Originally Posted by
IlliniPilot99
...I'm not sure I share your views...
current employees regardless of company should get priority over retired employees...I don't believe you should get a benefit over a current employee, you already get to keep your flight priveledges, thats your benefit. An FO on his first day should get a seat from a 30 year retired delta captain, (he is retired now...his benefit is he keeps his flight priveledge) (this view may may change when I get to mainline one day)
but this view can be passed to any other job where current employees vs retired
I'm not gonna miss work b/c Phil the retired 777 capt wants to go to florida
There are two things that come into play here...
1) Regional airline pilots are outsourced, contract labor.
2) You get only what you negotiate
Your regional airline hasn't chosen to negotiate with the mainline carrier a better benefit package for you. They're paid a fee for the service they provide and thats that. You're not a Delta employee, you're a service provider that works under a multitude of contracts, most of which you have no control over.
Mainline employees have been lucky enough to gain employment with the airline that provides the benefit. Lots of perks come with this, including the ability to directly negotiate with the company for things such as travel benefits. Part of this is the benefit for retired pilots... many of whom put in more years of service to the carrier than a lot of regional airline pilots have been alive.
Like it or not, mainline employees are a higher class. For the most part, they're more important, treated better, and have undergone tighter selection criteria and consequently enjoy greater benefits. Nonrevving is that, a benefit. It is a benefit that regional carriers do not have access to at the same level. Often, contractors do not get any benefit from the contracting company... so at least consider it nice that you're allowed to nonrev at all.