Thanks for the comments and opinions. I really liked those of RJ2Driver, DC8 Driver and 200 Driver. I would like to respond to a
couple of opinions and points made below:



1. First of all - I want to say that making one pilot group is
very do-able.All you have to do is the following:


a. Demand a Fair wage for:

- University Graduate = 45,000 for 2013 average

- Additional Schooling = 25,000(when you complete additional schooling
above college such as medical school, dental
school, law school, accounting or flight school)

- Extensive Travel time = 15,000


This adds up to a grand total of 85,000 $ for a First Year First Officer / Or 115,000 $ For a First Year Captain (85,000 FO Pay plus 30,000 for industry upgrade)


b. Demand a Just Number of Days of:

- 15 days off per 30 day month / 16 days off per 31 day month


c. Then after you have decided Yes to both A and B (Pay and Days off), come together as a group and form One Pilot Group in which to implement these new "Starting Standard Minimums for All Flight Crews"



I Truly Believe all Pilots both "Want" and "Deserve" these things. I also want you say that:


a. These are not a wish list of items, they are things that we as pilots deserve by:

- Going to the University

- Going to Flight School

- Instructing for Many Years

- Flying Commercial Passenger Aircraft For many Years

- Being Away from our Families for up to 2-3 weeks away from Home

- Spending Countless Years and Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars on
Schooling and Living Expenses in order to be Able to Start at Day one
while only making 9 dollars an hour and about 12 cents per passenger
per flight hour,all while being away from home for 2 to up to 3 weeks
per month, while flying most if not all weekends and holidays of the year
for one to many years !


b. That there would be no chance of getting undercut by a startup airline
company such as suggested in this thread.Why is this so?
It is because:


- No single startup company could ever cover all or even come close
to covering all of the flying here in the United States as that of a group
of a 15 Plus - Combined Regional Airline Group in which we are going to
try to come up with !

- With the Formation of this "Single Regional Pilot Group" and it's
benefits, who would want to go to any other place?

- Even if there were pilots that would want to go to a startup regional
that paid and treated them poorly, it would be very hard to find these
pilots in this great time of the "Present and Coming Pilot Shortage" !


Here are some of the factors of the pilot shortage both present to future

a. Mass Retirees - as the age 65 rule started to kick in last december

b. Mass Hirings - that are starting up slowly as we speak
(American 1500 pilots, Us Airways, Delta, United, etc)

c. 1500 - ATP Rule that just went into effect this August

d. New Rest Rules in January

e. Fewer Military Pilots joining the airlines as they are being more retained

f. Pilots that are going overseas for better pay and benefits

g. Lack of student loans being given - (defaults,low starting salary, etc)

h. Small number of ATP graduates (This last year aprox 170 Plus)

i. Flight Schools - many that are closed or at low capacity and
some surviving mostly by foreign students for
cheaper training.