You are obviously still a first officer and will not really be taking those enormous decisions. Still, you earn as SFO10 more than any other captain in the country (outside SAA).
And don't even try to insinuate that you have any idea about the MOP formulation - otherwise we'd be very interested to get your take on PPP, POM, NDI and market movement methodology, not to mention where you see yourself benchmarked in the commercial sector using the HAY unit methodology??
I am sure it is your obvious inferiority complex that saw your application to SAA land up in the "do not hire" file!!
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I'll obviously have to draw pictures.
I agree, but you said:
You don't make the decisions - you might take part in them.
You said you have only been there 10 years. Most of these agreements go WAY back.
Au contrare. I was only taking a swipe at you.
Now you are guilty of not knowing the author. I happen to be well informed on all your agreements and can also throw around abbreviations and terms. Not that that would make me look clued up, for that I would need some sound arguments.......
Must have been. 
both crew members contribute to the successful resolution of the situation, not just the Captain
allow me to make the best possible decision
I see you are quick to jump to conclusions when you know nothing about the author!!
Why do you even bother reading this thread if all you can do is take swipes at any SAA pilot who responds to it??
And don't even try to insinuate that you have any idea about the MOP formulation
I am sure it is your obvious inferiority complex that saw your application to SAA land up in the "do not hire" file!!
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Well said Nugs
Toobadhowsad,
I have to agree with Nugs on this one. I personally think the Kempton park flying club pays it's pilots too much and this is surely a burden on the company, (note the company, not the tax-payer). However, the unions have worked for many, many years to achieve these salaries and they will have to decided if it is in their interest to reduce them in order to save the company from a untimely demise, (al-a Swissair, Sabena, Varig to name but a few) or to force the company to go hat in hand to the government, (Read TAXPAYER), for yet ANOTHER bailout. Because it is the taxpayer who provides the bailout!!
I notice you said that the union has offered to reduce entry level salaries. What would this achieve when they are not hiring?? (No body at the entry level, nothing to reduce .Surely trimming a little fat from the upper echelons would serve more purpose. This would have to apply to the oxygen thieves and jam stealers as well as airframe drivers.
Should SAA ever truly become a private, profit driven organisation,( I think there will be many unhappy campers in the pilot ranks. F/o and Cpts.
I have to agree with Nugs on this one. I personally think the Kempton park flying club pays it's pilots too much and this is surely a burden on the company, (note the company, not the tax-payer). However, the unions have worked for many, many years to achieve these salaries and they will have to decided if it is in their interest to reduce them in order to save the company from a untimely demise, (al-a Swissair, Sabena, Varig to name but a few) or to force the company to go hat in hand to the government, (Read TAXPAYER), for yet ANOTHER bailout. Because it is the taxpayer who provides the bailout!!
I notice you said that the union has offered to reduce entry level salaries. What would this achieve when they are not hiring?? (No body at the entry level, nothing to reduce
.Surely trimming a little fat from the upper echelons would serve more purpose. This would have to apply to the oxygen thieves and jam stealers as well as airframe drivers.Should SAA ever truly become a private, profit driven organisation,(
I think there will be many unhappy campers in the pilot ranks. F/o and Cpts.
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[QUOTE][/
Strange! I know of one person who has been called to an interview and a sim ride in April
QUOTE]
Like always at SAA..."THE INTERVIEW PROCESS CONTINUES"
Strange! I know of one person who has been called to an interview and a sim ride in April
QUOTE]
Like always at SAA..."THE INTERVIEW PROCESS CONTINUES"
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GormanInkarnati, if you are glad not to be at SAA is that maybe because you happen to fly for a wholly owned subsidiary of SAA?? And don't worry about the SAA pilots - Government just injected R4 billion into SAA which should keep the airline afloat for at least 4 years based on the current loss situation, including being able to pay us SAA pilots our huge salaries which are totally undeserved!!
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SAA and what it is.
Think people have lost the plot some what.
