The pilot, who’s been apprised of these developments, must now make the crucial call of whether to wait for the errant valises and risk a late departure
I'm actually surprised that it comes down to the pilot's call - you'd think that their job is to just worry about flying the plane, not whether baggage has made it or not.
Premium clients can singlehandedly make a flight profitable (and in some cases, pay more for their last minute reservations than all of coach combined), so there's a damn good reason to wait for them.
Pilot(s) - *Doing pilot pre-flight things*
Gate Agent - "Alright, gate's closed, you're all clear!"
Ground Crew - "Alright, baggage is done, you're all clear!"
Pilot(s) - *Done doing pre-flight things*
"Okay, let's get permission from air traffic control to start taxi."
I imagined that whether or not all the bags (or even passengers) made it was of little concern to the pilots.
Your imagined scenario has him waiting for the bags, though!
The pilot has to know what's happening with his plane (e.g. are all the bags loaded or not) and is the final authority on everything that happens with the plane, so it all just comes out of that.
It’s not total bullshit. Salaries for regional pilots are extremely low and their hours are terrible which is why I always avoid those planes when possible. Private jet pilots are almost as screwed.
Most regional jet pilots barely make enough to survive after they have a 4 year degree and have qualified for a number of ratings (licenses).
After becoming a regional pilot, they then have a shot (small percentage chance) of working for a major carrier making approximately $50k per year (this would be someone in their late 20s early 30s applying for that job in most cases). If they are lucky they will make captain 20 years down the road and make $150k.
I don't think your link - at least the first page - supports your conclusion.
Average salary for a pilot at American Eagle - a regional airline affiliated with American - is 46k. Average salary for a fast-food manager/assistant manager are 33-39k (see my link upthread).
And, before you say you should compare captains wages with manager wages, remember, the guy flying the plane is way better qualified to run an American Eagle Outfitters than the manager.
But, what is the upper limit at American Eagle??? Well after you put in 20 years of service and you fly their absolute biggest jet you can expect to make just under $85k per year:
Here is what you fly: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embraer_ERJ_145_family
I'm not saying piloting is a bad job, I'm just saying that there are a lot of low paying jobs out there in Aviation and I think it is funny how little information people have on the topic. In short, it isn't "total" bullshit.
Wow- didn't think this was true, but googling found this:
"On the low end, first-year pilots at US Airways would, theoretically, earn a minimum $21,600 a year. For that, they would work 72 hours a month at the controls of a plane (lots more hours are involved in flight preparations, overnights and sitting around waiting)."
Stewardesses face similar issues, though I think some get below minimum wage while doors are not closed.
Its not the glamorous industry make it out to be, it can be worthwhile pay wise if you stick with it. Which is similar to many other jobs.
My cousin lived with his parents for many years flying jets for a feeder airline. He really didn't feel he was doing well till he was flying as Captain with 100+ seat jets.
I had to deal with US Airways for the first time last week (not from the US). It was at Laguardia, all the other airplane companies had flatscreens and whatnot, US Airways seemed to have been stuck in the 80's with letter boards. They were very courteous though. But damn they looked cheap.
This is true of most American companies. A while ago I was travelling a lot to Europe (England in particular) from Brazil. On every single flight you'd get personal entertainment systems installed on fairly new planes and great onboard service.
Now I'm living in the US. Every time I travel (either inside the US or to South America) I feel like American companies are not even trying.
They are trying and succeeding. The only amenity that Americans care about are the absolute lowest prices. (Does your fare comparison site let you search by the availability of entertainment devices? Nope. Because nobody actually cares.)
Considering you can regularly fly NYC-SFO round-trip for about $250, a distance of 5000 miles, I think they're doing a pretty good job.
If you want free food and nicer seats, fly first class.
> Does your fare comparison site let you search by the availability of entertainment devices? Nope. Because nobody actually cares.
I would search by that, if it was an option. But in practice most (airline, aircraft) pairs all have the same entertainment options, so you can figure it out yourself with a little googling.
Try flying a budget airline in Europe. The seats don't recline, no in flight entertainment at all, no food, and you have to ask forthe in-flight magazine.
Your big jet cross-country pilots with 20 years or more of experience are probably closing in on $200k. And working less hours for it. Union pilots bid for schedules, and once you get up in seniority, you can get some pretty choice schedules. Enough so that many senior pilots can run full on side businesses.
On the seniority note, the Vietnam era pilots must be mostly retired by now, they used to dominate the seniority charts. People would get trained to fly by the military and then go straight into the airlines afterward.
I'm actually surprised that it comes down to the pilot's call - you'd think that their job is to just worry about flying the plane, not whether baggage has made it or not.