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Old 08-06-2009, 05:29 AM
  #30  
INAV8OR
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Joined APC: Jan 2006
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Originally Posted by thrustsetrj200 View Post
I'm not looking for support or sympathy from mainline. I know the wholly owned carriers are the LAST thing on your guys' minds. I think it's unfortunate. We ARE a part of the Delta Family. Most of you mainline guys were here at one point. You know what it's like feel like the poop on the bottom of delta's shoe. Every time I talk to a Delta mainline jumpseater in our cockpit they never had a clue as to what's going on at the wholly owned. I don't blame you. I would block out horrible regional memories too if I were you.
However, I don't think that's right. The wholly owned are NOT contractors. Pinnacle, RAH, Mesa, Skywest, ASA, etc are contractors and can't call themselves part of the fam.
I know most, if not ALL, of the mainline guys are very happy to hear the regionals are shrinking. They want the flying back. I think it sucks we have to "compete" against each other. It shouldn't be like that. I think it sucks that pilots, especially within the same airline family, have to bicker back an forth. I think it sucks that mainline guys hope for regional route reductions and can be so oblivious that their own brothers in the family are being furloughed and not even know about it!!. Essentially that's what happens when shrinkage occures. It's hard not to take it personally.
This past trip we carried 5 different mainline Delta pilots in the JS and not ONE knew we were furloughing 110 guys.
OK, as a mainline guy and a former Regional guy, I can say that the regional guys are the first things on our minds right now. We are trying to get compass on our list, there is all talk about merging a small comair to mesaba and there is no one hoping regional routes reduce. I didn't understand it either when I was at comair, but now I see both sides. To create mainline high paying flying jobs, the flying done by rj's needs to be done by mainline guys. EG MSP to DFW-almost all RJ's now, if that flying goes back to mainline, more major airline pilots are needed. Then when guys move to the majors there is movement in the Regionals. During 2001 to 2004 comair hired like crazy b/c we were flying more mainline routes, now the tables have turned the 50 seat market is not a money maker as much as it was. FWIW, none of us want to see anyone furloughed...
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