Originally Posted by
deltajuliet
Delta has pay rates for the CRJ-900. They start at $70/hour for a first year FO. $70 per hour. That's 300% what the same pilot will make at a regional. It's infuriating to think how the difference goes to a regional's overhead and its CEO's pockets. Get rid of all that. I hope Republic fails and I hope all the regionals fail. The only reason they exist was because legacy pilots were too proud to fly small planes. Ironically, regionals now fly aircraft sizably comparable to a DC-9, and their routes are anything but "regional." What a twisted industry situation to inherit. Thanks ALPA, thanks old legacy pilots.
What would it cost United or Delta or American to bring regional flying in-house? Would their pilots go for it? It seems like they hate the idea of giving a seniority number to anyone they don't have to, but if the only way Republic or the regional industry can staff their aircraft is by raising pay significantly, at what point does it become more cost effective to cut the middle man and bring the flying back in-house?
Not sure I see the past actions that demonstrate legacy pilots not wanting to fly smaller airframes. Not a part of reality for senior guys, and those lower down the ladder could have flown a mighty fine piece of technology vs. sitting sideways or waiting forever to be a captain. I don't recall sitting in my 68 seat jet thinking how wimpy and demeaning to my station in life it was. Sure, I thought a moving map would be nice, but never did I possess disdain for the notion of flying the likes of a stretched executive jet with all the bells and whistles. No need to thank me! Clearly, the collective legacy crowd had no vision for the runaway potential of the farm team operations. We are guilty of allowing our union to represent divergent interests, much to our own detriment.