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Do Some Pilots Earn Too Much?

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Do Some Pilots Earn Too Much?

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Old 17th Jan 2001, 00:13
  #61 (permalink)  
Champagne Lover
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Sir, your point reminds me a bit of my high school PT teacher.
He was a rather well known field player, for many years too(rather enjoyable,no doubt).
Suddenly, he does a back-flip and is "saved"!
He then proceeds to try and instruct us as to the folly of our ways in wanting to be just a bit as desirable to the girls as what he was/practiced.After he had enjoyed so many years.......
Do certainly correct me if I'm out of line, but, please first read the gentelemans account of "getting there" first.
 
Old 17th Jan 2001, 11:57
  #62 (permalink)  
Devils Advocate
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Wink

(slight digression) Champagne Lover surely everybody knows that "there's none so righteous as the newly converted" !?
 
Old 17th Jan 2001, 14:15
  #63 (permalink)  
Champagne Lover
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Arrow

. . . - - - . . .
 
Old 17th Jan 2001, 19:49
  #64 (permalink)  
The Guvnor
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Cool

Icahn-omics

definition: Any party, individual or group, that uses a company to either rob, steal, cheat, lie, manipulate, or any other means determined deceitful to receive a profit or for their own personal gain at the corporations expense. Furthermore they have total disregard for all parties in their way and show no remorse even though they tell you they do.

example in a sentence:

To achieve a better standard of living, DALPA decided to employ a strategy of Icahn-omics to achieve their means.

Thanks to EVA744 on Airliners.net for this!
 
Old 18th Jan 2001, 12:27
  #65 (permalink)  
Guido Hatzis
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Guvnor, your quote sums up every single manager (lower case purposely used) in nearly every Major Airline. The feathering of nests with total disregard for the workforce has reached epidemic proportions. managers use to be concerned with RPK's etc, they are now only interested in KPI's (Key Performance Indicators). For the uninitiated this is the formula used to calculate their bonuses.

[This message has been edited by Guido Hatzis (edited 18 January 2001).]
 
Old 22nd Jan 2001, 14:11
  #66 (permalink)  
Champagne Lover
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The Guvnor, I'm sure we are all, eagerly awaiting your defence to the point made by Guido about KPI's. Are KPI's present in your (total annual) income as a factor?
Would any other senior managers in airlines(non professional-pilots)care to elaborate on how their KPI's(or similar) affect their total incomes?
 
Old 26th Jan 2001, 06:56
  #67 (permalink)  
JR/FO
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Lightbulb

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">If I was to gaze into my crystal ball, I'd see hard times ahead for UAL and any carrier (such as DL and AA) that emulates their insane pay scales. I see major layoffs - and probably industrial action - which will devastate once fine carriers</font>
Guvnor, this is known as "concessions" and gets all the airlines through the hard times.

My bet is UAL will be the first to ask for them next time around and everyone else will follow. It's management's way of "pattern bargaining". Come on, I know you're familiar with these tactics!!! If not, can I recommend you read the fine book entitled "Tactics of a Union buster"!

Cheers

Doctor Bob
AirlineRumor.com
 
Old 27th Jan 2001, 00:24
  #68 (permalink)  
Squawk 8888
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Joining late, but as a libertarian who can't stand forced unionization I couldn't resist

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">From a corporate standpoint, this is a fast-track to bankruptcy, especially in a recession which it is widely acknowledged we're entering at the moment. Salaries are part of overhead - and high overhead kills off companies when revenues are down.</font>
But what kills companies even faster are managers who nickel-and-dime to save costs when they really ought to look at ways to boost revenue. During the last recession many firms swung the axe wildly and left themselves worse off, while those that engaged in aggressive marketing, price-cutting and product/service improvements actually grew during that time. In the case of pilots, let's say we have a 767 captain making $200k and an FO making $100k (probably on the high side, but bear with me). That's $300,000 per year. Now suppose they make 10 round-trip flights per month. $300,000 a year for 120 flights works out to $2500 per flight. Now suppose we get 200 pax per flight- that means the captain and FO cost $12.50 of that return fare. Therefore even if the pilots work for free the airline is only going to save $12.50 per round-trip passenger, while the plane is flying with about 30 empty seats. Instead of trying to save a few pennies by cutting the crew's pay the airline would be far better off doing whatever it takes to fill those empty seats.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">Not only this, but their agreements limit the number of hours they have to work to ridiculously low levels - the equivalent of just over a working week for an average person per month.</font>
Do you seriously believe hours flown equals hours worked? Personally, I wouldn't want to be anywhere near an airliner whose crew simply punched a clock, started the engines and flew away.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">They expect to be paid for training time - regardless of the fact that most professions require training/seminars/conferences for which there is no additional pay.</font>
Not my profession- maybe the local sweatshop or McD's expects employees to train for free but certainly not any employer that values its workforce. Most training happens on company time and any that doesn't is usually accompanied by some fairly generous perks.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">The pay gap between US crews (and these three carriers in particular) and crews in the rest of the world is vast and seemingly growing out of control.</font>
Why is that a problem? There's a similar pay gap for every other profession as well; I could double my take-home tomorrow. Know why? Because America is richer. Period. The UK and Europe could be just as rich by cutting taxes and deregulating, but it's easier to whine about the other guy who's better off than it is to solve your own problems.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">It's very much to ALPA's benefit if other US majors (such as Continental, US Airways, TWA, Northwest, Southwest etc) join them - and ensures for those carriers that are paying their crews high salaries that come the recession, their competitors are in the same boat.</font>
And how does this differ from the behaviour of other trade unions?

