Closing Arguments: Time to Pay Pilots More?

With the coming inflation, everybody should make more....a lot more.

NO I wouldn't pay more for an airline ticket just to pay a pilot more. The problem is with Regional Airlines that fly for the Mainline. They don't pay their pilots enough. Do away with commuting long distances. This co-pilot knew her schedule. She should have flown in a day or 2 before and rested since she was originating in Oregon and was flying out of Newark.

There is also no reason why an airline CEO should be paid more than their highest paid pilots. Pilots are the reason airlines exist. Not CEO's.

No, in the current economy, plane fares and misc. charges are ridiculous. Not only that, but the flights have been cut back and overbooked to the extent that you pay $600+ for a previous $158 flight, and that is without the additional luggage charges.

I don't know if salaries would have much in common with PILOT COMPETENCY...Let's face it ...this pilot made what looks to be a rookie mistake and lost his plane at the cost of many lives...I don't think his salary had much bearing on what actually happened here...Let's dig a little deeper in the well and find the true root cause !!!

I might be willing to pay a bit more, However I'd like to see the CEO and middle management's salary reported side by side with the Pilot Rebecca Shaw 25K per year. I'd prefer to see middle mnagemment stream lined and CEOs take a sizable cut before fares were inceased.

I have often flown commerical, and have not felt that I need to worry about the staff's ability to do their job. No I am not willing to pay more for my ticket. The airlines should be paying any capable person a reasonable salary. If a person is not capable in scores or academics they should not be hired for this important task. I appreciate the ability of the airline staff, but, I shouldn't pay more to any airline to ensure my safety. This should be done without question. What would I do? Ask at the check in desk? No, all should be paid well for a job they have acheived. I should not worry as a consumer as to the ability of the staff. I would think the airline would determine this, thus being responsible for the employees that they hire.

Yes, I would be ready to pay more to be sure we have pilots that are better qualified and trained and less worn out by the long hours.

I heard the playback of the cockpit conversation that was going on during the period when the pilot and copilot are only supposed to be discussing the takeoff process (up to 10,000 feet, I think). It is outrageous to hear the conversation that they were having.

But this should not become a fare resetting just to compensate the pilots more. The FAA needs to review the whole situation of airline safety or “unsafety” that now exists due to deregulation, airline greed, and failed government.

The planes are all way overcrowded. The seat spaces are way too small. These conditions are completely unsafe and should be made safer by reducing the seat crowding on planes. Increase the space per person by 50% and increase the fares by 50%. The revenue to the airline would be the same, and the flight would be safer, especially when an evacuation becomes necessary. The flight would also be less painful to the passengers, who are now crowded like sardines. There would also be fewer sicknesses spread on the planes with less overcrowding.

Deregulation of the airlines has been a complete failure--just another government failure. Airline travel was much safer and much less unpleasant, before deregulation. Deregulation was completely unnecessary and a major government mistake. So, come on FAA and government, let's get up off your big cans, earn your lavish salaries and benefits, and fix these problems that you created by deregulation.

Come on Brashir...use your head...mistakes were made...people died...end of discussion...Let's keep things in perspective !!! Salaries were probably the last thing on this pilots mind !!!

I believe that anybody who works should make a decent living wage. There are too many people in this world today who make a lot more than thier worth of contribution to humanity. Rebecca or anybodies pay does not ensure my or anybody elses saftey. Our wealth distribution of in this country and globally is totally off the mark. We as communitties need to look at our basic needs as people and pay for those equally. Why does a doctor get paid more than a farmer, when it is the root of our health of that the farmer cultivates?

speaking from a pilot view as i am one myself, no one can hardly afford to live in base, its way to expensive and you would hardly be there, so why not commute from where you live and where you have roots. commuting in two days before a trip is ridiculous because most of the time we only have 1-3 days off in between trips, thats taking away from our time off with our families. Ask yourself this, would you go spend the night in a hotel on a saturday to get to work on monday....i dont think so. they need to fork over some more cash to the people that fly the planes and that actually work.

