Originally Posted by
Gundam
I understand majors pay a fee to regionals just as passengers pay a fee to majors. The value is determined by the cost vs the benefit provided. If the regional is responsible for building labor into their fee. If the cost of labor is higher at some point the cost to mainline must increase.
Except it doesn’t, outside of what the CPA for each carrier stipulates.
You can say “mainline must pay more!” all you want, but contractually, no they don’t unless their agreements say otherwise.
Chicken and egg, right?
Yes mainline CPAs have contributed to a regional “pilot shortage” by limiting available funds for a regional carrier to pay market rates while remaining a going concern. Yes that shortage causes mainline problems. Should mainline pay more to help? If the situation was a textbook supply/demand curve yes, but it isn’t so they don’t.
As for ALPA scope covering a “pay floor”…that’s not what scope is about and an understanding of how ALPA functions at the local and national level is paramount to answering that question.