Starting an Airline

Post by autodidakto » Wed, Sep 25, 2013, 4:41 PM UTC

cloudwalking wrote: post #222

brightsize wrote: post #203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not just the unions. "Regulations" are at fault too. They're unnecessary and expensive. The number of airliners that fall out of the sky per year due to faulty design/construction/maintenance or due to under-trained/overworked/unfit pilots is something for "The Market" to decide, not the Gubbmint!

It is? Personally, I'll take the more expensive airline ticket if it means my airline's safety standards aren't weighed against profit margins. Unfortunately "The Market" optimizes for profit, which is almost never in my (and the consumers') best interest.

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Sep 25, 2013, 5:40 PM UTC

SoftwareMaven wrote: post #170

Shenglong wrote: post #142

Here's an investment banker joke I've been hearing oddly often recently: "How do you get a million dollars?" -> "Invest a billion dollars in the airline industry". On a more serious note: there's a lot of talk on this page about the finance and logistics of starting a company like this - but I think the human factor is also worth mentioning. I fly a moderate amount, and whenever I have an hour or so to spare on a lay…

Pilot salaries are all based on union contracts. Union contracts are all negotiated by union leaders. Union leaders are all senior pilots. Senior pilots have a strong incentive to negotiate contracts that pay senior pilots the most, even if it is at the expense of new pilots. I know a guy who flies less than 20 hours a month but makes well over $100k/year. He's been a pilot for over 20 years and knows how to work the…