Ten most overpaid jobs in the US, No. 9 Pilots!?!?!
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: SE England
Posts: 216
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Ten most overpaid jobs in the US, No. 9 Pilots!?!?!
Thought some of you may be intrested in this article. Click Here It says that pilots are the number 9 most overpaid job in the US. Now I am well aware that this is in the US and that top Captains over there CAN earn $250K against the UKs £110K ISH. (and yes i realise that different airlines pay differently before anyone says some smart comment like, 'well why don't i see this money, i've been a captain for 500years.....' But i thought someone might have something to say about this.
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: US
Posts: 604
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Like everything, it depends. Here in the US, I think pilots of commuter airline turboprops are grossly underpaid. I do agree with the article, however, that the senior captains on the US major airlines are overpaid.
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: SE England
Posts: 216
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I do still find it quite strange how some top captains in the US can quite easily be on double the equvilant salary a Captain would earn in the UK....does anyone agree?
Last edited by FlyUK; 14th Nov 2003 at 22:56.
Something Gorgeous in the City
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Edinburgh, UK
Posts: 93
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Frankly, I would send anyone who thought you guys are overpaid to the current "scariest experiences" thread - it strikes me this article is about misplaced perception, not researched fact - ignore it!
Not entirely happy with the no. 1 item in the list, either ...
Not entirely happy with the no. 1 item in the list, either ...
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Posts: 30
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Ok, sorry for being pedantic. Before absolute bedlam erupts, lets be clear, the report uses the word 'pilots for major airlines'. Everybody on PPRuNe knows that there are many in GA or in the airlines who are anything but overpaid. So lets keep the emotion out of this discussion.
I don't agree with the other posters that this thread should be ignored. Such an approach is verging on censorship or at the very least adopting the ostrich approach (i.e head in the sand). Surely we can discuss this like adults, just because it is something that isn't towing the line or is a little abrasive, does not mean it should be ignored.
May i say that in my proffession, I get this sort of comment every single day, so just get over it, people seem to think that I am making big bucks.. oh I wish! and what a pleasant surprise to see the absence of 'fat cat' lawyers on the list.
I don't agree with the other posters that this thread should be ignored. Such an approach is verging on censorship or at the very least adopting the ostrich approach (i.e head in the sand). Surely we can discuss this like adults, just because it is something that isn't towing the line or is a little abrasive, does not mean it should be ignored.
May i say that in my proffession, I get this sort of comment every single day, so just get over it, people seem to think that I am making big bucks.. oh I wish! and what a pleasant surprise to see the absence of 'fat cat' lawyers on the list.
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: SE England
Posts: 216
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Notso Fantastic, appologies if i sound pushy but i tried not to sound like all pilots are on the same salary, if that makes sence. No i am certainly not a jerno, god forbid. I am currently working on my Commercial, slowly! But with my dad a Captain i know how much he hates being generalised as i'm sure many of you do. I just posted it here because i though some people may have something to say about it, maybe?
As free citizens we should excercise our right not to fund these excesses.
It's relatively easy not to go to movies, watch sports, invest in mutual stocks etc.
It should be just as easy to refuse to fly with an overpaid airline captain
It's relatively easy not to go to movies, watch sports, invest in mutual stocks etc.
It should be just as easy to refuse to fly with an overpaid airline captain
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: "como todo buen piloto... mujeriego y borracho"
Posts: 2,005
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I'm with you lomapaseo!!!
When I buy stuff, I look for the "Made in China", India, Thailand, Mexico, Dominican Republic label that gives me a good idea that I am not funding the excesses of some union factory worker in North America or Europe who EXPECTS (
) to be able to own a house, buy a new car every few years, send his kids to college, and all that B.S. when some sod out in the third world is happy to have a job that will pay him $2 per day. And even that is too much, IMHO, since in many parts of the world able bodied workers come at a dime a dozen! Hell, I know airline Captains who work for $1200 per month and FO's who get $600 per month. But even this is an excess because I bet if you cut wages to half of that or less, there will still be people willing to take those jobs-- maybe not the same ones but most of it is just button pecking anyhow these days and excesses (almost anything over a $20,000 per year salary) are wrong! 
When I buy stuff, I look for the "Made in China", India, Thailand, Mexico, Dominican Republic label that gives me a good idea that I am not funding the excesses of some union factory worker in North America or Europe who EXPECTS (
) to be able to own a house, buy a new car every few years, send his kids to college, and all that B.S. when some sod out in the third world is happy to have a job that will pay him $2 per day. And even that is too much, IMHO, since in many parts of the world able bodied workers come at a dime a dozen! Hell, I know airline Captains who work for $1200 per month and FO's who get $600 per month. But even this is an excess because I bet if you cut wages to half of that or less, there will still be people willing to take those jobs-- maybe not the same ones but most of it is just button pecking anyhow these days and excesses (almost anything over a $20,000 per year salary) are wrong!