SAA is a state controlled loss maker in a devolping african country.
Think the salaries should be comparied accordingly? Air Zim/Air Bots/Air Malawi etc
If the shareholders of United/Delta/American/Continental feel that their pilots and staff need to take a 40%, yes 40%, pay cut to stop the their airlines going broke, maybe time for the only shareholder of SAA, yes thats me the taxpayer, to do the same.
Time to cut the coat to fit the cloth friends. We gotta build roads, schools, hospital and get more police. Every cent wasted on keeping SAA in the air is money that is not spent on what the country, as a whole, needs.
Shape up or ship out. When SAA makes a REAL profit, the staff can think again.
SAA is a state controlled loss maker in a devolping african country.
Think the salaries should be comparied accordingly? Air Zim/Air Bots/Air Malawi etc
If the shareholders of United/Delta/American/Continental feel that their pilots and staff need to take a 40%, yes 40%, pay cut to stop the their airlines going broke, maybe time for the only shareholder of SAA, yes thats me the taxpayer, to do the same.
Time to cut the coat to fit the cloth friends. We gotta build roads, schools, hospital and get more police. Every cent wasted on keeping SAA in the air is money that is not spent on what the country, as a whole, needs.
Shape up or ship out. When SAA makes a REAL profit, the staff can think again.
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Which shareholders of the 4 US airlines you mentioned? Are you totally ignorant or do you not realise that all 4 of those US airlines have recently been through a chapter 11 reorganisation, a legal option not available to SA companies where the US company gets to return aircraft and renegotiate leases, cancel pension plans and layoff employees almost at will, but subject to court approval.
Why does every half wit underpaid pilot in SA think that it is the SAA pilots who are the cause of the financial debacle at SAA. The cause is due to two related government dictates, EE and BEE!! EE has resulted in incompetent government officials putting incompetent management in place to run the airline (both white and non-white incompetent managers) who have absolutely no clue what a budget is or what good corporate governance is. They make major decisions on whims, not fact, and when they screw up they get shifted to other departments (ever seen that before?? ANC??).
Want examples: Try the SAA marketing department going about R100 bar over budget last year, not to mention sponsoring every useless sports team they could think of as well as any major sports event that Khaya and his cronies felt obligated to attend.
Then there is the MD11 freighter which was contracted by the total idiots running SAA cargo and which has lost about as much as the overspend in marketing.
Then there are the real geniuses who decided that SAA's passengers needed a first class experience in business class so they took out all the business class seats and replaced them with lie-flat first class type seats, but at the same time could only fit one of the new seats in business class for every two original business class seats they had removed, so there went just under half of SAA's business class revenue. That alone equates to almost R1 billion a year out the window.
Then you have BEE whereby every outsourced contract has to have ....??? - That's right!!....BEE components, so SAA lands up paying 30% more for everything and gets half the quality. Ask any SAA pilot when they were last issued with a uniform........some have not had a uniform issue in three years!
So if you really think that knocking R200 million off the SAA pilot wage bill is going to make any difference to SAA being profitable or a loss maker, think again.
Now all of you piss off and go and start a thread titled "I'm not an SAA pilot and I'm extremely jealous of their salaries and benefits so I'm going to give you my half-brained opinion as to why they should be paid less money"!!
Why does every half wit underpaid pilot in SA think that it is the SAA pilots who are the cause of the financial debacle at SAA. The cause is due to two related government dictates, EE and BEE!! EE has resulted in incompetent government officials putting incompetent management in place to run the airline (both white and non-white incompetent managers) who have absolutely no clue what a budget is or what good corporate governance is. They make major decisions on whims, not fact, and when they screw up they get shifted to other departments (ever seen that before?? ANC??).
Want examples: Try the SAA marketing department going about R100 bar over budget last year, not to mention sponsoring every useless sports team they could think of as well as any major sports event that Khaya and his cronies felt obligated to attend.
Then there is the MD11 freighter which was contracted by the total idiots running SAA cargo and which has lost about as much as the overspend in marketing.
