Originally Posted by
450knotOffice
Wouldn’t Delta drop them like a hot potato if they flew planes that large? I don’t think Skywest wants to lose their partnership with Delta so they can pick up some 100 seat flying for Alaska.
Originally Posted by
O2pilot
Delta pilots scope only controls what planes are flown as Delta Connection, and not what planes Skywest flies for other airlines. Skywest could fly a 747 as long as its not for Delta, United, etc.
This is not correct. DL and UA scope both limit what THEIR express carriers can fly for OTHER major partners. Pretty sure it also limits what they fly under any other circumstances too (ie hang out a shingle and sell their own tickets).
This aspect of the scope was agreeable to both company and union, because neither want to be at a competitive disadvantage from a regional feeder that THEY subsidized over the years to get big enough to do it. Basically they want to keep some control over their Frankenstein's Monster.
Also... the big regionals know darn well which side of their bread is buttered. Practically speaking there's no way they're going to risk annoying the big legacies by even exploring something like this. Nothing to do with unions or scope, but the big-three managers don't want asymmetric competition.