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: MAN
Posts: 804
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Panama Jack, right on mother f
er
All pilots that earn in excess of 20k, should be super taxed!
We all know that only the government knows how to spend money wisely, on such things as giving protected asylum to Saudi freedom fighters whom plan attacks on our servicemen in the Middle East...... from the UK!
erAll pilots that earn in excess of 20k, should be super taxed!
We all know that only the government knows how to spend money wisely, on such things as giving protected asylum to Saudi freedom fighters whom plan attacks on our servicemen in the Middle East...... from the UK!
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Rockytop, Tennessee, USA
Posts: 5,898
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
>>I do still find it quite funny how SOME top captains in the US can quite easily manage to be on double the equvilant salary a Captain would earn in the UK....does anyone agree?<<
Yeah, but you guys have higher taxes, harder tests and better R/T procedures so it all evens out <g>...
Yeah, but you guys have higher taxes, harder tests and better R/T procedures so it all evens out <g>...
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Chicago
Posts: 168
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My personal favourite was how pilots' jobs are almost "entirely automated". Put the hack at the controls and see how he does. One button for 'up' and one for 'down', isn't it?
Reading Michael Moore's lefty rantings the other day, he mentions that a new pilot for American Eagle (American's commuter branch) can expect to take home about $9000 gross per year, after paying for his uniform etc.
Apparently one of the pilots was eligible for food stamps, American found out and threatened anyone that picked them up would be fired.
Reading Michael Moore's lefty rantings the other day, he mentions that a new pilot for American Eagle (American's commuter branch) can expect to take home about $9000 gross per year, after paying for his uniform etc.
Apparently one of the pilots was eligible for food stamps, American found out and threatened anyone that picked them up would be fired.
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: "como todo buen piloto... mujeriego y borracho"
Posts: 2,005
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
You see, there we go!
We only need to look to the United States and American Eagle for real corporate leadership!
Imagine, the nerve of their pilot wanting food stamps!
I figure the age of 5 is the perfect time to teach our children about the glories of capitalism, which by the way is what made America great, and the best way to learn is by example. So if the guy has any kids, to earn is to learn. Send them out on the street, sell oranges, lottery tickets, pirated CD's, whatever! It's kinda like franchising! The more kids, the more sources of possible income! And sex is a great alternative when you can't afford to by a new TV and doesn't require electricity!
Hell. we all know that the West consumes too many calories, so not having access to food stamps and a $9000 salary is a great new diet fad-- coming soon to you!
We only need to look to the United States and American Eagle for real corporate leadership!
Imagine, the nerve of their pilot wanting food stamps!
I figure the age of 5 is the perfect time to teach our children about the glories of capitalism, which by the way is what made America great, and the best way to learn is by example. So if the guy has any kids, to earn is to learn. Send them out on the street, sell oranges, lottery tickets, pirated CD's, whatever! It's kinda like franchising! The more kids, the more sources of possible income! And sex is a great alternative when you can't afford to by a new TV and doesn't require electricity!Hell. we all know that the West consumes too many calories, so not having access to food stamps and a $9000 salary is a great new diet fad-- coming soon to you!
Shining Example, apparently...
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Lone Star State
Age: 50
Posts: 288
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Because pilots' wages are dictated by the market economy. Politician's aren't.
Effectively, we all refuse to fly airlines with overpaid staff. Competition forces ticket prices down, so companies trim their numbers and/or wages. Any that don't will not survive. Good for consumers, less good for employees.
Panama Jack has pretty much summed it up. It'll be interesting to see what happens to the US/EU economies over the next few decades. Labour's far cheaper in less developed countries, and as more and more manufacturing & services are contracted-out, one wonders where it'll end. Hands up who thinks the Dollar & euro will be the world's major currencies in a century's time? Not me.
Capitalism's not perfect but what are the alternatives? Communism didn't work, and protectionism isn't exactly proven. IMHO, the future ain't so bright...
Effectively, we all refuse to fly airlines with overpaid staff. Competition forces ticket prices down, so companies trim their numbers and/or wages. Any that don't will not survive. Good for consumers, less good for employees.
