Originally Posted by
full of luv
I'm not sure about 100%. While scope giveaway via negotiation and/or BK has been a Mgt victory, their real victory is getting pilots to fly 100 seat jets for only a few dollars more than 50 seat jets.
All the people saying the 50 seat jet is dead, that is only so because mgmts were able to get the same pilots to agree to fly even larger jets for just small percentages more, so you get 50-100% more seats for a 10% greater cost.
If they can convince regional pilots or RAH for instance to fly 150 seat jets for just a couple more dollars per hour, they will have really found a way to gut wages to the core.
Luv
This is a management victory. It is not directly the fault of mainline pilots, but indirectly it is the result of scope relaxations.
There are two groups of airline pilots in the country...
- The "traditional" track: This includes mainline, as well as regional pilots who aspire to bigger things. They both want growth at the higher end of the profession (mainline)...they are in favor of mainline scope.
- The "Lifer" track: These are regional pilots who are not going anywhere, for whatever reason. A few are merely substandard products, but many are simply trapped by circumstance, timing, and the decline of the industry. They have a COMPLETELY different outlook...the ONLY way they are going to get (significantly) more pay and/or better QOL is through the acquisition of larger airplanes. They will do this at the expense of other regionals and mainline, even if they do catastrophic damage for the sake of a few small gains for themselves. What do they have to lose? Since they are sidelined from the "traditional" career track, they don't feel the need to "do the right thing" or "stand up for the profession" since it will not help them at all...and might even cost them their jobs at the peak of their "career".
You don't have to like them, but you can't really blame them given their position.
Regional pilot group leadership tends to consist of these guys, so even if the majority of regional pilots don't want cheap 100 seat payscales, the proposals put forth for vote will likely be generated by guys who do want large airplanes.
What's the solution? I don't know. The only thing I can think of that might bring those lifer guys onboard would be for Cal-nited to say offer seniority numbers to every single UAX pilot as they take back all RJ scope. Even that might not be enough...20+ years regional CA's get paid better and have better QOL than UA/CO new hires.