Originally Posted by BoilerUP

Actually, it does matter.

Capt. Sullenberger is using the pulpit he has been given as a result of US1549 to, in this case, say regional airlines aren't as safe as major airlines.

He's painting all regional airlines with a very broad brush. Case in point:

"At the regionals, you don't have the same robust safety system in which we operate that you do with the large major airlines."

Is this statement true at some regionals? Yes. Is it true at all regionals? Absolutely not!

Besides, look no further than Sully's own US Airways East pilot group and the very public claims USAPA has made about the 'robust safety system' at US Airways punishing pilots for exercising captain's authority and writing up airplanes. Or the actions of UCAL management toward UAL/CAL pilots, which was the entire point of the CBS story Sully was quoted in.

Sully is a very smart, highly experienced man, and his fame has great potential to help airline pilots in a multitude of areas...but in this particular case, I'm not certain he's familiar enough with the current state of the regional industry or objective enough to make a fair statement.

There's truth in the man's statement, but IMO not as much truth as one might believe.