Airline Pilots Flying Without a Parachute

I was sitting next to a United Airlines pilot on flight from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles tonight. We got to talking. He’d been a United pilot for 9 years. I asked him how his business was. “I’m working more hours for less money and our pensions are getting cut,” he lamented. “I only get paid when I’m in the air and I’m away from my wife and kids for 70 hours a week.”

What’s his biggest fear? “Foreign-owned airlines aren’t allowed by federal law to operate point-to-point routes within the U.S. but Richard Branson is lobbying the Department of Transportation to change that,” he said.” When that happens, the airlines you grew up with will be gone and so will I.” But what about the customer? “You might not understand the accent your attendant has, but you won’t care. It’ll be a cheaper flight.”

We were landing now. Saying the standard goodbyes. “I got into this business because I loved to fly,” he concluded. “It was a big deal when I got into the majors but now I’m just a glorified bus driver without the perks.”