Where are the good old days ?
 

Where are the times that I packed my bag, kissed the wife and kids goodbye, took my car to the airport and parked for free somewhere in walking distance of dispatch, met the rest of the crew, checked the flightplan and the girls and took off for a relaxing few days of flying, fun, food and a beer, in short a good time, for which we were all paid a descent salary.

I reported last week for a seven days trip and started my flight positioning as a passenger. Unable to park a car even within miles of my reporting point I had to take a taxi to get to work. Having cleared the first obstacle I now had to check-in my suitcase. After having been selected randomly by the computer, that by the way always selects me randomly, I had to go through a baggage clearing procedure where I was asked all kinds of questions about the contents of my suitcase and if I had packed my suitcase myself or was carrying packets for persons I didn’t know or had never met. I now had cleared the second obstacle and took off to dispatch to pickup some paperwork.
Here I was met by a friendly nurse who wanted to know where I had been for the last ten days and followed here interrogation by taking my temperature. All done I was on my way to the gate, but found out to my surprise that my flight kit of the last thirty years suddenly didn’t fit through the little gate at the x-ray machine so here I was back to the gate to get a special sticker for my carry on kit.
Of course we were delayed since we were missing a passenger and therefore had to offload his bag, which only took 20 minutes, but that is a norm these days and doesn’t count as an obstacle. We filled in numerous new forms, arrived at our destination and went through immigration, where to my great surprise my first-officer, holding a Malaysian passport had to report at a separate desk.
Here his fingerprints were taken, a mug shot as well, and he had to fill out a three page questionnaire before he could proceed. His passport had also given him the pleasure of being picked out for a special baggage check, which in all took over 45 minutes. By then we had missed the crew transport and had to find our own way to the hotel.

The way back was more or less the same, where our temperature was taken again in Dispatch, and every six hours during the flight ( as suggested in one of the SARS procedures we as crew should follow.
I still like to know what I have to do when , during the flight , my temperature reads over 37.5 degrees. I take it that I have to make an emergency landing and cart myself of to the nearest hospital , while the rest of the crew and 400 passengers go into full quarantine)
At our destination we again had to fill out all sort of new forms , were temperatured ( new word!) and were told by the officials that we had to wear a mask and were quarantined in the hotel. According to article 41 of the communicable diseases control law and article 192 of the penal code of this godforsaken place failure to do so could get you a jail sentence of only two years. I was lucky that I liked pizza’s because that was the only food the frightened room service staff could stuff under the door.

I know times have changed, I know we have to be serious about security and Sars, but I think it’s time to hang it all up, burn my passport, annoy my wife and never leave my modest home again.

:( I fear they are gone forever. Aviation as I once knew it will never be the same again. The end of an era :{ .

Recently in the MyTravel crew room one of our senior captains announced that he was about to retire; and spend more time at is home in Florida and play around with his light aircraft.
Not one of the 10 or so pilots around at the time, with an average age 25 years younger would have been sad to swap places with him.
What has happen to this job and the world that makes people wish they had been born 25 years earlier?
What is it going to be like in another 25 years?

Happy retirement Captain Tom Beck it was an honour to know you and fly with you.

On the other hand...

Although I had to get up at 0410 local (at least it was light out), The drive to the airport was without traffic and with the window down I could hear the dawn chorus. I don't live too far from the airport so the journey was short. I found a parking spot right near the gate and made the bus with 3 munutes to spare. Being the first flight of the day, our aircraft was waiting for us (no slot!!) Pax on then departed 5 minutes early. Lovely view of Paris and he Alps down to Nice. Straight in aproach over St. Tropex. 30 minute turn around and off on time. Again lovely views of the alps and Paris back to England. And back home by Noon.

It isn't glamorous like going long haul but if you like poling airplanes and gettig paid for it, this was about the best day out I have had in a long while;)

It's all because of the bean-counters.
What happened to reverse-thtust cocktails? Not PC now.
We used to be allowed by Customs two packets of ciggies (one of which had to be opened) and two cans of beer or a "bottle" of wine. This latter was often acquired in the met office at Alicante and was a large flagon in a beautiful straw basket. About the equivalent of one's daily flight allowance if I remember rightly.
If we reported for duty early in the morning we had to trample over empty beer cans left by the previous night's crew in the crew-room.
I also remember the catering van which came to us at Gerona to sell fags and "Gerona Plonk." Also strawberries and other goodies.
Yes. Those were the days. I just don't uunderstand how newcomers to the profession can be so enthusiastic about it.

