As usual, when I come out of lurker mode, I get verbal diahrrea. So be advised: probably TL;DR.



Exactly! In general, we need to look up from our own rice bowls and see what is going on with this "career". There is some real Lord of the Flies stuff going on in the regional sector now. While the demise of regionals as we know them may be imminent, and I know many of you will celebrate the day, the regional pilots will be making up a larger percentage of your list in the future. And the attitudes and behaviors they have learned/ developed will come with them. I know you (DL especially), believe that your vetting process is really great, but the system in general is rewarding some of the worst behavior. Pilots have always eaten their young, ie- Wilber vs Orvil, CA vs FO, WB vs NB, INT vs DOM, mainline vs regional, but a whole generation is coming up with a need for instant gratification and a mercenary mindset. And if there is one thing they can do, it is work the system, check the boxes, work the gouge, and get coached through an interview. And the way things are going is proving to them, that throwing your co-workers under the bus is the way to get ahead. You guys (mainline pilots/DALPA) are the adults in the room. And if you do not use your wisdom and the little bit of power you have (compared to the complete lack at the regional level) to guide/mentor or even discipline the kids to point them in the right direction, a lot of the issues y'ins are discussing, ie. C2015 are going to be a lot harder to deal with in the future.

And I absolutely sympathize with the early aughts furloughs. If only scope had been locked down and those RJs had been piloted by DL pilots- problem solved. But that wasn't how it went down, and remember that plenty of regional pilots have been furloughed also. ASA took a number of the Delta furloughs temporarily, without any fuss, but not many years later we were furloughing. Imagine going into a that with the resources of a minimum wage worker, right at the 2008 downturn. And a lot of them are the same ones who after recall, put in 5ish years on reserve as regional FOs, are looking at 10+ year upgrades and may never get a shot at being a 88FO for Delta.

I still have hope that DL will get far enough down into the stack to reach my very mediocre application, and that I might get to join you in the promised land- before they shut the doors here. And if I do, I am sure my perspective will change, and whether or not my ox is the one getting gored will inform my opinions. But right now, things are looking pretty bleak.