Continental Flight 3407 crash outside Buffalo (NTSB hearings on Page 8)

I've got no problem with paying dues, working your way up, whatever. But I'd like the guy (or girl) flying my fucking plane to be making enough money to be able to afford a decent apartment, a comfortable bed, decent meals, etc. I don't want him living in a one-bedroom apartment above a bowling alley and below another bowling alley and eating ramen twice a day.

 

No, I'm not kidding. Let's just say I have intimate knowledge of a single major airline that had 9,000 pilots in the six figure plus range a couple years ago. That number is down to probably 6,000 or 7,000 today factoring in furloughs and wage reductions.

Multiple that by the number of majors and you're looking at 30,000 minimum.

 

A within-thread d_b

awesome

 

I hope I never have to fly through icing.

 

I hope I never have to fly through icing with a pilot who is paid less than a busboy at the Red Lobster.

 

I think this episode is definitely going to change my habits with respect to subcontracted regional flights. I'm going to avoid them as much as humanly possible.

Another thought here is that Continental, which I fly more than any other airline, shouldn't escape blame on this, either. It contracts with Colgan Air because it supplies cost efficiencies. This is the result of a squeeze that starts at the top and works its way to the bottom.

 

I offer you 16,000 apologies.