Originally Posted by
WillTravel4Food
The common belief is that it’s costing new pilots $250K to get to ATP. Insufficient numbers are shelling out that kind of money for a job that pays $25K. I find it difficult to believe increasing starting salaries to $50K would offer sufficient relief. So it needs to be a bit on both sides, Congress and airlines, to meet in the middle. Offer a liveable wage and a qualification standard that’s based on capability, not time.
$250K amount doesn't include lost wages either. Several years with an airline and you'd be making decent amount of money, more in line of what other similarly qualified and educated professionals are making. Now that time is (or would be since hardly anyone can do it) is spent losing money, rather than gaining useful experience and seniority at a company.
Also wanted to mention, there is a reason that many colleges dropped their professional piloting degrees as soon as Congress passed the new law. And it isn't because of some sort of sudden change in pay rate among the airlines.