We've known for years that pilots get paid squat—remember the haunting images of the "LAX Ghetto," a parking lot by the airport where dozens of pilots live out of RVs because they can't afford to pay rent? Here's your biannual reminder that the men and women responsible for shuttling you to and from Spring Break Woo! are paid roughly the same as McDonald's cashiers, and they can't even get blazed before their shifts. You hope!
"Airline pilot" might be an impressive way to introduce oneself at cocktail parties, but nothing deflates the awe of your fellow guests faster than shoving fistfuls of cheese cubes into your trouser pockets "for later." It's unsurprising, then, that fewer people are choosing to commit themselves to such an under-appreciated (and sober) livelihood: Republic Airways announced on Tuesday that it's cutting 27 of its 243 aircraft thanks to a lack of "qualified pilots," the Wall Street Journal reports.
While the major airlines pay their pilots not-terrible wages, the life of a regional pilot is a different story—salaries start out at only $22,400 a year on average. In August, new rules increased the minimum flight experience for commercial pilots from 250 hours to 1,500, a startling jump considering the process of acquiring hours can cost more than $100,000 per year. Unsurprisingly, lots of would-be pilots are opting out.
"We have absolutely no ability to attract résumés" from pilots with 1,500 hours of flight time, Doug Voss, chairman of Great Lakes Aviation, told the paper. (The airline offers pilots a starting salary of $16,500 per year.)
Pilots can eventually bring home between $100,000 and $220,000, assuming they can stick it out in the RV and resist throwing in the towel for cushier employment as a Geico desk clerk. But what for? At least they can drink without risking a national tragedy.