Panama Jack has pretty much summed it up. It'll be interesting to see what happens to the US/EU economies over the next few decades. Labour's far cheaper in less developed countries, and as more and more manufacturing & services are contracted-out, one wonders where it'll end. Hands up who thinks the Dollar & euro will be the world's major currencies in a century's time? Not me.
Capitalism's not perfect but what are the alternatives? Communism didn't work, and protectionism isn't exactly proven. IMHO, the future ain't so bright...
Paid up
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: UK
Posts: 601
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yes there is a wide disparity in pilots' income levels, particularly in the US if you compare the very top of Delta's scale to the lowliest guys at American Eagle.
Automation. Okay, why should Mister Chris Bummer, CBS.MarketWatch.com, get paid far more than Joe Bloggs, Assistant Newshound of the Monkey Creek Gazette in Wyoming? After all, in these days of word processing and spell checkers, his job is highly automated too. The reason for Bummer's salary level is advanced thought processes and skill he's built up in his many years of hackery...just like the pilots who invested 1000's of $ to go through the ranks of CFI-ing, regional airlines and then perhaps onto Delta.
Disclaimer: this post was brought to you with help of a considerable quantity of Guinness.
Automation. Okay, why should Mister Chris Bummer, CBS.MarketWatch.com, get paid far more than Joe Bloggs, Assistant Newshound of the Monkey Creek Gazette in Wyoming? After all, in these days of word processing and spell checkers, his job is highly automated too. The reason for Bummer's salary level is advanced thought processes and skill he's built up in his many years of hackery...just like the pilots who invested 1000's of $ to go through the ranks of CFI-ing, regional airlines and then perhaps onto Delta.
Disclaimer: this post was brought to you with help of a considerable quantity of Guinness.
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: The Deep South (Sussex)
Posts: 783
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
This article is amusing and very tongue-in-cheek. Otherwise we would all be knocking on the door of the "top rated" job offering to start first thing Monday morning.
Sportsman, actor, orthodontist you get what the public are prepared to pay whether because of your talent or because of your years of training. Certainly, some guys who make the top do their best to remain there and take out as much cash as they can.
If you object to this, go offer to do their job for far less money and see how quickly you are accepted by their grateful employers.
Sportsman, actor, orthodontist you get what the public are prepared to pay whether because of your talent or because of your years of training. Certainly, some guys who make the top do their best to remain there and take out as much cash as they can.
If you object to this, go offer to do their job for far less money and see how quickly you are accepted by their grateful employers.
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: earth
Posts: 1,397
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Perhaps we should not pay so much attention to what others earn but rather more to whether we are adequately rewarded for our own efforts. Those companies who overpay will not compete in the long term anyway but it is what we were hired for that counts. As long as we are happy to work for our own salary level who cares what others are paid.
It is more important that our own remuneration package is right.
Envy and greed are dreadful sins in my book.
It is more important that our own remuneration package is right.
Envy and greed are dreadful sins in my book.
Join Date: Aug 1998
Location: The World
Posts: 388
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Quote:
Most Dangerous And Most Overpaid?
It seems to be the time of year that folks are in the mood to make lists, and airline pilots are getting onto some of them. AVweb told you last month that a federal report found a job as a commercial pilot to be one of the top 10 most dangerous jobs in the U.S. Now a financial writer for CBS, Chris Plummer, has come up with a list of the top 10 most overpaid workers -- and guess who's on it? Airline pilots come in at number 9, just above wedding photographers and just below West Coast longshoremen. Plummer claims no statistical proof for his ranking, just his opinion, but with "input from compensation experts." He notes that an airline pilot's job is mostly automated, and the folks who really should be getting the big bucks -- the ones who keep all those passengers from falling out of the sky -- are not the pilots but the mechanics. Then again, the mechanics remain safely on the ground. We wonder if those compensation experts took that into account?
Most Dangerous And Most Overpaid?
It seems to be the time of year that folks are in the mood to make lists, and airline pilots are getting onto some of them. AVweb told you last month that a federal report found a job as a commercial pilot to be one of the top 10 most dangerous jobs in the U.S. Now a financial writer for CBS, Chris Plummer, has come up with a list of the top 10 most overpaid workers -- and guess who's on it? Airline pilots come in at number 9, just above wedding photographers and just below West Coast longshoremen. Plummer claims no statistical proof for his ranking, just his opinion, but with "input from compensation experts." He notes that an airline pilot's job is mostly automated, and the folks who really should be getting the big bucks -- the ones who keep all those passengers from falling out of the sky -- are not the pilots but the mechanics. Then again, the mechanics remain safely on the ground. We wonder if those compensation experts took that into account?