If airline deregulation never happened, would airline pilots get higher pay?

[N918KT]

I think I heard from somewhere that ever since airline deregulation happened, the pay that airline pilots get (especially at the regional airlines) were lower than before deregulation happened. Is that true or even partly true?

If so, if airline deregulation never happened, do you think that airline pilots today would have higher pay like before?

 

[Mason]

Airline deregulation set off a chain reaction that resulted in less pay for ALL airline employees including pilots. It was a huge transfer of wealth from employees and to a smaller extent, airline owners (stockholders) to customers, passengers, and shippers.

It also resulted is a lot of new start-up airlines, "B" scale pay rates, cutthroat competition, lower service levels, fewer inflight amenities such as meals, the hub/spoke system and the death of the interline-connection system, the implementation of frequent flyer programs, airline bankruptcies and mergers, market consolidation, loss of pay and pensions. In general it has worked out well for the flying consumer and not so well for the employee.

No one can really say what might have happened if we never had deregulation.

 

[Zeldman]

Airline deregulation set off a chain reaction that resulted in less pay for ALL airline employees including pilots. It was a huge transfer of wealth from employees and to a smaller extent, airline owners (stockholders) to customers, passengers, and shippers.

It also resulted is a lot of new start-up airlines, "B" scale pay rates, cutthroat competition, lower service levels, fewer inflight amenities such as meals, the hub/spoke system and the death of the interline-connection system, the implementation of frequent flyer programs, airline bankruptcies and mergers, market consolidation, loss of pay and pensions. In general it has worked out well for the flying consumer and not so well for the employee.

No one can really say what might have happened if we never had deregulation.

We would have a Walmart type airline and all flights would be out and backs. More transferring to another plane at airports, more missed flights because one leg was running late and probably no more direct flights to where you want to go.

And still pay for checked baggage....

 

[flyingron]

Deregulation didn't help the salary issues, but there were other labor things that transpired in addition to deregulation that also changed the way pilots got paid. What is true about deregulation is that there were MORE airline pilots around even if the pay was overall lowered.

 

[steingar]

Before deregulation people dressed up to go on an airliner. That should tell you something right there. It was a special experience, not something you did routinely. Most people had never been on an airliner.

Now people fly all the time. Fares have gone down by a fold. I bet there are far more domestic and international flights than before deregulation.

 

[luvflyin]

I think I heard from somewhere that ever since airline deregulation happened, the pay that airline pilots get (especially at the regional airlines) were lower than before deregulation happened. Is that true or even partly true?

If so, if airline deregulation never happened, do you think that airline pilots today would have higher pay like before?

Yes. There probably wouldn't be half as many of them, but their salaries would probably be higher.

 

[NoHeat]

If so, if airline deregulation never happened, do you think that airline pilots today would have higher pay like before?

Yes. Regulated industries like utilities typically charge at a rate that is their operating cost plus a certain amount. So there's no particular incentive for management to slash operating costs, including labor.

 

[Everskyward]

Before deregulation people dressed up to go on an airliner. That should tell you something right there. It was a special experience, not something you did routinely. Most people had never been on an airliner.

Now people fly all the time. Fares have gone down by a fold. I bet there are far more domestic and international flights than before deregulation.

As a consumer I prefer it this way to the way it was in the past. I remember when going on an airliner was a special experience. Most other kids I knew had never taken a airline flight. But I don't need a special experience. I want to get from here to there. So more routes at a cheaper price are a good thing.

 

[petrolero]

As a consumer I prefer it this way to the way it was in the past. I remember when going on an airliner was a special experience. Most other kids I knew had never taken a airline flight. But I don't need a special experience. I want to get from here to there. So more routes at a cheaper price are a good thing.

Agree. Treating airline travel as a utility just made the inefficiencies inherent in a utility built in.

Under regulation there was no incentive for airlines to economize or compete on very many things, and salary is one of the many components of an airline expense structure. It may have been a sweeter deal for pilots but that didn't mean it should have been protected by regulations. In most private industries, companies compete using salary and benefits to attract employees with various skills and experience.

Airline pilots for many airlines are covered by collective bargaining agreements with the pilots union, which I think in most cases is ALPA, that somewhat inhibit cross-airline moves due to seniority rules. But that's the business of each airline to deal with. The relative merits of those agreements are a whole other subject.

 

[Silvaire]

Before deregulation people dressed up to go on an airliner...

Well those days are definitely gone. I just did a couple of trans-continental flights and the experience was far from pleasant. Getting onboard could be likened to cattle going through a chute. It seems the majority of passengers are wearing flip-flops and dressed in garments that are just a step above pajamas. Because of the new policy of charging for checked bags people try to bring everything as a carry-on. Then there are those huge Direct-TV screens on the back of every seat that stream advertisements for five hours because nobody buys the service and nobody knows how to turn the damn screen off. Especially irritating on a red eye flight.

 

[hindsight2020]

Well those days are definitely gone. I just did a couple of trans-continental flights and the experience was far from pleasant. Getting onboard could be likened to cattle going through a chute. It seems the majority of passengers are wearing flip-flops and dressed in garments that are just a step above pajamas. Because of the new policy of charging for checked bags people try to bring everything as a carry-on. Then there are those huge Direct-TV screens on the back of every seat that stream advertisements for five hours because nobody buys the service and nobody knows how to turn the damn screen off. Especially irritating on a red eye flight.

Yet people still line up and do it. The chuckleheads up front are just happy they get to fly for a living (woppeee!), mx is always one unlucky break from an inflight disaster, airport security kabuki takes half your traveling day, the other half stressing about missed connections and the physical discomfort of coach seating (a valid one on 3+ hour flights), and you get nickled and dimed on the back end, but hey as long as that fare is 199/rt it's alllll goood. What's the problem then?

A typical consumer like me has to endure that indignity what, twice a year? I don't know how business travelers do it.

 

[RotorAndWing]

Nice to see so many hobby pilots worried about what professional pilots are being paid.

 

[JeffDG]

I would say "No."

There's a supply of pilots out there. Deregulation has massively increased the number of flights available, and thus the demand for pilots. Without deregulation, pay for pilots would be lower, and there'd be a lot fewer jobs there for the taking.