State of the Airline Industry

I got an e-mail yesterday from a reader by the name of Fernando Fojo. Here is what Mr. Fojo writes: Hello Mr. Escobar, I've been involved in aviation maintenance for over 15 years, and I feel that I have some input to add. Before I do so, let me say that I am a certificated A+P with a FCC GROL certificate and radar endorsement. I also possess an A.S. Degree in Electronic Engineering Technology, and I am finishing my B.S. in Professional Aeronautics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The comments I have are for those who work on heavy jets, not GA. They are different worlds in many aspects. You and Mr. Napert touched upon some points that we cannot get away from with respect to outsourcing. I disagree to some extent about the trend coming and going with the airlines. Security may be an issue, but we are seeing the beginnings of the "assetless"  airlines. Fewer airlines own their aircraft or other equipment outrightly these days. The more successful carriers lease everything and keep only the personnel and equipment they need to exercise their core business -- flying passengers. Everything else is expendable. The only really notable exception is American Airlines which does third-party maintenance work at its Tulsa, OK facility. Delta and United also have some limited third-party work, but American is the big exception. My opinion is simple. To be a successful A+P mechanic in this particular environment, future (and present) maintenance personnel are going to have to be more educated and more dynamic. They are going to have to learn second languages and possibly ply their trade overseas. It's not necessarily a grim picture, but it will be realistic for many of us. Globalization has changed our careers forever. Another issue that has not been mentioned is the Railway Labor Act. For those of us in the airlines, this piece of legislation is an abomination. This one act causes more bitterness than anything else. If the government and the airlines want to stay under this act, then the benefits and pay accorded to the railroads should also be extended to airline employees. Under the Railway Labor Act, an employee does not pay into Social Security. Instead, the employee pays into a railroad pension fund which is far superior. An employee who changes jobs from one railroad to another gets to keep his/her pay scale. In other words, you don't have to start at the bottom again. You keep your pay, medical/dental, pension, vacation, etc. These are the serious issues today that are keeping talented youngsters away from this field. For heavy jet mechanics, economic and political policies play a big role in their careers. Until these things change, basic supply and demand equations will not be enough to change the downward spiral that aviation maintenance is facing in terms of new talent. Many oldtimers are telling their children and grandchildren to stay out of aviation maintenance as a career. There you have it. Now you have some issues that you can sink your teeth into for future editions of AMT. I thank you for your time. Fernando Fojo, A+P Mr. Fojo makes some good points on the airline industry, the Railway Labor Act, and the future of aircraft maintenance. To heck with waiting until the next issue of AMT to sink our teeth into this. Let's get this discussion rolling now. Thanks for reading, and keep that feedback coming! Joe Escobar