Most of my colleagues - who I respect greatly - that are still with the regionals are at their personal "bottom" when it comes to wages/QOL. They understand that business is business, but want no part in the airlines should they be required to take a cut in pay/QOL to be competitive. Many aren't militant union guys, but intelligent individuals in their mid-20s to early-30s who have reasonable professional goals. They attended a 4-year college, went through flight training, and expect a return on investment. It would be more costly to their personal life to sustain a substandard career (with no ROI and severe personal sacrifices: I hear it's not uncommon to start at 5am on day one and end at 1159pm on day four) than to "sink with the ship" and find other professional endeavors.


Labor is one of the most malleable costs to an airline. AWAC's current rates are indeed respectable when comparing with other contemporary carriers, but one that should be a baseline. It is despicable that $36/hour is top-out pay for FOs at other shops (with stage lengths in excess of 1,200NM no less), especially considering the lack of rigs/cancellation pay at some. If that's what the seat will yield due to market forces (per a pure economic perspective), I can see why the majority of my regional friends are looking outside the profession should they be "forced" to take concessions. Who will remain? Those who really, really love it, and those who went to quasi-vocational schools and are unable to do anything else. As much as I don't like SOME of Sully's disdainful statements towards the regionals (as I think it's applicable to some major pilots as well), his "best and brightest" rhetoric is accurate.


I certainly don't mean to denigrate ANY pilot "in the trenches," but am just repeating the sentiment of my friends who stayed. I wish you all the best of luck, as you certainly deserve better.