To: GIVE ME A BREAK.......Oh please. You know that when you take a job as a pilot or flight attendant it's better to live close to the base you are hired out of. If you can't afford to live in that base then you should find a job that is closer to your income range. I have traveled for work for 11 years now. And YES I have had to fly in the day before I start my job just so I could get the proper rest before I started the next day. I have lost as much family time as any flight attendant or pilot so I'm not going to cry you a river.

Again the problem with this copilot's pay was she worked for the regional airline. Their pay SUCKS. And who's fault is that? The CEO and the pilot union.

The article is asking if you'd be willing to pay more if it meant hiring a higher caliber pilot to fly you around? The way things are now, low quality pilots are being hired at regionals BECAUSE the pay is so low. The high quality guys are staying in the military (or other career fields), never going to regionals.

2) You cant have higher wages and not increase fares.

The airlines operate on less than 1% avg profit margin per year. You have to raise fares to raise wages, or, you could take money out of safety programs, maintenance and training to cover the increased wage costs. You must raise fares to raise wages in the airlines.

I would not pay more. It's rediculous to think the co-pilot could not find somewhere affordable to live that would have been a shorter commute. Plenty of people live on less than her salary and they have to live where they can afford to live.

ABC. I challenge you to ask why AMR Corporation has taken money from their employees. On average most pilots at AA have taken a 30% paycut while management has seen their bonuses go up 700%...

I dare you ABC to actually do a story on how Corporate Greed at most of the airlines especially American Airlines is the reason why we are we are today.

Ask most people if they would go to a surgeon who had a second job. For all of you people that have never done the job I have lived in planes, slept in hangars and done anything I could do to get to the point where I am. I have never seen a pay increase just pay loss since I have been at AA.. Even before 9/11. You will pay a pro player millions but if your in the back of my plane you dont care if Im tired BECAUSE YES I DO HAVE A SECOND JOB!!!

ABC---- see if you can take on AMR and ask why 8 of our pilots have killed themselves in the last year!!! Dare you!! You wont because you are scared like most press of large corporations... It could affect your advertising dollars..

How much is a pilot worth to the passengers they serve when the airplane is flying?

I'd say more than 24k.

Better yet email me since I gave it to you and I will give you a story.. The difference is that it will be the truth...

I am a regional pilot. I made about 24k last year. I spent over 300 hours away from home last month. Only during my 87 flying hours was I paid. I have been in some form of training for 9 years. I have 8 different pilot certificates. I have flown over two thousand hours. I have over 60k of college debt. My union is almost useless because a loophole in the law that doesn't allow us to strike properly for the wages we deserve. Because of the seniority system I can not leave my current airline for fear of starting all over again. My life is falling apart, because I decided to chase my dream. The airlines know this. They know that I want to go to work, and I can never leave. I do not want to make a million dollars. I do however want the respect of my passengers, my nearly homeless brethren, and the FAA. I want to sleep more then 5 hours a night. Everyone should damn the current set of laws that allow the airline to push us around. I recently was on a trip that gave to give my crew nearly 9 hours of "Scheduled Rest". The "Rest" was scheduled to begin upon our arrival at the airport, not the pillow. Our flight was delayed, then we had to wait for passengers to deplane(including the ones that have to wait up to 10 minutes for wheelchairs), then wait to catch a shuttle bus to a hotel 20 minutes away, try to sleep, then get up early because the hotel van only travels to the airport every 30 minutes, pass through security, and arrive at the gate in enough time to preflight and run 6 checklists. My 9 hours of "REST" turned into little more then 5 hours, during the middle of the day. How could anyone function after six days in a row of that kind of abuse. I think sleep deprivation was used in "Get-mo" as a form of torture for terrorist that wanted to hijack our airplanes. It seems to be more effective when used by crew scheduling to make those same aircraft crash anyway. Public perception is important, behind the shiny wings and fancy epaulets, is a person that makes a fraction of what he or she used to, or deserves to. I am responsible for YOUR life. I deserve to make at least a decent wage.

I agree with Airliner!!!!