Quite agree !
Have'nt flown with anybody recently who is not looking forward to retirement and that includes several young F/O's. One even told me that he would quite like to loose his medical so that he could claim on insurance and do something else !

Wasdale Sounds like the Monarch crewroom of the 70's?! The Halcyon days (sorry Court Line) are well and truly over as you say. The prospect of travelling as a passenger with all the hassle these days when I retire and can no longer go straight to the First Class check in fills me with horror!!

Even the aeroplanes are bloody boring these days!

I can only agree, guys. I'm 34 and I'm seriously thinking of doing another job. Luckily I'm still having a bit of fun in Africa. But for how long :{ :{ :{ :{ :suspect:

At the risk of disagreeing with some fine chaps, I have to say that I really like going to work! I started commercial flying late in life and have done a lot of other jobs. If you think there is some wonderful existence out there which is so much more satisfying than flying then do not believe it. I have had the misery of dreaming of doing something else and finding it completely outside my grasp. Like anyone else I have my moments, but fundamentally I feel incredibly fortunate to fly an Airbus and get paid for what I love doing. I work for a company that has recently effectively shelved its expansion plans, and that means I will be an FO for a very long time unless I change companies, but I still love the job. Maybe I am mad, but that's the way it is! Am I the only person out there that loves aviation?

My guess is that it all depends on the airline, hence on network, workload, rest time, etc...

Despite the fact that I am on "voluntary" unpaid leave from my job in the Far East, I have never felt more rested or relaxed in my entire aviation career. There is no doubt about it, ULH takes a slow, steady toll on your health and well-being. Add the post 9/11 hysteria, SARS, SLF's and industrial B-S that have been part of the past 9 years where I work, and frankly, retirement (still 13 years away) is looking better and better...

A few words of advice to those who may feel that it's just too much:

Rationalise the relationship that you have with your employer and with flying in general. Decide what they want from you, and what you want from them. Most important, don't take it home.

Fly safe.

Millerscourt

I remember with fond affection the old Mon crew room days, where you would often meet the same crews that were there on lates when you reported for earlies, and vice versa...those were the days.

Never remember any first class check in from Mon days...maybe things have improved considerably since I left!

They were fun days...mostly because of the crews...I think the regs have changed everything now; I can't say I miss the flying, other than the odd day when one had a really splendid day flight, with beautiful scenery and a happy, bubbly crew with equally happy and contented passengers...Those were the days.

Having said that, driving a desk can be somewhat tiresome too, with the odd very early start!

I packed it in in 1987, when I was 56.

I could see this coming. No regrets.

Those of you who never flew in the 1950's will never know how good it was, on the job or off.

God be with the days.

May the liberal idiots who destroyed it, be shot with a ball of their own ****e.

Although I've never been a commercial skipper, I've had some great times 'down route' in the old days:

The Monarch folk at Bangor were always fun. Holiday Inn, Odlin Road on Sinday night, I mean Sunday night....No I don't!

The BA crews one met in Chicago and Dulles.

But the best was a very pleasant night stop in Bermuda when we became good friends with a BA TriStar crew. Terrific time - and the Number One in her little black dress (and even littler lacy black knickers as I later found out) was particularly friendly....

Snodgrass
 

Snodgrass - Back in 1960, I was a T-34 instructor in VT-1 at NAAS Saufley Field. I had a student, NavCad Tom Sharkey, who asked me if I would do him a favor, and drive is old 1946 Cadillac to my place, because he had no insurance yet, and it was banned from the base.

No problem.

He gave me the keys, told me where it was parked, and thanked me.

A few minutes after I got home, a USMC Captain and the local Sheriff arrived at my door. They told me I had stolen the car of NavCad Snodgrass.

Whoa! I explained the situation, and I drove back to Saufley, and parked it, to the relief of Snodgrass.

It turns out that the same key worked in both cars, and I had taken the wrong one.

Steady on Beags! :eek: It's not good for the ole heart. Anyway, you be getting dangerously close to being put in JetBlast! ;)

Mind you me imagination is as good as it ever was, especially small lacy knicks! :ooh:

Norman Stanley Fletcher

Glad to hear you enjoy the job you have. I, too, started relatively late (mid- 30s) in professional flying and paying for all my licences & ratings from day one. You are lucky & more power to you. However, I suspect you could be in the minority.

