[shakespear1]

OK, I am in shock. I was always under the impression that airline pilot who has a hell of a lot of responsibility gets payed well. Well according to this article I am in errrrrror. What gives?

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'M')any are forced to fly half way around the country before they even begin work. Others sleep in trailers at the back of Los Angeles airport, in airline lounges across the country or even on the floors of their own planes. Some co-pilots, who typically take home about $20,000 (£12,500) a year, hold down second jobs to make ends meet.

Unless they have come through the military, many pilots also start their first jobs deeply in debt. "Many of them come to these jobs with $150,000 of debt for a $15,000-$20,000 starting job," said Ryter. "It's hard to make the economics of that work out. But there's a theory that one day they'll make a lot more money than that. Maybe they will, maybe they won't. But the problem is they are in, for a number of years, quite a hard haul and there's certainly no glamour. That's long since gone."

[mcgowanjm]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('shakespear1', 'O')K, I am in shock. I was always under the impression that airline pilot who has a hell of a lot of responsibility gets payed well. Well according to this article I am in errrrrror. What gives?

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'M')any are forced to fly half way around the country before they even begin work. Others sleep in trailers at the back of Los Angeles airport, in airline lounges across the country or even on the floors of their own planes. Some co-pilots, who typically take home about $20,000 (£12,500) a year, hold down second jobs to make ends meet.

Unless they have come through the military, many pilots also start their first jobs deeply in debt. "Many of them come to these jobs with $150,000 of debt for a $15,000-$20,000 starting job," said Ryter. "It's hard to make the economics of that work out. But there's a theory that one day they'll make a lot more money than that. Maybe they will, maybe they won't. But the problem is they are in, for a number of years, quite a hard haul and there's certainly no glamour. That's long since gone."

[frankthetank]

I read an article in a flying magazine probably close to 15 years ago and it had spelled out pay for the various types of pilots (short local hops/long distance 747s) and i recall being shocked how little some of the guys who fly these local routes make...i can just imagine it probably hasn't gone up much over the years. A captain flying a 747 i think still pulls down some good money.

[shakespear1]

For the level of responsibility to get payed so little is amazing. It is not as though these people were driving trucks or a garbage truck.

[Pretorian]

For the responsibility? Please. He flies in the same plane, does he not?
As for the skill, you can train any bear drive a motorcycle. How much more brains does one need to fly a plane?

[Pretorian]

PS I wonder though how many pilots think to and it all while flying. If I was a pilot I wouldnt off myself personally in any other way. Anyone has statistics for suicides among pilots? Might be interesting to know.

[shakespear1]

In the back are people, not cartons of WalMart junk. So I think this qualify these guys to go up the pay scale. Just my opinion which is cheap to give.

Bear in mind, they screwup sure they are gone but so are 100's of people.

[Plantagenet]

I was amazed when I chatted with my helicopter pilot during some remote fieldwork here in Alaska to learn that he was earning about 60 k----thats low by Alaskan standards.

My helicopter pilot said the low pay for pilots is a result of the law of supply and demand. The VietNam war produced thousands and thousands of helicopter pilots----after the VietNam war lots of these folks competed for the few jobs in the US domestic helicopter industry. The VietNam generation of pilots is retiring now, but there are plenty more from Iraq I and II and now Afghanistan......counter insurgency work uses a lot of helicopters and the military trains a lot of pilots.

I'll bet airplane pilot salaries are under pressure for the same reasons----hope AP comments soon.

[Pretorian]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('shakespear1', 'I')n the back are people, not cartons of WalMart junk.

[Sixstrings]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('shakespear1', 'O')K, I am in shock. I was always under the impression that airline pilot who has a hell of a lot of responsibility gets payed well. Well according to this article I am in errrrrror. What gives?

[Tyler_JC]

Do y'all use Travelocity or cheaptickets.com?

Do you select the cheapest flight?

Do you select the expensive flight?

People want cheap goods and services. If a company can cut costs without cutting quality, it will. It doesn't look like the low wages of airline pilots are in any way reducing the quality of my flight. If poorly paid pilots start crashing their planes more often, I might change my mind. But so far, so good.

I feel perfectly save on an airplane. Safer, in fact, than I feel when I'm driving.

The Air Line Pilots Association, International has 50,000 members. To give each of them a $10,000 pay raise would cost half a billion dollars. Most airlines are already on the verge of bankruptcy, that could push some of them over the edge. Is it worth it? I guess it depends whether or not you're an airline pilot.

[dinopello]

Some jobs are for the salary and some are for the perks.

You want high pay - become a rodeo clown.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he salary of a RODEO CLOWN varies from performer to performer because clowns are generally paid on a freelance basis. The amount of jobs RODEO CLOWNS accept and the price charged for services will determine how much money is earned in a year. This annual salary can work out to be between $40,000 and $90,000.

[Sixstrings]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tyler_JC', 'D')o y'all use Travelocity or cheaptickets.com?

Do you select the cheapest flight?

Do you select the expensive flight?

People want cheap goods and services. If a company can cut costs without cutting quality, it will. It doesn't look like the low wages of airline pilots are in any way reducing the quality of my flight. If poorly paid pilots start crashing their planes more often, I might change my mind. But so far, so good.

I feel perfectly save on an airplane. Safer, in fact, than I feel when I'm driving.

The Air Line Pilots Association, International has 50,000 members. To give each of them a $10,000 pay raise would cost half a billion dollars. Most airlines are already on the verge of bankruptcy, that could push some of them over the edge. Is it worth it? I guess it depends whether or not you're an airline pilot.

[Stonemason]

Strange, my uncle is a jet airliner pilot who rakes in at least $100,000-$120,000 per year. He's worked for private charter companies and now the airlines.

[Sixstrings]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Stonemason', 'S')trange, my uncle is a jet airliner pilot who rakes in at least $100,000-$120,000 per year. He's worked for private charter companies and now the airlines.

[Pretorian]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Sixstrings', ' ')how is acceptable not to pay a pilot enough to even afford an apartment?

[Sixstrings]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Pretorian', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Sixstrings', ' ')how is acceptable not to pay a pilot enough to even afford an apartment?

[Pretorian]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Sixstrings', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Pretorian', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Sixstrings', ' ')how is acceptable not to pay a pilot enough to even afford an apartment?

[davep]

The airline pilots I know tend to get their hotels and expenses paid for when flying.

[Stonemason]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Sixstrings', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Stonemason', 'S')trange, my uncle is a jet airliner pilot who rakes in at least $100,000-$120,000 per year. He's worked for private charter companies and now the airlines.