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">But can these pay levels be justified?</font>
If you're asking whether they're being paid what they're worth, well they're worth exactly what somebody is willing to pay. The drivers carry enough fare-paying pax to cover their salaries many times over so obviously the airlines think they are.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">Is there any justification for retaining the old system of paying higher salaries for larger aircraft?</font>
The obvious reasons are (1) bigger investment in training = higher pay to keep them around (AKA "golden handcuffs") and (2) bigger plane = more pax = higher revenue.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">Surely a far better way of doing things would be to have a 'normal' level of base pay - and then profit share (perhaps in conjunction with an ESOP) so that if the company's doing well - then the employees do likewise. If it isn't - then they don't get any extra. The benefit to the company is that they can control their overhead by keeping pay at a reasonable level - and employees share in the good times.</font>
Flame away on this one, gang
The unions will never agree to such a scheme. Union dues are based on the employee's hourly pay, so any bonuses, company stock or profit sharing go directly to the worker. That's why unions have always opposed such schemes- becouse the bosses don't get any cash for it.
 
Old 1st Feb 2001, 03:04
  #69 (permalink)  
Guido Hatzis
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Thumbs up

Checkmate?
 
Old 4th Feb 2001, 10:01
  #70 (permalink)  
LAVDUMPER
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Guvnor,

A friend of mine at Delta once said to me, "you're only worth what you negotiate."

He's right. He's also worth $385,000 last year as a senior 737-800 captain with some overtime flying... ALPA has negotiated very, very well for Delta pilots.

Cheers
 
Old 5th Feb 2001, 01:59
  #71 (permalink)  
astrocyte
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Squawk 8
Read the virgin thread to answer part of your last point!
 
Old 6th Feb 2001, 21:26
  #72 (permalink)  
BIG MISTER
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Hi everyone

Still throusands of airmiles away from even getting my atpl but just wondering whats at the end of the tunnel?

Could you please advise me what the average F/O (self sponsored) earns in the UK for the likes of Easyjet and co ????

Thanks from me and Jane my bank manager !
 
Old 9th Feb 2001, 21:14
  #73 (permalink)  
ogseminole
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Guvnor,

All parties involved operate under the free enterprise system. You get what you can when you can get it.
Your communist attitudes died when the wall came down more than ten years ago.
Why do you begrudge these salaries so much?
Could it be that you were never invited to the dance?
 
Old 11th Feb 2001, 21:08
  #74 (permalink)  
Peter Tomkinson
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Lightbulb

It is totally meaningless to compare salaries as their are many more factors like hours conditions etc to bring into the whole picture. It is foolish. Why? Read on...

I dont care what the cleaner gets, its none of my business what the company chooses to pay a cleaner or tug driver or bagage handler, or for any other thing they pay for. Let the managers do the managing.

My salary and conditions are very important to me and my fellow pilots and we have every right in the open market to negotiate whatever the company and our reps can agree on. Putting pressure on the achieve it is normal business practice so dont scream about it. It is what the managers are doing and just what they should do. So why not the pilots too?

Guvnor, your figures are very wrong. Flight crews salaries are not 40 or 50% or even 30% of the total salary costs to the airline let alone total operating costs. Someone is pulling your leg I think. 5% of total operating would be nearer to the mark.

If Airbus or Boeing or Shell, BP or Exon can negotiate what they chanrge and get an increase when possible why cannot flight crew. Either we can use the market we are supposed to be subject to, or we cannot?
 

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