Originally Posted by
knobcrk
But they will always need regional feed at at the end of the day a regional CA/FO that makes 150 bucks an hour collectively is still cheaper than a mainline crew that might make 3 times that.
What they need to do is lower the income gap between regional and mainline. I think a regional ca knows they shouldn't be making 200 bucks an hour flying a 70 seater but at the same time they should be making slightly below the wage of a mainline guy flying a 90 seater like a 190. So about 120 an hour. Same with FOs, the average mainline FOs pay is around 90 to 100 bucks an hour. They should be close to that at least 60 to 70.
Mainline rates are not 3x regional rates for similar size a/c. Probably closer to 1.5x. Even lowering the income gap (presumably by increasing regional wages) would not stop the desire of regional pilots to move to mainline carriers. If I asked my FO this trip if he was making $70/hr would be pull his app from AA, DL, and UA where he would make the same first year, he would laugh.
The cost advantage does not only lie in pilot wages. As the regional experience large scale shrinkage, the Cheif:Indian ratio changes as well. I don't know where the break even point is, but with a small number of aircraft, it would be cheaper to staple and pay mainline RJ rates and eliminating the whole management structure and it would to keep a whole management team and infrastructure.