Originally Posted by
Jake Wheeler
Agreed the majority of mainline pilots are silent on the issue and fully recognize what is at stake. Also agreed they will remain inflexible on the issu so nothing will be done about it.
As for war, there can be little doubt mainline pilots and regional pilots are in competition for jobs. The mainline pilots accuse the regional pilots of stealing their jobs and crap all over them for it. Regional pilots resent the treatment and are emboldened to compete even further. This was usually a lopsided fight when a mainline had 10,000 pilots and their feeder had less than 2,000. Now the mainlines have been reduced in size and the regionals have grown. Some are even flying aircraft traditionally seen as mainline aircraft which allows them to grow into low cost carriers for code-sharing. If the mainline pilots do not cooperate better with regional pilots, they will see a further erosion of their own jobs.
If it is a competition for jobs between mainline and the regional carriers, I want mainline to win. Definitely. I'd rather be in my current airplane on a mainline seniority list with the chance to transition to a nicer airplane and nicer QOL someday than have to start over from the bottom. Again.
As far as the inflexibility on scope, I hope they remain inflexible. I don't wish to see it go from 76 seats to 86 seats. Then 99 seats. Then 120 seats. I'd rather see those numbers go the other way, but it's hard to re-tube that toothpaste.