CaptainNameless

I am a 9 year captain at ExpressJet, so I don’t have an interested opinion on the details of what’s going on at DAL-ALPA vs. its regionals in regard to scope, but I do have some general comments about ideas for a better future for most of us. We all have a viewpoint as regards scope, general loss of career quality, and the future of the profession. It does not look great.

We need to roll back the clock on career path expectation. We need to somehow reintegrate large small jet flying (yes this is a real term being used to describe 70-100 seat jets) back under mainline scope. I fly for CAL (under contract). To my knowledge CAL is the only remaining legacy to still own flying of any jets bigger than small regional jets (anything larger than 59 seats in CAL scope language). Will they stand fast? Will they compromise to get the contract “gains” they think they can get? I don’t know. I do know it would be a further step in the wrong direction if they did give relief. I do know leadership from mainline pilot groups everywhere is the only way to stop the slide of more and more careers into the gutter. That’s where we will continue to head as long as these companies can continue to move their passengers on aircraft flown by people who have 1/2 the career expectation they once did, because 1/2 a career has been rubber-stamped “OK” by the mainline pilots who could have fought to demand more. “OK” because it’s someone else’s career, not mine. “OK” because some senior guys think squeezing the junior-domestic-narrowbody/RJ pilot corps will leave more in the pot for the senior-international-widebody pilot corps (who swings the big bats at the negotiation table?). And then RJ guys like me just sit and rot for years because 1/2 or 1/3 of a career is better than none.

If we could overcome the standard mainline greed/absolute seniority protection/selfishness and the regional DOH idea insanity, some real big-picture improvements could be implemented. What I mean is, regardless of what the name of the company on my paycheck is, the fact is I have been flying CAL passengers for over 9 years. Is that worth NOTHING? Many would answer “yes” because I am not a CAL pilot, but really, I am. I am just a SEVERELY DISCOUNTED CAL pilot, (you’re welcome, CAL management). The same is true throughout the industry that we have shaped over the past 20 years. Is this really good for anyone?

My point is, erasing the lines between mainline and regional seniority lists could be made possible and equitable. Getting management to accept it is another battle, because they sure as hell don’t want integrated seniority lists. Heck, they want to keep us chopped up into as many pieces as possible. The key concept to accept would be RATIO INTEGRATION. Not DOH. You get so many years/days of mainline seniority for your many years/days of contract service to that carrier. You negotiate it. MECs talk about it. You recapture the flying that has been surrendered. You unsurrender it. 10-1 or 8-1 or 5-1 or whatever. Fence off the few guys who want to be fenced. Whatever. Then we can start to kill off the whole concept of "regional" pilots. Only then will ALPA have really "taken back" anything at all.

Or we can just continue with the current career progression disaster.