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Absurdly Driven look at the business world with a skeptical eye and a language firmly rooted in the cheek.
You might think, indeed, that it is a glamorous job.
Here again, here is Jon.
He was a certified flight instructor, then he went to work for a regional carrier of American Airlines, perhaps PSA.
He really did not like it.
In a video on YouTube in which he talks a lot but offers a lot of food for thought, Jon explained the good passages.
His fellow pilots and his cabin were very nice, he said. Stealing a jet was fun too.
These are, well, the ramifications of the work that has discouraged him.
He described an average day.
He would have five legs to fly. He would be on duty for 12½ hours. He would be paid for five and a half hours or six hours.
He had to leave the house before 3:45 pm, then go to the airport and try to board a seat on a flight to his first airport of departure.
But what happens if he secures a place and the flight is delayed? He then has to find a way to get to his destination in Charlotte, one of the main hubs of American Airlines.
He said that he had not been paid to steal, for example two legs to get to work.
He also did not want to warn the crew that he might be late, so he tried to do without food. This line at Starbucks can be annoying.
It could precipitate a preflight check. The passengers are already boarding, after all.
At this point, he is still "pumped". He's flying a plane, after all. Although a small one.
Upon landing after a short flight, he may have to cross an airport to find the next one.
Sometimes he really looks like another road warrior who has to be in three places at once.
And this line at Starbucks could be extremely long everywhere.
Some of his actual flying hours, he said, lasted only 11 to 18 minutes.
Urged to take a quick 25 minute ride, he says he had to eat what he said was "awful" food. Yes, first class snacks. (Do they have them on these airlines?)
His stomach really seemed to be suffering.
At one point, before his fifth flight of the day, Jon said that he just had to feed himself properly.
And that could cause a flight delay.
Sometimes, he says, he had to pay for a hotel himself to find a place to sleep while he was returning home.
He estimates he earned just over $ 600 for five days of work, given his hotel expenses.
He admits that this is not the case for all pilots, but those traveling with regional airlines do not have an easy life.
Yes, there were advantages, like free jump seats to fly around the world. This was not enough.
He resigned, became a flight instructor and won concerts to earn a little more money.
He states that the lack of sleep and the general stress caused 48-year-old airline pilots to be 15 years older.
Of course, I asked American what he thought of Jon's video. The airline referred me to its PSA subsidiary, whose spokeswoman said:
PSA Airlines offers its pilots the most valuable and stable career path of commercial aviation. Few regional carriers can match PSA's culture, quality of life and growth. As part of American Airlines, our Transit Pilot Program provides a direct and guaranteed route to the world's largest airline. PSA pilots are proud of their outstanding safety and training culture and represent what it means to be a commercial aviation pilot.
Jon may not have been chosen for his lifestyle.
Perhaps, as he admits himself, he is just a little too "lazy" to endure the demands, in the hope that he will someday see a more luxurious life stealing planes bigger.
According to their union, 75% of employees earn less than $ 13 an hour.
It's like playing in minor leagues, I guess.
Buses, derisory wages, Motel 6 – if you're lucky – are just a springboard to fame and bling.
Fans do not know how bad it could be. And, I suspect, they care little.
A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the spokesperson was from Piedmont Airlines.
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