Being a commercial pilot in America

Implications: The next round of dislocations finds the industry not yet recovered from the pervious mess called 9/11.  The people costs we saw last time will be much worse this time.

Analysis: Numerous times we have written about how difficult it must be to have chosen this profession and trying to make a living in the US. Reuters'  feature underscores just how difficult this career path is. One has to feel sympathetic about the choices faced. Clearly the career path is over-unionized and therefore so inflexible - rather than bend careers, airlines either make them or break them.

As you read this story, you become aware about how pilots feel about flying - generally they love their jobs. But the industry does not love them back. The peculiar rules that govern pilots' careers needs to be revised. The nonsense about seniority is obviously causing part of the problem. If anything good can come out of this mess, perhaps it could include a better management/labor functionality and a better way to employ people whose view towards the company is through a strictly unionized lens.

While it may be argued that being a commercial pilot is a global skill that can find work elsewhere, we tend to forget that working in a place like Dubai and having a family in say Oregon, incurs terrible personal costs.