Originally Posted by alfaromeo

This isn't about scope or labor contracts, this is about a disruptive technology (the RJ) that changed the industry in a radical way. How radical? How about AMR, simulated bankruptcy, US Air two bankruptcies, United bankruptcy, Delta bankruptcy, Northwest bankruptcy, Continental concessionary contracts. That seems pretty disruptive to me.

Some think the answer to this is scope. Have better scope and all those mainline jobs will come back. Nope. You can maybe get the RJ pilots to change uniforms and now are mainline pilots, but you won't get what you really want, which is hundreds of more big mainline airplanes (like 737's) to come back so you can make captain at 5 years. The only way to do that is to get Congress to pass a law to make RJ's illegal in the US. Lacking that, then you have to learn to live with these smaller jets.

As many have pointed out, pick the carrier with the best scope (AMR?, CAL?, or whoever) and show me what is happening to that carrier in mainline. Both AMR and CAL are losing airframes this year and they have no plans at all to buy 90-110 seat aircraft. So the premise that good scope leads to early upgrade to captain has no real world proof. It is just some "common wisdom" among disaffected first officers that has no wisdom behind it.

I support the reintroduction of 70-76 flying back to mainline. You have to remember that once you do that, you will lose ALL control over how many of those airframes that management gets. Swallow up Compass, great, but now E-175 flying is unlimited. Be careful what you wish for. I am pretty sure that E-175 captain pay is less than 767 FO pay.


There is no magic bullet to this. Technology has changed and we aren't going back. Remember when travel agents got more money from our tickets than the pilots did? (yep that was true back in the 80's and 90's). Those days are gone too. If you want to recapture 70-76 flying at mainline, I am all behind you. You are only going to do that if you can convince your management that it is in management's interest.

If you think that you can do this by being "tough" or "radical" or "hard line" then dream on. That is a bunch of self delusion by frustrated pilots that imagine themselves as the sun drenched gun fighter going off to slay management. Go read the Railway Labor Act and then come back and give me your "radical" theories. Who are the highest paid pilots now? Southwest, right? What a bunch of radicals. SWAPA does not even have a Strike Committee. Seems their measured, thinking approach has served their pilots pretty well.

Good luck with your hard lines and LEC resolutions. How about go develop a business plan for recapturing this flying and you will be much more successful. I know that will be a lot of work, might as well be you that does it.