Just thinking out loud here... I know we want less DCI and more a/c at mainline. We'd also like to fly those jets at mainline rates. Well, what exactly is a mainline rate?? What is the actual cost of a mainline pilot including benefits ect.. compared to a regional pilot? While the first couple years at skywest were tough in regards to pay, in my opinion, the remaining years I felt I was paid a decent wage/benefits for what I was doing. It did help that I was a making captain pay for 7 years. Did I want more? Of course I did. Was it possible? No, we were competing with Mesa, but thanks to the pilots of Comair my pay went up as we matched their contract dollar for dollar. We all love to stomp our feet and demand to get paid to fly a 76 seat RJ for the same rate as a NW DC-9 pilot. I stomp my feet too. Is it realistic in today's DCI mess we've created, probably not. That leaves us in a position that if we want the flying we need to accept the pay rates that go with those positions. If we did the flying in-house for the current rates would management still balk at the idea? I just don't know what I actually cost Delta to be on property compared to what my cost was at Skywest. Management talks about 'economies of scale'. Skywest management used that line every time we got more 70 and 76 a/c. This allowed us more pay than other regional pilots because our costs were spread out and we had larger revenue generating aircraft. Maybe its time Dalpa took a serious look at payrates and costs that would be acceptable to pilots and managment that brought those aircraft back. Allright, flame away...I deserve to be beaten for the blasphemy about lower pay!!!