Originally Posted by
VacancyBid
https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/...ply-is-stable/
Several regional airlines have noticed a shift in the environment with decreased attrition rates. Mesa Airlines CEO Jonathan Ornstein said, “There was a time when none of us could find first officers. Now I mean, I think we have close to 2,000 applicants for qualified first officers.” CommuteAir CEO Rick Hoefling echoed that statement. “We can hire first officers. I think almost every regional airline right now has a stack of first officers. The problem is building their time at the same time you’re attriting out captains at a pretty high rate in the industry. We went from a pilot shortage to a captain shortage now in the industry. So the pendulum is starting to move.”
Jonathan Ornstein, the CEO of Mesa Airlines, has been involved in a couple of controversies throughout his career. Here are two areas where he's faced criticism: Early Career: Ornstein dropped out of college and became a stockbroker. He was fired from multiple brokerage firms for ethical violations including unauthorized trading and document falsification [Wikipedia Jonathan G. Ornstein]. Labor Relations: Ornstein has a reputation for being tough on labor unions. He's clashed with pilot unions over pay, benefits, and scheduling. In one instance, a pilot union issued a vote of no confidence in Ornstein [Baltimore Sun Mesa Air's hot-headed CEO]. There's also been some contention surrounding Mesa's business practices. For example, when Mesa launched a subsidiary in Hawaii, some competitors accused them of predatory pricing aimed at driving them out of business [NBC News Mesa Air launches controversy in Hawaii].
If they can hire all the First Officers they want, why are they paying $100/hour and bonuses, instead of picking the new hires willing to fly for $36/hour again?
Regional CEOs earn their salaries by finding the pilots willing to fly for less than mainline, like scam artists and resellers.