Originally Posted by embraer

I don't get your reverse rationalization...or your numbers. I suggest looking at them again.

There are not enough active regional pilots to staff all the majors. Not even at current passenger levels. Air travel increases every year and is projected to accelerate. Even if every regional pilot today were to flow to the majors it wouldn't be enough.

I also suggest learning about airline business models. Airlines don't base their business on flying as many people as possible in as few flights as possible. If that were the case all majors would be flying 747s and A380s.

Their model depends on frequency. They understand that people need/desire to travel at different times of day. The more hours of the day you cover between city pairs the more passengers you carry.

As opposed to how some of you think it goes: stick one 747 on a route and transport two loads of people per day and be done with it.

If that is how the airline business worked airlines would have moved in that direction in the 60s.

Bottom line is that airlines need frequencies. The more per hour the better, particularly between the busiest city pairs.