I can’t say how much of a pay raise legacy pilots deserve, but I do have to say it’s getting ridiculous reading the numerous posts lately in all the threads from legacy pilots complaining about how much the regional pilots are getting paid and how the legacy pay raises have to somehow be compared to that.

Here’s an accurate pay comparison: At PSA, 1st year FOs make $60/hour. First year Captains make $97.50/hour. I’m a 4th year Captain at PSA making $107.50/hour (just $16 more than 1st year AA FO). These are the new rates, too. Not quite as rosy as most have painted on these forums. It is true that we are getting a 50% Premium until August ‘24. That’s how 1st year FOs are making $90/hour and I’m making $161/hour (3rd year AA FO pay). These temporary inflated wages aren’t in place because that’s what the company thinks we’re worth, or what they think we deserve. These temporary inflated wages are in place to keep us from running for the exits, to keep us from bailing to any of the other non-regional airlines that are on an unprecedented hiring binge. These rates are temporary and unsustainably high. To base your own pay increases on these regional rates seems unrealistic.

Someone mentioned 5th year+ captains making $215/hour and LCAs making $430/hour. This is true, but with one very important distinction. These rates only apply to those pilots who want to flow to American, but have not yet been selected to flow. In other words, the pilots who are making these amazing wages actually want to leave the company that is paying them these amazing wages. Someone mentioned these LCAs making more than widebody captains. How many widebody Captains out there making $350+/hour want to leave their company? The reality is those regional LCAs you point out that are making more than widebody Captains actually want to become narrow body FOs making $90/hour. And that’s something that seems to be lost in all these comparisons. Yeah, the money is good at the regionals right now, but we’d much rather be in the right seat of a legacy airplane despite the pay. And the pay won’t last. Come August ‘24 if I decide not to flow my pay as a 7th year captain goes back to $117.50/hour. That’s 7th year. How much do your 2nd year FOs make?

You say even with a 20% raise junior legacy captains ($250*20=$300/hour) would make less than regional captains (at best $215/hour at premium pay)? In your words that’s flawed thinking. I mean, I suppose you could if you spent your free time in FLICA strategizing and hustling to drop, swap and pick up premium and fly 90 hours to credit 120, while the legacy pilot spends their free time at the golf course, couldn’t care less about FLICA and credits 75. So you’re comparing apples to oranges. But if you’re a hustling type of pilot at the regionals, that’s probably the type of pilot you’ll be at the legacies…but making $100 more an hour. And again remember that $215/hour captain would rather be at the legacy no matter the pay cut. If not, they’re only gonna make $120/hour, give or take, and at that wage no amount of premium opentime hustling will get them anywhere near that junior legacy captain pay (even without the 20% pay raise you proposed).