Then there are the real geniuses who decided that SAA's passengers needed a first class experience in business class so they took out all the business class seats and replaced them with lie-flat first class type seats, but at the same time could only fit one of the new seats in business class for every two original business class seats they had removed, so there went just under half of SAA's business class revenue. That alone equates to almost R1 billion a year out the window.
Then you have BEE whereby every outsourced contract has to have ....??? - That's right!!....BEE components, so SAA lands up paying 30% more for everything and gets half the quality. Ask any SAA pilot when they were last issued with a uniform........some have not had a uniform issue in three years!
So if you really think that knocking R200 million off the SAA pilot wage bill is going to make any difference to SAA being profitable or a loss maker, think again.
Now all of you piss off and go and start a thread titled "I'm not an SAA pilot and I'm extremely jealous of their salaries and benefits so I'm going to give you my half-brained opinion as to why they should be paid less money"!!
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SAA will come right!
I’d like to offer my opinion to all the SAA salary bashers who have taken the trouble to voice their heartfelt emotions on this thread. Perhaps I can provide a positive angle on a rather negative subject. SAA has set the salary benchmark for airline pilots in this country for the past few years, and everyone else down the line will follow – good or bad! SAA is the number 1 choice for any pilot in South Africa. Why - because the pilots are the best paid, and fly the latest equipment. There are only a certain number of positions available and, as in any competitive environment, only the top performers are selected. Even the guys/gals who fall into their respective population groups are the top performers respectfully. Unfortunately, this means not everyone can be selected. To those who managed to get in to SAA, fantastic, well done! If you’re a white male and you got into the company, you’re the very best of what the market has to offer. If you didn’t get into SAA, there is enough room in our industry to accommodate the overflow, yes a very definite second choice for anyone honest enough to admit it, but sadly for less money, and on older equipment. That’s just the way life works, and no amount of winging is going to change that. Please stop badgering us because of your own misfortunes, and be proactive about your own careers if you’re not happy. If you’re a senior captain in a competitor airline, negotiate parity with us, after all you do the job just as well as we do. If you’re a youngster with ambitions to get into SAA, start by not listening to all the negativities around race and colour, and focus on achieving your objective. With a bit of self-belief you’ll surprise yourself. These are turbulent times we are facing at SAA, but I have no doubt that once the dust has settled, expansion will be on the cards. To my disgruntled colleagues in the South African industry, I wish you all the best in the careers you have chosen. To the contented others, enjoy this wonderful career which has chosen you. Happy landings.
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Missing the point, again
SAA doesnt need bankruptcy protection as in Chatper 11, cause I just give it more money. I wonder what the response here would be if at the end of the month SAA didnt have money to pay salaries?
Having been in both union and management, I can tell that most airlines DO NOT look at SAA pay scales as a benchmark, they are simply considered absurd as a comparison.
Face facts, the airline is approaching broke!!! The silly part is COMAIR etc pays company tax to keep SAA afloat. And rememmber COMAIR a public company.
It shocks me that the response to the fact that SAA is a great big hole that I throw money into, is that its about jealousy!! Kinda childish response guys. We are all here to make money and a better life for all.
I am amazed that some people seem to think that 'cause they work for the state that there is no reason to make a profit. In fact to the point they seem to think they have some god given right. SAA has never been profitable, so to blame BEE for the current mess is silly. In fact most of SAA management has been white.
SAA has burned over R12 billion in the last few yrs. This has come out of my pocket.
Remember the fat salaries paid to the mostly under worked staff at SAA cost EVERYBODY in South Africa. Please note, this is not only aimed at the flight deck. Know a few people that work in other sections of SAA, the money is crazy by any standards.
I have repeatedly said the pay cuts and retrenchments must apply to all the staff. SAA needs to right size itself. If it cant, go broke.
Take the pain now, privatise the state controlled airlines and let the market play out. Sure there will be pain for all short term, but at the end, we will all end up with a healthy industry.
