That's exactly right, and what is needed. The union needs to stop supporting regionals period.

What makes you think that?

You are right that the express level corporate entities are literally in the same boat as their employees. The only way change happens is if there were a significant enough disruption to ripple through the network.

Delta pilots are in the same boat to some degree, but most do not realize it yet. Delta's JV's and codeshares do a much larger percentage of Delta's flying than Continental ever did of Eastern's.

Unionism is the only way this gets fixed.

It is management's decision to outsource work and management's decisions to set up structures designed to reset employees longevity.

ALPA answers to us, but those who directed them to make this fight are no longer with us. The more pragmatic have survived.

As fun as it is to discuss this theoretical (and I think nothing comes from their effort) plan, clearly the best choice of action is to leverage what we can, when we can, working with management when we can find common ground. If this flying is to be recovered without disruption, it will be incremental. That sort of work requires a highly functional union.

What?

That's quite a stretch. I doubt airlines are withholding hiring regional pilots, especially from other regionals, in a mutual pact to preserve supply. Even if they are trying to do that, it isn't working.

A couple of thoughts. Airlines do hold back pilots (and are doing it as we write this with Endeavor and Compass) to prevent service disruptions at the express carrier. At ASA the call used to be made requesting that Delta stop hiring Line Check Airman if Delta expected ASA to be able to fly Delta's schedule.

It brings up an interesting question maybe Mesabah can answer ... if the Compass and Endeavor pilots are held back, when do they get their seniority date? Does Delta give them a Delta number before class? If they are held back, do they lose seniority, or do they have concurrent seniority?

You're missing the point. How much money would it take a regional pilot to leave for American Airlines? How much money would it take you to leave Delta for American Airlines? Subtract the difference, and that is the savings for AA.

This is why management is willing to waste billions on defunct regionals like Comair, because they are saving tens of billions on mainline pilot's pay.

They get their seniority number immediately, all the hold backs here are on the Delta seniority list while still flying here. In fact a few years ago, the long hold backs, served most if not all of their mainline probationary period while still at Mesaba. There were only a few of those though.

CPZ holdbacks get an incredible deal. They get a number on day one of their virtual "class date" and show up usually 90 days later with 1/4 probation complete, 1/4 of "first year pay" already done at their previous senior RJ captain rates, and during periods of heavy hiring like now in many categories go straight to a line, bypassing the honor and the glory that is narrowbody reserve. :cool:

As for your ASA example, to any extent that's true, the other airlines would have to also participate for it to be true collusion. If anything, they would want to hire away those pilots, so it would take one heck of an industry wide effort that would pale in comparison to capacity dicipline. I don't think high time regional check airmen are having much of a problem getting hired right now, or in the future.

Quick travelnet question ...

My father was going to come with me on a trip for one of Delta's 34 hour productivity sits. If I were pass riding I could bring him up to S3. But, when flying is the system sophisticated enough to know he is with a Primary Pass Rider?