Originally Posted by
ThrustMonkey
WRONG. Thank that crusty old captain at mainline that continually sold out scope to protect a short term pay raise. No no I know, you don't want to hear about that. It doesn't feel good that your own bretheren actually are the ones who originally shafted you. Much easier to blame all the regional folks because you can rally more supporters of that ideology than you would calling out your own.
Actually, it is a little of each. Bedford is doing something similar to what Lorenzo did in the 80's. Lorenzo banded together several smaller carriers (CAL, TI, NY Air, PEX), and poof a big airline that had pay rates much less than the rest of the industry. (RJ's didn't exist then), he found people willing to work for almost half pay and look what it has morphed into. Bedford is banding together several small airlines and paying poor wages and is having no trouble finding people to validate his theory that PILOTS are willing to fly for peanuts for the love of flying. Republic could morph into the next UCAL with the surplus of RJ pilots willing to fly for peanuts like the DC9 and 731 AND 732 folks were willing to do in the 80's (I hope not). Hence, no supply of willing pilots, then management is unable to fulfill their business model theory. Fast forward to the mid-90's and you're right, it was both a management lie as to how the rj's were to be used and the senior Captains saying "just keep my pension in tact and I'm out of here in 5 years" and "let them fly all the RJ's they want, just keep my pay where it is".