Originally Posted by
kaputt
The Major Airlines that want to save the regionals will end up just creating ab-initio. Some have already started this process like United and their Aviate Academy. The one missing link is who is paying for training.
It’s not hard to see a future where United (or insert airline) pays for all or most of your training. Maybe students have to show up with a PPL, but United pays for the rest. You then instruct at their Academy until hitting the ATP mins, then go to the regional of their choice where you are contracted for 5-7 years before you can move up to the big boys.
That would solve their staffing problems, but the cost of paying for initial training is a huge hurdle that hasn’t really been necessary in this country yet. It will be interesting to see what plays out.
That MIGHT solve the strategic problem but it won’t solve the tactical one - which is too many pilots leaving the regionals before they have upgraded and flown enough to pay back the 121 SIC hours they got from the regional.
Right now they are looking at mandatory upgrades on FOs who don’t WANT to upgrade (unless you give them the additional stripe as a ‘participation’ trophy) and paying huge bonuses and salaries for DECs. And they are running out of potential DECs.
Barring a recession and/or a change in the 1000 hr upgrade rule they are in trouble.