Future of the airline industry?

[Guest rogerexplosion]

Hi,

 

I am 27 and considering a rather dramatic change of career from IT to aviation. Flying has always been a dream of mine but for some stupid reason I decided to pursue the more lucrative IT path.

 

Anyway, now, at 27, I am considering giving up a 6 figure IT salary to do something that I am actually passionate about (aviation).

 

I understand that it will be a big change in terms of income etc. (for a while anyway) but I'm prepared to make some pretty big sacrifices in order to have a job that I actually enjoy. That is fine. The thing that is really making me hesitate about the whole thing though is the future of aviation. To me the rising price of oil will have some pretty serious implications for the aviation industry, and unlike cars (where hybrids and EVs are feasible) there is no real alternative to hydrocarbon fuels for commercial jets. There is a lot of talk about (and investment in by the likes of Virgin Atlantic, Boeing, Air New Zealand, KLM) algal and other bio fuels, however they still seem to be fairly speculative at this stage and there is a big question mark over whether they can provide the sorts of yields required by the aviation industry.

 

In short, in my perhaps pessimistic view, commercial aviation is going to change dramatically over the next 10-20 years. Cheap flights will become a thing of the past and people will start holidaying closer to home again. As fuel surcharges go up, demand will drop, and jobs will go. We're already seeing this with Qantas.

 

What do you guys, with a bit more experience in the industry, think about the prospects for commercial aviation? Is it going to be more resilient than I am predicting? Or would I be making a massive mistake in switching careers at this stage?

 

 

[Guest g_i_jack029]

Mate, at least get your PPL and just get that Great taste of flying. There are plenty of spots for instructors!!!

 

A CFI i know, lets call him Jeff. Jeff took a few of his friends flying when they were on holiday. Of course they checked him out and went on a check ride with the local instructor. Now Jeff told that instructor that he was a CFI anyway, they asked him if he wanted a position as an instructor there and apparently they tried to sell him the bussiness!!! LOL, everyone is feeling the fuel pain mate!!! $235 dual at the local club in the PA-28-161 #-o what happened?????

 

Mate good luck with your flying career mate, i wish you all the best if you do capture your dream. Those 6 figures sound very handy mate!!!!

 

I'm sure some of the senior members will give you their opinions,

 

Robbo your thoughts on this topic?