Originally Posted by
HotMamaPilot
you're dead nut$ on with that one. RJ's are
the domestic flying future. Just look at all those mainline routes disappearing to the "regionals(replacements)"
RJ's are inherently less effecient than mainline aircraft (CSM)...their only advantages are:
1) More economical on very low volume, longer range routes (routes that are too long for a t-prop). Most airline passengers actually travel between larger city pairs, and are better served by mainline.
2) Low labor cost. This is TOTALLY artificial. It started out with entry level pilots getting paid 19-seat turbo-prop wages to fly 19-seat turbo-props. OOOPS! Today they get paid 19 seat turbo-prop wages to fly 90-seat RJ's...this makes it economical for mainline to put an ineffecient RJ on a mainline route because they more than make up for the CSM inefficiency with low labor costs.