I'm not trying to flame you, really, I'm not. Just trying to put a very different perspective on this industry & its long-term effects. Quite simply, some of us have the Midas touch, many others do not. I know plenty of friends who have never been out of work by being lucky and in the right place at the right time.
While I love flying and devoted most of my life to it, it has been nothing but heartache for me and my family.
There are ads out there for careers saying "be all you want to be" etc. However, sometimes it does not matter how hard you try, how good your attitude is, how loyal or dedicated - it simply does not matter. I'm trying real hard to think what an almost 50-year old can do to "start" another career/job who has been flying 20+ years, several times almost made the LHS but always prevented because the company suddenly went bust. Sure you take risks in life, but 5th lay off in 12 years, the enthusiasm starts to wane.
If I had my time over again & knew what I now know, I would definitely not choose aviation. It's far easier being either a doctor or lawyer AND you make more money! How many lawyers or doctors do you know that have ever lost their jobs let alone 4 or 5 times? How many of them have to do on a regular basis, what professional pilots have to do? Very few I suspect. I'm not trying to knock other professions - just to highlight how difficult a pilot's life/career can be. I started in this profession back in the 70s, when even then, things were quite good. They have certainly gone way downhill since then, no question.
As for me, who knows? I took a chance 3 years ago after resigning from a VG job as a senior FO for what has become the leading low-cost carrier in Europe to return home to the US (commuting from London every 4-5 months for 2.5 years takes its own toll) to start with a "new" U.S. start-up, flying B757s. I stayed with this company (@ less than 1/2 my previous salary - hey, money is not everything) working my way up to number 1 FO on the seniority list, stayed with them through 2+ years of bankruptcy, involuntarily gave up 15% of my gross salary to "save" the airline, started my Capt upgrade, almost finishing line training/IOE, and then the whole thing went down the toilet! Not only did I lose the job, but the company ran a scam by not paying employees' legitimate medical bills and I'm still paying off these almost a year later just to keep my credit OK. Been unemployed & looking ever since & not a single interview, despite countless cv/resumes & even getting a govt. grant to get another type rating (737NG) which I successfully completed in FEb - but still nothing.
I'm trying to change my way of thinking but again, what does someone my age do? How can I get another (decent?) job for which I neither have experience nor qualifications, if I cannot even get an interview for something I am extremely well qualified & experienced for?
So.....life is not always rosy, Norman, for some of us. Be VERY thankful for what little (or lot) you have & hope luck stays with you for the whole of your career... remember, there's always someone worse off than you & probably through no fault of their own. Aviation is more prevalent to this kind of thing than almost any other career field. When it's good it's great but when it's down, it's the absolute pits.

Yes, I would dearly love to drag myself out of bed @ 0400 and park 2 miles from the terminal and go through that wonderful security and then be dealyed for an hour because we lost our slot. I used to do exactly that & was as enthusiastic as you. Some of us do not have even that luxury now!!!!

P. S. By the way, can anyone make use of THREE ATPLs, five type ratings etc. ?...I can't use them ....going cheap on eBay!!
__________________________

Pie in the Sky......It's Nice To Be Important, but It's More Important to Be Nice!! :confused:

AlexB757, I can very much sympathize with your experience;a very sad tale. But hell, you know, money isn't always the key to a happy or succesful life. Ask the doctors and lawyers too, they will probably tell you a very different tale of stressful existances, with only a small handful that make it to the top! I bet the average doctor or lawyer would give his 'lot' in for a better life.

Yes, the grass is always greener on the other side. I look back on my time flying and I don't regret one little moment of it. It was exciting, yet I don't miss it now; maybe I'm lucky. Regardless of our own experiences in aviation, I think the original post stands good and that says that the face of flying has changed considerably in the last few years, and not for the better.

Exceptions accepted, of course.

Whooooh never realised so many guys were ready to call it quits!!

"Rationalise the relationship that you have with your employer and with flying in general..."

Well said Capt.U/P.:D

The scales are tipping further away from us, while all loyalty dissappears corespondingly.

...and no NSF, I too, also love flying but am finding the whole job less joyfull, with all these "extras"/complications, either company or Industry induced.

