Do you guys think pay will start to increase when the new Senate rules take effect in august for regional pilots? As economics go, scarcity should drive wages up, right? Thoughts?

 

No..........(see 9e 7 Year contract)

 

There's no sign of that yet, in fact quite the opposite (see pinnacle). Part of the problem is the regionals are locked into contracts and can't pass rising costs on to their customers (mainline). I think many would go out business due to lack of pilots before they voluntarily gave away all their profit to labor.

 

Regional pilots get paid?

 

No, Great Lakes finds people to fly for $16/hr and 75hrs/month. Your principle is sound, but CEOs have too many tools at their disposal to make people work for low wages. They want the absolute minimum level of piloting ability that is required, so they can pay them as little as possible. Wishing anything more is ignorant of business principles. They have more tricks up their sleeves before we see significant pay increases.

 

I know a handful of people there now. Their compensation is about 14,000 per year. When you count hours working for the company but not compensated, it's less than the 16 they advertise. Since they are one of the few hiring right now, they can still afford to brutalize people. The weekly written tests have an absolute minimum score of 80%. Any less than that, and you're done. That's verified. When they are done correcting the tests, you are escorted out even if you've been in class for almost the entire length of the syllabus. You don't recieve airline tickets to and from training and you go upwards of a month without it.

Why are they hiring? They tell you bold faced, no lies, that they will continue hiring, and if anyone's short on an ATP Aug 2nd, they will be terminated.

No rumors, all from the horse's mouth.

I don't know enough about the industry to know if this is more honest than someone hiring you with the intent to furlough you and replace you before you make too much money.


As for the OP, my guess is that regional pay will only get lower as the industry continues to decline. If there were any fragment of a free market, pay might be correcting itself over time. The government controls almost everything airlines do. NO MATTER what happens in the indsutry and how low they pay large lines of slobs will always be there ready to accept peanuts to fly big shiny planes.