Originally Posted by
DAnnunzio
Why else would UA have opened MCO and LAS?
something something business model something accountants blah blah taxes something frequency blah blah seasonal revenue something incentives route structure something something
Doing anything operationally to "attract pilots" in this industry is ludicrous. There's a reason first year pay rates usually aren't even negotiated, and the periods of pilot "shortages" are never very long. Certainly not long enough to justify the whole process of opening a base and adjusting the entire route structure and business model. Don't make the mistake of thinking any major or legacy airline (or air line) execs are staying awake at night worrying about how to attract more pilots. We're not some precious metal they have to dig for in the exact right spot to get. First year pay and a less adversarial application and interview process is far more likely to attract more applicants than opening a whole base just to try to deal with what history shows is very likely to be a very short-lived pilot shortage.