:hmm:

Most of the replies to this topic could have come straight from my heart, it's sad to realise a young boys dream has turned into a captains nightmare. Well, may be this is a bit too much but it comes close! I have seen company's, bit by bit nibble off all the goodies of this job. "You are not supposed to have fun,. . . it's to EXPENSIVE"! I also remember the nice time in Bangor (late 80's). Lobster till you die for $7,50 at Captain Nicks. Great hosties ( I was single then) Good allowance. Skiing at Sugar Loaf. A bathtub full of drinks and ice in room #132 at the Holiday Inn. A good time untill you couldn't handle it anymore. Those days are gone, over, done. Maybe I'm getting old, maybe it is the beancounters. Although,. . . I think it's the latter I am arrogant enough to think.

Greetings, and to great times,
GP76.

Interesting thread.

I think a lot of this depends on when you started flying. Many of us who only started in the last few years know no different. We have all heard the stories of the good old days, but that appears to apply in all walks of life, and with all generations. My father in law often tells of horrendous conditions when he was my age, but then 10 mins later he'll go on about how things were ''better in the old days..and how the govt. has ruined this country''

Working for a regional operator we dont get the same perks. (hell we dont even get crew food or breakfast in hotels!)

I've been flying for 15 yrs, with airlines for 5yrs with 3 in the LHS. Times have changed, and I imagine more changes on the horizon, but, I still love flying and look forward to going to work.

Sad to say it but I think that, to a greater extent, some of the pilot fraternity have only got themselves to blame for many of these changes.

There are some pilots who if the management said "Fly aeroplanes upside-down today" would meekly obey their order! The "Martini" set still exist, you know, "anytime, any place..."

If all flight deck crew were part of an organisation (dare I even mention the word union!) which had some muscle and bargaining power then our lives would still have just a few perks.

It is obviously not feasible to return to the heady days of yesteryear but we have to get the message across to the bean-counters, the travelling public and the share-holders that pilots still have an enormous responsibility despite the fact that it's all "automatic" these days!

Nice sentiments Fireflybob, but way off the mark, imho.

The changes in the industry are nothing to do with unions or pilot resolve;they are to do with changing market conditions and economics.

You have two choices, as a pilot nowadays; you accept the change with a positive attitude or they drag you 'kicking and screaming' into the new era.

You can stand alone and fight, if that's your wish, but you'll get trampled on by the ensuing mass. Don't wait too long for your union or 'enssembled mass of fellows' to back you up. Look over your shoulder and there will be nobody standing behind you.

Sad but true!

corporate
 

Please, please please, do not tell any one but in corporate it has not changed.......I would suspect that if the B O Fa$ts that are moving over to NetJet, to extend their flying lives are to be beleived then there is life after death.......Met two such gentlmen last month and they were like pigs in sh$t......Wished they had retired !!!!! earlier. Too old for LHS but perfect for the bar stool.......great guys.......

So in conclusion please remember that it is always greener on the other side....

I do sympathise, I really do but as a wannabe i'm going for my CPL/IR in 6 months 100%. As a couple of people have said already, "the grass is always greener on the other side". These may sound like empty words when you're redundant and life is hard but the fact of the matter is that by changing the words "aviation" and "flying" in these posts the thread could quite easily apply to any other profession. It's easy not to see that if you've been flying for the last 10+ years. Just about every day on in the news someone is laying off workers or moving overseas - the chances are if you ring your banks main line you'll be put through to India! Give this thread to a bank teller and they will probably choke!

I would love to experienced the old days flying glamorous aircraft to seemingly exotic locations but unfortunately i'm too young and I can only listen to stories. Times have changed and nobody is allowed to enjoy themselves at work anymore.

I'm sure many of you will put me down as too inexperienced to comment or may dismiss me altogether but believe me, things may have deteriorated in aviation but from my side of the fence your jobs are still pretty awe inspiring. Granted the public do not see 95% of the work but from my current low paid, shift work, labourish job I would remove body parts to be where you are (I need my arms, legs and head to fly, so that just leaves... Oh no:{ ).

Good luck to everyone, what ever choice you make but i've decided i'm going to try to make a living, no matter how small, from doing what i've always dreamed. There will be a job going at BP in six months, night shifts, 18k, quite physical, no prospects!

I'm not bitter, just trying to add a little perspective.

Speaking from outside of your line of work (like the name says, I am mere pax) then what you are experiencing is the same as everyone else.

In the 23 years that I have been in commerce, I have seen all the changes to which you refer - simply apllied to other fields. In Telecommunications, we used to be a bit of a free roaming bunch. We would turn out for the job at any time of the day or night, get it on the road and were respected for what we did and paid a decent wage.