Having been in both union and management, I can tell that most airlines DO NOT look at SAA pay scales as a benchmark, they are simply considered absurd as a comparison.
Face facts, the airline is approaching broke!!! The silly part is COMAIR etc pays company tax to keep SAA afloat. And rememmber COMAIR a public company.
It shocks me that the response to the fact that SAA is a great big hole that I throw money into, is that its about jealousy!! Kinda childish response guys. We are all here to make money and a better life for all.
I am amazed that some people seem to think that 'cause they work for the state that there is no reason to make a profit. In fact to the point they seem to think they have some god given right. SAA has never been profitable, so to blame BEE for the current mess is silly. In fact most of SAA management has been white.
SAA has burned over R12 billion in the last few yrs. This has come out of my pocket.
Remember the fat salaries paid to the mostly under worked staff at SAA cost EVERYBODY in South Africa. Please note, this is not only aimed at the flight deck. Know a few people that work in other sections of SAA, the money is crazy by any standards.
I have repeatedly said the pay cuts and retrenchments must apply to all the staff. SAA needs to right size itself. If it cant, go broke.
Take the pain now, privatise the state controlled airlines and let the market play out. Sure there will be pain for all short term, but at the end, we will all end up with a healthy industry.
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Having sat and once more read through this whole thread, a glaring truth stands out way above the rest as a point of concern.
First remember that I am not an airline pilot, therefore falling into the sub-human category. SO - I have no vested interest in any side of this thread.
The underlying truth of the matter here is that it seems SAA drivers consider themselves as being 'better' than other drivers. A 10000 hour commander, whether it be SAA,Comair, Nationwide doesnt matter. You are a 10000 hour commander. You are not better because you work for SAA, you just got the opportunity when the company needed to hire pilots.
The biggest problem here is the perception that earning more money than the guy next to you, makes you a better pilot/person. Codswallop. You remain a mortal being, who will fail to get it up one day, who will too, forget his children's names and end up dead and buried in the same soil as your counterparts, and decomposed with the help of the same organisms. you are not earning what the company feels is your personal worth, you are being paid the company standard. Working for a large company, earning a large salary, is no reflection on you as an individual. The guy next to you is being paid the same, regardless of his colour, creed, or "good piloting skills".
The sooner a man values others for their personal worth, that cannot be meanured by bank balances, sports cars or which decade your equipment was manufacured, the sooner little bickering matches like this can be solved without having to resort to petty name calling, panty wetting and general unfound arrogance.
When you are lying there in the ground, I promise you that the worms are not going to choose an SAA corpse over any other. We are all just humans, that might work for different entities, but trust me here, the employer dont make the man.
First remember that I am not an airline pilot, therefore falling into the sub-human category. SO - I have no vested interest in any side of this thread.
The underlying truth of the matter here is that it seems SAA drivers consider themselves as being 'better' than other drivers. A 10000 hour commander, whether it be SAA,Comair, Nationwide doesnt matter. You are a 10000 hour commander. You are not better because you work for SAA, you just got the opportunity when the company needed to hire pilots.
The biggest problem here is the perception that earning more money than the guy next to you, makes you a better pilot/person. Codswallop. You remain a mortal being, who will fail to get it up one day, who will too, forget his children's names and end up dead and buried in the same soil as your counterparts, and decomposed with the help of the same organisms. you are not earning what the company feels is your personal worth, you are being paid the company standard. Working for a large company, earning a large salary, is no reflection on you as an individual. The guy next to you is being paid the same, regardless of his colour, creed, or "good piloting skills".
The sooner a man values others for their personal worth, that cannot be meanured by bank balances, sports cars or which decade your equipment was manufacured, the sooner little bickering matches like this can be solved without having to resort to petty name calling, panty wetting and general unfound arrogance.
When you are lying there in the ground, I promise you that the worms are not going to choose an SAA corpse over any other. We are all just humans, that might work for different entities, but trust me here, the employer dont make the man.