=Andy;3006850]Let me just toss this into the mix...
With the company now offering 50 hour SRL lines, the cost of operating 737s and 319/320s just got cheaper and may be cheaper to operate than RJs. In order to operate those additional flights as mainline, it will now cost the company 73 hrs for pilots to fly it vs 50 hrs for pilots to do nothing. That means the marginal additional mainline pilots cost 31% of what they used to.
You can bet that Scott Kirby is calculating the cost comparison using various formulae.
I wouldn't be surprised to see United shed some RJ contracts soon, whether or not they opt to use mainline aircraft on RJ routes.
just trying to follow your analysis...I think you meant the marginal additional (sidelined on SRL) pilots cost 50/73hrs = 69% ; ) of what they used to. But the more relevant factor would be the marginal cost of the 50-100 seat lift (at rough avg 34% of the cost in pilot crew pay alone)
XJet 175 FO / UAL 737 FO $/hr
4 yr 46/ 161
3 yr 158 / 44
157 / 42
91 / 40
avg 43 / 137
XJet 175 CA / UAL 737 CA
4 yr 87 / 276
85 / 273
83 / 270
81 / 268
avg 84 / 272
127 / 369
34%
You could pay two RJ crews to fly the same hours and still pay 254/369 =only 69% of the mainline pilot rate for one crew, plus the lower overall operating costs and $/seat-mile efficiency (if you can convince travelers to fly on a full non socially-distanced RJ). I don’t have all those costs or the revenue share for UAL to figure it all out, but likely the only reason they don’t swap RJ for mainline lift right now is to some extent the aircraft range, but mostly the contract and union engagement. But if they do, wouldn’t the RJ profitability at these load factors help the SRL’d mainline guys keep their jobs?