Now? It is controlled 24 hours a day by a string of managers who have no idea what they are managing. The bean counters make decisions that make our working lives complicated and do so without reference to us. The timescales for a project to be completed take less respect for the work actually involved and more for what the boss has already promised the board. When we tell him (it usually is a 'him') that it won't fit/work in the time available, we are told to lump it or leave it.

When travelling on biz we used to travel 1st on the train and Club on the plane. Now, us lowly folk in telecomms and IT are shoved back down the bus and only the fancy pants that meet the customer, may travel up the front.

People who are less experienced bluff their way into the biz and make enormous headway. I realise that this will not (I hope!) be the same on the flight deck but you will have seen lots of little boys with the word 'manager' in their title, when they can hardly manage their own bladder.

I could go on. You only have to talk to teachers and university lecturers, people in what is left of the UK regional theatre system, the National Health and even central governement. :sad:

So, what you see and experience is no less painful for knowing but ... it is the same as everyone else.

(Unless you work in corporate, it would seem Bumz? ;) )

Ditto for ATC PAXboy. Indeed, the same rings through for so many occupations. With some noteable exceptions many businesses are managed by people who don't have the remotest idea over what they're managing. Job cuts are made under the pretext of market conditions and economics - and what they "save" goes into nice fat bonus payments for themselves in recognition of their great skills! We are being conned people. It's time for a WORKERS REVOLUTION brothers!

I remember "The good old days"....

Vietnam, coal strikes, paranoia about nuclear attack, four million unemployed.....those were the days.

Then there's "the good old days" my dad had......dropping bombs on civilians, getting shot down in flames, fascist control of Europe, rationing.

Now my grandad....he had a great time on the Somme.....

Well it just goes to show that the "40 Year Plan" that we were all programmed to believe and put our faith in is a broken model - it just does not work the way we were told!

i.e. Get a good education, train for a profession and then when you are about 25 years old you go to work for a "good" company for life and then retire at 65 years on this pot of gold called a pension!! And we now have the UK government talking about putting the retirement age up to 70!!

I am sure all of the contributors to this thread, including me, love flying aeroplanes and despite all the insecurities of the airline industry the best bit is once the wheels are off the ground.

However, we should not expect a "J.O.B" (Just Over Broke) on it's own to fulfill all our expectations. My advice is do NOT put all you eggs in one basket. By all means fly for a living but safeguard your financial future by doing other things.

Oh and by the way, the reference to money not making you happy - well, I have had it and not had it and I know which I prefer!! Money doesn't solve everything but at least you can arrive at your challenges in style.

Capt BK, I go along with your thread, you are right.
I am sorry to see that so many of you feel bitter and kindda sad about the job. Of course you have lived the amazing years of commercial aviation and things that none of us would ever experience. But things change, they always change, they have always changed, and it is sad to see that some do take it so seriously.
I respect all of you who have been flying our dream machine for the last 25 years, those of you that have made us dream of becoming a pilot one day when we were looking at you coming down the alley with your flashy stripes and your hats. I always felt this incredibly strong feeling of admiration, dream and respect.
And I loved planes, from as far as I can remember, I love planes.
Today, I fly commercially, a job most of you 'old boys' would never do or have never gone for, somewhere in Africa, ****ty little singles and twins, overweight most of the time, crappy weather with no radio aid, and for a crap pay (compared to the 6 figures some of you, my Lords, have been clearing in the "Golden Age" of aviation - go discuss this to someone doing under $18K and working 8 hours a day, 7 days a week). But I love it. I always wanted to do it, I always wanted to fly those machines and what better than being paid for it. And I remember seeing you coming down the alley and I have a big smile on my face. From here I will probably go regional or maybe corporate, or even cargo, and I guess that in 20 years I'll be complaining too about the conditions, about the wages, about the changing times. And I'll remember this thread, but today I love it, I wouldn't do any other job, even for more money. Oh yeah, I'm one of these stupid romantics. Until I become one of those grumpy old men.

Yes, I guess there's a better career prospect at McDonald or Disney, and if I'm lucky I could save enough to fly on weekends. Well, I think it would be really good for a lot of us, if the unhappy ones decide to leave, retire, and go fishing the tarpon.

Let's not be too extreme though, I understand that it has changed in the wrong direction, and it is really not as great as it was, but for those who entered the career in the last years, it is still a very nice, fun, job, and we know we won't make the big pay you had, but we'll still do it as good as you did it and with the same passion.

