It seems that no matter when you turn on the television or the radio at least once every few weeks you hear something negative about the commercial airline industry. First it was all about their lack of security and then it was about them going overboard with security measures. Then of course, there are all of those odd happenings, emergency landings, and accidents that occur while in the air and on the ground.
All of the bad news just leads to more bad news when it comes to these companies and now some of the biggest news comes in the form of more severe cutbacks in the industry and the publicity surrounding how little commercial airline pilots are being paid. After all after they take out loans and go through flight training school and take out approximately $100,000 in student loans these highly trained and educated professionals make on average about $22,000 per year which is truly insane when you consider the level of responsibility these individuals have for other individuals and the lives of them and their families it seems insane that the average pilot needs to go on food stamps when they start flying commercially.
Not surprisingly most airline pilots try to get on with private charter companies but find it difficult to accomplish when they are straight out of school because they don’t have enough time in the air and they haven’t enough experience to get a higher paying job in the private sector. Commercial airline pilots don’t make enough money to survive and if you don’t think that this is a factor that affects the quality of your flight, think again.
Most commercial airline pilots need to work a second job and work overtime just to make ends meet. This may mean that the pilot and co-pilot that are flying the flight you are on may be more tired and worn out because although they haven’t been flying they are probably burning the candle at both ends.
When you look at the big picture it is incredible that we are willing to entrust our lives to these individuals and don’t find it necessary to pay them as if our lives depended on them, because they do. Airline pilots need to be reimbursed for the important job that they do and unfortunately those individuals who are working for the commercial airlines have little to look forward to in regard to raises and promotions. The most they can hope for is to get hired on by a private charter company or as a personal pilot for someone rich. This is really the only way they are going to get ahead.
