Posted on 02/12/2014 6:54:34 AM PST by Red in Blue PA
A widening shortage of U.S. airline pilots is spotlighting the structure of an industry built on starting salaries for regional-airline pilots that are roughly equivalent to fast-food wages.
The shortage's toll rose Tuesday, as Republic Airways Holdings Inc., one of the nation's largest regional carriers, said it would remove 27 of its 243 aircraft from operation because it couldn't find enough qualified pilots. The news, which followed service disruptions at other airlines, sent Republic's shares down 4.1% to finish at $9.45.
Starting pilot salaries at 14 U.S. regional carriers average $22,400 a year, according to the largest U.S. pilots union. Some smaller carriers pay as little as $15,000 a year. The latter is about what a full-time worker would earn annually at the $7.25-an-hour federal minimum wage.
Regional carriers are a key link in the U.S. air-travel system. Big airlines, whose pilot salaries are much higher, outsource about half of their domestic flights to these smaller partners to save money.
(Excerpt) Read more at finance.yahoo.com ...
A lot of regional planes these days are jets and they have modern avionics including autopilot. Weekend pilots can get a portable inertial navigation unit with a virtual display for a couple of thousand dollars used. So even a Cessna 152 can have the capability that only the most expensive jets had a decade ago.
The starting wage is low, but good pilots can move up very quickly these days and the pay is very good.
No, that's economics. When you're flying a 14 seat regional commuter turboprop, any single flight has a typical revenue generating capacity of 14x$99, or $1,400. A typical commuter aircraft may make eight trips a day (four each way) from a small regional airport to a major airport hub. So that makes the daily revenue potential (if flying full, both ways, every trip) at $11,200 per day.
You have fuel, aircraft maintenance, gate fees, and capital equipment costs that eat up most of that. And the planes don't fly full both ways every trip, and many trips are lower than $99 per ticket, so the actual revenue is lower than the $11,200 figure. How much is left for pilot salaries?
And the school bus drivers are paid by the taxpayers, not by paying customers, so what they make is not relevant to the discussion.
I do not want to fly with a pilot who makes $22,000 a year.
Pilots Often Head to Wrong Airports, Reports Show
http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/wireStory/pilots-head-wrong-airports-reports-show-22449175
Sure they do. My buddy’s Cessna 172 (4 seater) has auto pilot.
That would be because so many people want to be pilots, and have the qualifications and certifications. You can do most of it on simulators these days.
I think the challenge today is the cost of accumulating enough hours to qualify for commercial.
Its called SUPPLY AND DEMAND
There are MANY people who would love an opportunity to be a pilot.
If there were only a few who wanted the job, the pay would be higher.
I would work for free if they would let me fly planes
I thought you had to have 1500 hours multi-engine now to qualify?
http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/2013/07/15604.html/
“School bus drivers make more than that!”
School bus drivers are paid by the govt. and their budget for their wages is co-mingled with the “for the children” edumacation budget.
As I am a aviation consultant, believe it. The qualified part is you need a
minimum 1500 hours of flying timer to fly an a scheduled commercial airliner as of Jan. 1. Before you could fly the right seat for as little as 250 hours and build your time from there.
This was a governmental knee jerk reaction to the Continental crash in 2009 at Buffalo.
Does auto pilot imply auto land now? It did not used to.
A truly hilarious story.
Airlines can’t find enough qualified pilots because they pay such low salaries.
Somewhere out there in financial principles land there is an answer to this dilemma.
Wait, wait, don’t push me, it will come to me...
“Most pilots work 10-15 years before they make a decent living.”
Same for many physicians, attorneys, politicians, small business owners, and I hate to say it but TEACHERS (who get paid by years of experience due to union rules).
It is true. Starting salaries are abysmal.
I do not want to fly with a pilot who makes $22,000 a year.
It’s possible that these “low” starting salaries are actually far too high.
Part of the cost of a pilot is the risk that he will incur liability for his employer (such as by crashing the plane, or a PR disaster landing at the wrong airport, etc.).
These pilots are paid presumably so they can have a subsistence living until they are actually economically profitable enough to overcome all the costs of entrusting them with the aircraft and passengers. That, because the airline needs the trained pilot down the road.
If pay was based on who is truly receiving net benefits, the young pilots would probably be paying the airline for a few years.
I can’t think of many things I enjoy less than going to an airport and getting on an airplane....unless it’s having to transfer to another airplane!!! Use to be a very pleasurable experience!!!
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