Those salaries look great until you realize how old you are when you finally start making that. I'm 32 now, if I quit my job now making right around 6 figures to go after a flying career it would be almost 10 years before I started making what I do now. On top of that I would have 75k in debt from a flying school and any more money that would have to be borrowed to stay afloat until I started making a livable income again. That is a lot of making up to do especially in a retirement account.
Yes I would still do it if I thought I could financially because it seems like it would be a way more enjoyable job.. haha
bingo. There is an opportunity cost to clear the ROI bar. This of course is never touched on these click bait ballwash articles. BTW, trying to shame a pilot group because they're finally getting paid at the level their peers are, that's just more anti-labor standard drivel.
As a military pilot eyeballing transitioning to the airlines for the sake of family logistics versus the geographic hit in QOL the military provides me, these are the kind of compensation improvements that make SW a serious contender for employment. For me, considering the retirements at AA/UA/DL, not having a B-fund and only $50ish TFP is not a competitive transition. So at least from my n=1 data point, if that AIP becomes a TA and passes, then it makes the place worthy of my time.
If I wasn't qualified to apply at these outifts, at my age, I would not go to the regionals and do that business for years upon years. I made a conscious decision in my 20s that if military aviation wasn't available to me, I would still forego the financially insolvent time building, and just do something else with my life. Then just fly strictly for recreation. Like you, I recognize the meaning of opportunity costs and
effective income when amortized over training and actual or de facto apprenticeship tenures. When accounting for that, the airline transition, even for me as a civilian CFII prior to the military, would not be affordable no matter what they're paying or not paying WB CA at mainline airlines at the time. That point escapes many aspirants, at their own peril. Caveat emptor.
Not saying there aren't price points and life stages that make regional undercompensation worthwhile, but it's not universal to everyone, and people need to make a tempered assessment of where they sit in that life line.
