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Pilot Shortage?

Has any one done the math on what would happen to the airlines’ costs if pilot wages were less stratified at the long end of seniority and fairer all around?

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The article questions the financial and safety implications of pilot wage stratification based on seniority, highlighting the disparity between high-earning trans-oceanic pilots and lower-paid, frequently flying commuter pilots.
  • It discusses the ongoing debate around third-class medical certificate reform, noting a senator's suggestion that family doctors could conduct "special" medical reviews as a potential compromise.
  • Readers emphasize the critical importance of understanding aircraft systems and emergency procedures for safety, alongside a correction regarding technical specifics of Garmin GPS suspend modes during instrument approaches.
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Has any one done the math on what would happen to the airlines’ costs if pilot wages were less stratified at the long end of seniority and fairer all around?

If what I believe to be true actually is, a trans-oceanic pilot takes off once, lands once, knocks down serious coin and flies infrequently. Yet the commuter jocks take off and land three, four, five, or more times a day, need to scramble to get to their assignments (fatigued, like the crew in the Colgan/Buffalo crash, and domestic flights often are delayed because they haven’t shown up yet), get paid like paupers and have lousy work conditions. I’m thinking that, just maybe, the problem might be less corporate and more employee seniority?

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