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Flying's Glamour Fading for Pilots, Attendants
After 24 years of flying for Continental, Jones knows it takes him exactly 24 minutes to get out of bed, dress and walk out his hotel room door. He's a professional traveler, and to him the life isn't that glamorous. (www.chron.com) Más...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
I agree with the article. I don't see how any pilot or flight attendant can have any sort of meaningful relationship or family, much less kids. From the outside looking in, the aviation industry sure looks desirable. But as with a lot of things, it's not always glamourous when it's your job.
Still kinda hard to feel pity for those guys.
I recently heard an airline Captain say that "years ago, an airline pilot was regarded as a notch below an astronaut...however now they are basically a notch above a bus driver". Gotta love the view though!
That "notch above a bus driver" holds true with a lot of professions. Nobody has any respect for a profession/position anymore. It's all me first and make more money. Regardless of the job, it's all about money now.Couple that with the fact that all forms of transportation, air, rail and highway, are getting so congested it has taken all the fun out of it.It used to be halfway relaxing to make a long flight somewhere and rather enjoyable, but now, if you are on a popular route somewhere, so is everybody else, and just like a long freeway drive somewhere, you are wore out at the end because you have been on your toes the entire trip. As the one said in the article, seniority governs everything and after you pay your dues and gain some, it gets a little easier but somebody is always paying their dues.
The guys that really have it hard are the ones flying Part 135. Double clocks running, ie you're on call and resting at the same time, using on call days as days off. The useless FAA still doesn't address the gray areas in the rules until something happens, then it's the pilots that get nailed, the guys that need the money to feed their families. It's a cutthroat business. Glamour? Maybe sometimes, but it still beats manual labor, at least for me. I still enjoy flying, but in recent years it has become a job!
Maybe they'll take a que from the DOT and their attitude toward truck drivers. They used to be in the same shape, having to grab rest while waiting for a load and showing that time off duty in the bunk. Maybe still goes on some with smaller companies but nowadays, when time is up, it's up. If a dispatcher calls a driver during a break/rest period, off duty time can start all over again if the driver wants to push it. It costs a little more, and is inconvenient as hell for a dispatcher trying to put a "what if" together but, you have a fully rested driver. After the learning curve for dispatchers and company, it ain't that big a deal.
Its PEOPLE and CUSTOMER SERVICE that make for a great Airline, not how many way you can automate your airline. And please dont get me started with the Off-Shore Call centers that "attempt" to handle Airline Reservations.
I can see why its not glam anymore for ANYONE, when youre an F/A and a full passenger cabin is akin to having to corral a bunch of rebellious kindergartners or drunks who the heck would love that? We need to remember that flying is a luxury not a right!!