Originally Posted by
Crazy Canuck
Less regional flying is ALWAYS a good thing, even though it means some may suffer in the short term for a greater good. But what grinds the gears is that it's the wrong people suffering. As soon as a pilot group stands up and says "no" to bad work agreements (comair), or they get too expensive (trans states) they're the ones who are out of jobs while the regionals that really need to be shot down (gojets for example, no offense to anyone there) continues to thrive and sometimes even benefit from it.
That's the regional model. Cheap, outsourced feed with low longevity. It's why Mesa and Pinnacle were so prosperous from 2000-2006, and they took plenty of flying from the mainline and certain other regionals. Once you get people lots of people maxed out at 12th year pay at the regional level, that operation becomes too expensive to compete with other newer entrants in the industry, like GoJets and Compass. 12 years from now, assuming the regional industry exists like it does, then the GoJets and Silver will be replaced by other, cheaper carriers.