Flying Cheap!

The current state of the regional airline industry is a very sensitive subject these days. With the overall perception of airline pilots making a very healthy yearly salary draws many into the field. But in reality that is not very true and several upcoming young pilots are being mislead. In the short documentary "Flying Cheap" the truth is revealed to the young pilots as to what a possible career could look like while flying for a regional airline. As a young pilot stated in the documentary his yearly salary was around $16,000 which breaks down to roughly $1,300 per month before taxes. For someone that is responsible for precious lives on a daily basis it almost doesn't seem worth it. Like the old say goes "you get what you pay for" seems to be well suiting for this scenario. Paying someone a small salary the employer may not get the best work performance out of that person. With having such a small salary when an upcoming pilot enters the field this could be a huge determining factor for those considering a career in this field. Having an unhappy airline pilot may lead to several problems in the future and could lead to fatal accident. The Colgan accident is a good example of such scenario. Both pilots were fatigue from previous flights when the accident occurred thus leading to the fatal crash that killed everyone on board.

With new regulations taken into consideration the regional airlines might be looking at having to increase their starting salary or even offering a signing bonus for new hires. When pilots are required to obtain more flight hours before being hired on the commercial level that means more time and money that the pilot has spent and in turn they will want to be compensated better. In a Wall Street Journal article it is stated that "2,650 airline pilots will retire in 2020 compared to 560 retirements in 2012." Without offering a competitive salary some of the regional airlines may not be able to keep up with the demand for pilots. The job opportunities are available seeking a career as an airline pilot but the qualifications keep getting longer every year. With that being said this will continue to shrink the amount of qualified future pilots.

Professionalism could be defined as conducting one's self in a manner that is both beneficial to the company that one works for and that strives to exceed the expectation of the end customer. In the documentary "Flying Cheap" a few of the interviewed pilots talked down upon the company that they worked for. Also, by not having well qualified pilots working for the regional airlines they ultimately are providing an unsafe experience for their customers. Providing a service that does not meet or exceed your customers expectations means that something needs to be changed immediately.

The first year pay for some of the regional airlines I believe plays a huge factor in the professionalism demonstrated in the documentary. Having an unhappy employee or an under paid employee could destroy a company's image both from a consumer stand point and for future new hires. Perhaps increasing the first year pilot pay will lead to happier pilot which will then want to promote and be proud of the company they work for. A few ways to expand one's level of professionalism once employed in the career of your choosing could range from improving communication techniques between yourself and the consumers taking advantage of the services your company has to offer or even expand upon the knowledge of the industry or service to other looking for a future career in aviation.

Sources:

"Airline-Pilot Shortage Arrives Ahead of Schedule." WSJ. Web. 24 Jan. 2015.

Flying Cheap. Frontline, 2010.

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Introduction

Hello Everyone,

My name is Chris Thornton and I am a Senior at EMU with a major in Aviation Management and a minor in Business. I currently work in the Automotive Industry and have been for the past five years. It has its ups and downs but I do enjoy it. The fast pace of the industry keeps me active and the best part is everyday is different! After graduating I would like to work in the management field for a commercial airline company or even get into sales. I look forward to meeting everyone on Wednesday!

Chris