PAXboy I agree 100%.

Good for you Shenzi

I too was mad keen to fly anything in my youth, and to honest a bit beyond that too. Don't knock what you are doing now. The experience will serve you well in the future. Clapped out planes and African conditions will give you a good grounding in airmanship. As we get older and the conditions more cushy and the challenge fades we get bored and upset about the wrong things. In later years when something really pissed me off, I used to say to myself: just remember the s**t you put up with in **** airlines and I would thank my lucky stars. And looking back? I wouldn't change much if I had my time again.
Jambo

I can see where you lads are coming from- even with my limited experience. I started flying commercialy in late 2000 as a lowly flight instructor (still am). To me, the good old days are pre-9/11. Training has tanked ever since. I wish I had the oppertunity to have seen 'the good old days'. Flying still gets me excited but I wonder how much longer it will take before that fades with the current climate. Prospects are dim- but I'm hanging in there. My advice for the others with more experience is to do the same for as long as you can. I've had way worse jobs than this and have no desire to go back. You'll know when to throw in the towel the day you can't get out of bed and go to work. Until then, think of all the poor bastards like me that will never know half the pleasure in this job you had in the past- and be thankful for what you have had! I'm just glad I could get out of bed this morning- I'll see about tomorrow........Good luck to all.

Farside:

Granted all is not as it was but shouldn't you occasionally ask yourself where would you be if it was not for aviation. It was Antoine de Saint Exupery who said : " Flying raises a man from mediocrity " and 1200 years before that Li Tai Pai, Tang Dynasty poet said :

" When one has good wine,
A graceful boat,
And a maiden's love,
Why envy the immortal Gods. "

Most people can't understand that the only thing that does not change is that everything changes. Think about that and be glad you are not of the masses.
Regards,

Prince of Dzun

Yes I really like this topic and where does it lead us.
Where do we go from here?
I was taught in the Military that we operate within a set state of standards.
Once we exceed or break that standard then we establish a new standard.
If allowed to continue before too long we have no standards at all.
Is this what we ourselves have caused by letting the upper management change everything?
Then when we complain they say, You are lucky to have a job, 10 pilots would give their eye teeth to be where you are at.

I was lucky enough to have nearly 20 years of flying in the military before coming out into commercial aviation. The aircraft I flew were either built or designed before I was born and, to my great good fortune, I flew with a wide variety of old and bold aviators - most of whom have sadly now retired.

My goodness did I learn a lot about flying! I still try and pass on some of the many gems I picked up from these fine people (sadly I have probably forgotten more than half of it and I probably don't pass it on half as well).

I remember some excellent times seeing the sun come up, watching the northern lights, flashing across a hillside at first light at low level. Going down town overseas mob-handed.

Now I fly for a small/medium commercial operation and I am that little bit older but there is still nothing that quite matches getting your backside off the ground on a good day and really operating the machine to its and your full capabilities.

Remember, these are tomorrows good old days - and when it all comes together, flying is still the Sport of Kings!

Yes I can relate.
Even the O dark thirty alerts then flying low level at 500 feet AGL
then going to 1000 feet an doing the drop, repeating just once for practice, then going to the club for a beer.
Everything was prepared for you, weather Etc.
Boy were we ever spoiled.
Now its departure times changed three times in one day.
After a 14 hour day then its a 6 hour bus ride from Manston to Manchester.
Only to find that your crew base has changed to a different Continent. An you need to move with only 23 Kilos of baggaged allowed. You have been away for 5 weeks already!
Then the out of pocket expences you have been trying to re-coup for months is not allowed due to the station not having enough money to reinburse you, only to find you have to spend much more to get to your next base, taxi bus etc.
Its only getting worse, new standards that we allow.

We're not so much talking about "When I were a lad" here, we're discussing how things have gone downhill in about the last 4 years or so.

Yellow-jacket mentality, security frisking by some bottom-fondling failed wheelclamper, increased working periods, fewer breaks unless the bean counters are forced to schedule them, being locked in the flight deck, not being permitted to wander around and chat to the passengers.....all these have contributed to making an airline job pretty unappealing. I'm leaving the military with over 5000 hours on the VC10, 4000+ in command and 2500+ as a training captain. I have an ATPL - but there's no way I'd want to put up with the bus drivers' life of an airline pilot.

Good luck to those who still want to be airline pilots.....