It's a hard, hard way to make an easy living.

[greyhounds]

Hauling folks and stuff around don't pay that good no more:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/13/business/13cnd-air.html?ei=5090&en=e39305a977d221eb&ex=1284264000&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=print

[espeefoamer]

Southwest must be doing something right!

[Anonymous]

They say that a lot of delta pilots are seeking railway jobs, but who knowns. The little airlines that dont have a huge bunch of cocky pilots like the the rest, such as airtran are doing well right now. All i live around are delta pilots, and i really wish most of them would just drop dead, just dead, they are the biggest cocky bunch of jerks. One buys a motorcycle, they all do....jerks all around

[Anonymous]

Pilots need a little 'elan and a good sense of dominace in the sky otherwise they stay home.

If delta pilots were drivers we would call them big dogs. =)

I prefer Southwest thank you.

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

Anybody who has read "The Right Stuff" by Tom Wolfe has a pretty good idea of where pilot ego comes from. As long as commercial pilots come from the armed services, this is going to be a fact of life, although I don't think it will ever go away.

Many of the labor issues are related to deregulation to some extent. The older airlines generally have higher labor costs that originated in the regulated era when additional costs could more easily be covered by higher fares, an option no longer available.

[oltmannd]

Southwest and Airtran have young workforces and don't have to pay nearly as much into pension funds/benefits.

That's a big chunk of the difference.

[edbenton]

That plus Southwest and Airtran basicly use one maybe 2 types of aircraft tops. Southwest only has the 737 family Airtran has 717, 737, and 757 familys lot easier to have crews trained to fly one type maybe 2 types. Compare that to Delta basicly anything that has been made in the last 25 years. Northwest is in the same boat as Delta.

[StillGrande]

Delta, American, United, and the other oldster airlines also come from a time when air travel was more of a luxury than an airborne bus service. Crew members could command higher salaries and had an aura of awe and respect because it was a big deal to fly a plane, even 20 years ago.

Now, they are being forced to compete with airlines which recognize you don't need an ex-military pilot to be able to operate and land the plane. Heck, the planes can pretty much fly themselves from take-off to landing. Pilots can drive from gate to runway and then just babysit the computers until it is time to drive to the gate again. If the computers fail, it is still more luck than skill that will let the pilot land the plane somewhere safely.

Guys can go through flight training outside the military and qualify to fly commercial jets. You just work your way up the line.

Flight attendants are now glorified waitresses (and waiters). Even that is falling off as airlines cut food service (selling "snack packs" instead).

All the older companies in the US are also struggling with their huge retirement expenses. They are carrying so many retirees that they are being dragged under (GM can't sell enough cars to pay for their benefits packages). The newer companies don't have as big a problem there (yet!), so they can still "make money".

[TomDiehl]

Since Bush wants Amtrak to be profitable, maybe he should make the same demands of the airlines. Especially making them honor the pension and benefits packages like the feds require of Amtrak, as well as the freight railroads.

[BaltACD]

QUOTE: Originally posted by TomDiehl

Since Bush wants Amtrak to be profitable, maybe he should make the same demands of the airlines. Especially making them honor the pension and benefits packages like the feds require of Amtrak, as well as the freight railroads.

Don't forget to have the airlines pick up the direct costs of the Air Traffic Control System as well as the direct costs of the airports they operate from.

[edbenton]

That is one way to get people on Amtrak a ticket from LA to Chicago would cost around 2 grand each way Amtrak would be ceap then so what if it takes 2 days leave on friday get to the meeting on monday.

[greyhounds]

And they went under. Two major US airlines going bankrupt in the same day.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,169401,00.html

Joining the ranks of the Penn Central, Milwaukee Road, Eastern Airlines, Pan American Airlines, Consolidated Freightways, Preston, APA (I never thought that trucker would go under - but he sure did!)

Transportation is a *** rough business to make a buck in.