Airline Protests on Wall Street

It's always a bit unsettling when a company or service you will be relying on is in the midst of employee unrest.  Like trying to avoid personal injury while the hospital workers are on strike, I feel a little curious about the situation with United Airlines since I will be flying with them round trip in less than a month.  If the tickets weren't already purchased I might consider a car rental for this trip.

As I'm sure you've read about or heard if you pay attention to the news lately, protestors and demonstrations have been filling Wall Street for the Occupy Wall Street encampment over the past two weeks, and yesterday it was none other than the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA).  Over 700 activists came to show support and protest in the name of wages and benefits for pilots in the midst of a stalled merger between United and Continental Airlines.

Unlike many of the demonstrations Wall Street has seen recently, the uniform clad pilots filed through the streets in orderly lines with thought provoking signs, proclaiming their dissatisfaction peacefully.  "What is a pilot worth?"  "Management is destroying our Airline."

For the record, I hope they get everything they're asking for.  I don't fly often, but when I do I greatly appreciate the pilots and all the other professionals who show up to do their job and do it well so we can all reach the next destination in a safe and timely manner.  Perhaps some of the big people on top at United and Continental have forgotten how important those jobs are?  I'm confident that my flight will go as planned and I will reach my destination just fine, but it would be nice to know my pilot was well compensated.  You know, they say that flying is statistically safer than driving, but you never come across this problem with a car hire.  You can save money on your next car hire through CarHireX.com.