Originally Posted by
BlueMoon
Regionals get paid extra for meeting performance metrics. Things like D-0, A-14, and completion factor. Thy figure it's worth it to keep a crew at the airport, who most likely isn't breaking guarantee, in case they need them.
I'm not sure that's valid, since that's their job. As well as what's part of the CPA/FFD they agree to.
It's usually more along the lines of they get penalized/NOT paid if they DON'T meet those metrics.
So to avoid/reduce penalties and non payment, they have crews that are in line with what the OP ranted about.
And to confirm what another posted, YES, UAL has airport standby.