Originally Posted by
Sunvox
Kirby has said on numerous occasions that the economics simply don't work. Regional pilots, mechanics, flight attendants, ground crew, and everyone involved are cheaper than they are at mainline and so the costs can't be brought in line. Now, that's what he says and NOT what I believe is true as evidenced by the simple fact that Delta has chosen to bring them in house.
The cost of regional feed is going up. The AA regionals have really increased pilot cost, although temporarily, and our regionals are bleeding pilots as bad as all of the rest. If legacy hiring continues at this pace, the current regional model is not sustainable. I think that we will continue to take back flying, but Kirby has made his decision about the 100 seat market. Evidently the company feels that it is better to fly a max8 around with some empty seats than deal with the cost of another fleet type. Personally I prefer sticking to he 320/737 fleets…….they pay more.