As my feeble memory recalls, all the RJ fun started when AA didn't want them because they were too "small" to be flown by the big boys. They hated the F-100 (aka Barbie Jet), so the RJ's stood no chance. That got the camel's nose under the tent. Since the majors love to shuffle flying around to the lowest regional bidder, and RJ's have been growing exponentially ever since, good luck stopping that slide.

The only thing I see slowing the growth is the saturation at the hubs of RJ's forcing the majors to start going bigger again.

There is no doubt that it is a bottom line issue at the majors. There is no doubt that ALPA has been way too slow to react to what they need to do to salvage the pilot profession (salaries), and that is get regional salaries up to the point where it will be more cost effective for the majors to grow the big jets over RJ's, so that they can then start getting that 2% from the bigger salaries again, and stop the plague that is the RJ at regional airlines.

The irony is the excitement I've seen from various regional pilots over getting bigger RJ's. Apparantly, many miss the fact that when you grow an RJ or two, especially the new 100 seaters, it will be that much longer before a regular jet is needed at a major and the average pilot salary will stay lower just that much longer. Since RJ's take growth away from the mainlines.

I'm not bashing the regional gang, but the situation is what it is, and until they are willing to find a way to price themselves out of their own jobs, they'll find it longer and longer until they can move up to the majors. The majors, read as ALPA, need to figure out that the best way to improve the quality of life for all pilots is to work from the bottom up, not the top down...

While I've managed to have my career slowed by every other managment "innovation" in this business over the last 20 years, at least I escaped the RJ...

Cheers