How do you figure it wouldn't make money on long routes? Because from what I see...it carries more pax than a CRJ-200 or EMB-145, burns a lot less fuel, and the crew is paid less?!? And as far as only options for a certain number more, who says they won't order more at a later date?

On another note, while I'm not in favor of the Q400 replacing other airlines' flying at all, even on one route, I see a lot of hypocrisy here. It seems a lot of RJ pilots here decry the entry of a long range turboprop for low wages, and these people fear this may degrade everyone's pay. But by the same token, isn't that EXACT same argument that mainline pilots originally said about the RJ? So the big boys have every right then to be ****ed off that you even fly an RJ at all for the same reason. Food for thought.

I have nothing against RJ pilots (I used to be one), but come on people. Everyone needs to get off their high horse and realize that until there is a TRUE industry unity among pilots, we have only so much ability (very little) to influence what the management types decide that we fly, where we go, and for how much. We all have to pay the bills, whether we fly for Colgan, RAH, XJT, AA, DL, whatever.

I do agree that a union at Colgan is an absolute necessity, but how much difference, from an industry standpoint, will it really make in terms of QOL, wages, etc.? I mean, even the airline that everyone seems to love to hate (Mesa) has a union?