Which airlines have many pilot "no shows" in class?
Thread Starter
Which airlines have many pilot "no shows" in class?
At a US major airline last spring, reportedly over half of the new-hire pilots never made it to class on the first day of Initial Training.
This surprised me, but it makes sense, considering how little many US airline managements are willing to contribute to a pilot's retirement-if anything at all.
Many active-duty military pilots are quite aware of the brutal changes in the industry and many are not applying to US airlines. Maybe they are contemplating work overseas? Some are earning a Master's Degree in Business, or creating a business in their spare time.
Pilot "no shows" happened with surprising percentages to at least two US regional airlines.
Does anybody keep fairly accurate statistics on this?
This surprised me, but it makes sense, considering how little many US airline managements are willing to contribute to a pilot's retirement-if anything at all.
Many active-duty military pilots are quite aware of the brutal changes in the industry and many are not applying to US airlines. Maybe they are contemplating work overseas? Some are earning a Master's Degree in Business, or creating a business in their spare time.
Pilot "no shows" happened with surprising percentages to at least two US regional airlines.
Does anybody keep fairly accurate statistics on this?
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No shows... a tear in my eyes
Hola Ignition Override...
xxx
I dont have the US air carrier statistics for you. But I can tell you that here in Argentina, we receive a dozen of applications of US pilots each week. Some are still in the Air Force or the Navy, but many are from regional pilots, captains or first officers on CRJs or similar types - Why...?
xxx
The answer is simple - low wages, first... and very few benefits, if any. Medical insurances cover nothing for the first 6 or 12 months, forget your dependants... and 401K plans are a financial joke as a base for retirement... Shall we also mention the high cost of living in the big cities, where you would be required to be based. Of course, with these wages, you could live in Podunk, Iowa, and commute (for free, if space available on jump seat)...
xxx
How many times shall we compare the first year US wages of "Commuter Express" or "Regional Skybridge" to a career "assistant manager" (the entry level) at McDonald's or Pizza Hut... And despite all that, half of what we read here in Pprune, is "how do I become an airline pilot...?" and "how do I get a visa to work as pilot in the USA...?" -
xxx
I knew the US airline industry in its heydays, the late 1960s, when I started flying for an airline that had ordered 25 brand new B-747s and expected to operate SSTs a few years after that. The regional airlines were airlines like Mohawk, Northeast, Air West, or Ozark, where you had good wages and could plan an entire career... But came October 1973... then the deregulation.
xxx
Back then, if you were not military pilot, $5,000 was the cost of a CPL/IR, all that was required for the RH seat of a FH-227 or a DC-9. Nowadays, it would take you 3 to 5 years of "regional airline wages" to repay your ATPL/CRJ training.
xxx
Oh, do not worry, overseas wages are not always spectacular. They are not good in Argentina, but bear in mind that they are sufficient to live in an affluent area of Buenos Aires, that social medecine is outstanding and not expensive, that education is basically free through college, and that your pension will be decent. I bought a nice little house on a beach in Brazil, where I am to retire soon, for the price of a little house... in Podunk, Iowa...
xxx
A good friend of mine, Sabena pilot, lost his job with the bankruptcy of that airline. The Belgian government has been paying his unemployment ever since then, he now enjoys his retirement near Malaga, Spain. When PanAm folded in December 1991, I was given 6 month unemployment at $600/month, lost my home in California, and my retirement plan... Most of the PanAmigos went overseas, many in Asia, some in the Middle East. I went to Cargolux, and 6 months later to Argentina, where I can fly to my 65th birthday...
xxx
No shows for new-hire training in the US regionals...? Well, if they triple their salaries, provide normal employee benefits, and stop requiring pilots to pay for a type rating, maybe they will fill their classes... maybe... All that is required to qualify, for a F/O, is a CPL/IR/ME. The rest of the training is up to that airline, as per FAR 121 requirements for a F/O type qualification.
xxx
Happy contrails
xxx
xxx
I dont have the US air carrier statistics for you. But I can tell you that here in Argentina, we receive a dozen of applications of US pilots each week. Some are still in the Air Force or the Navy, but many are from regional pilots, captains or first officers on CRJs or similar types - Why...?
xxx
The answer is simple - low wages, first... and very few benefits, if any. Medical insurances cover nothing for the first 6 or 12 months, forget your dependants... and 401K plans are a financial joke as a base for retirement... Shall we also mention the high cost of living in the big cities, where you would be required to be based. Of course, with these wages, you could live in Podunk, Iowa, and commute (for free, if space available on jump seat)...
xxx
How many times shall we compare the first year US wages of "Commuter Express" or "Regional Skybridge" to a career "assistant manager" (the entry level) at McDonald's or Pizza Hut... And despite all that, half of what we read here in Pprune, is "how do I become an airline pilot...?" and "how do I get a visa to work as pilot in the USA...?" -
xxx
I knew the US airline industry in its heydays, the late 1960s, when I started flying for an airline that had ordered 25 brand new B-747s and expected to operate SSTs a few years after that. The regional airlines were airlines like Mohawk, Northeast, Air West, or Ozark, where you had good wages and could plan an entire career... But came October 1973... then the deregulation.
xxx
Back then, if you were not military pilot, $5,000 was the cost of a CPL/IR, all that was required for the RH seat of a FH-227 or a DC-9. Nowadays, it would take you 3 to 5 years of "regional airline wages" to repay your ATPL/CRJ training.
xxx
Oh, do not worry, overseas wages are not always spectacular. They are not good in Argentina, but bear in mind that they are sufficient to live in an affluent area of Buenos Aires, that social medecine is outstanding and not expensive, that education is basically free through college, and that your pension will be decent. I bought a nice little house on a beach in Brazil, where I am to retire soon, for the price of a little house... in Podunk, Iowa...
xxx
A good friend of mine, Sabena pilot, lost his job with the bankruptcy of that airline. The Belgian government has been paying his unemployment ever since then, he now enjoys his retirement near Malaga, Spain. When PanAm folded in December 1991, I was given 6 month unemployment at $600/month, lost my home in California, and my retirement plan... Most of the PanAmigos went overseas, many in Asia, some in the Middle East. I went to Cargolux, and 6 months later to Argentina, where I can fly to my 65th birthday...
xxx
No shows for new-hire training in the US regionals...? Well, if they triple their salaries, provide normal employee benefits, and stop requiring pilots to pay for a type rating, maybe they will fill their classes... maybe... All that is required to qualify, for a F/O, is a CPL/IR/ME. The rest of the training is up to that airline, as per FAR 121 requirements for a F/O type qualification.
xxx
Happy contrails
xxx
