Here's some cold hard truths:

*there will never be unity amongst the pilot groups. If "unity" hasn't materialized by now in light of the way the industry has turned post-9/11 then I personally doubt it ever will.

*regional airlines won't be "stapled" to the bottom of mainline seniority lists. We are a huge cash cow for major airline management who have to answer to investors. We are a B scale and you better believe that mainline pilots will eventually vote away scope again and we will most certainly be flying 100 passenger jets for insulting wages. That's how they want it.

*all these bonuses being paid out reek of desperation. They are fighting like mad to keep the shrinkage at the regionals to a sustainable level until they can bring the flying back to mainline.

*we won't ever see wage increases. These corporations are experts at what they are doing right now. They know that if they raise wages to try and attract new hires that just means they will have to fight to get that money back the next time there is a downturn in the industry. Bonuses are a solution that isn't permanent. Raises would in effect be a permanent solution to a temporary problem.

Get in, get your time, get the hell out.