Good point. Especially considering I want National to be more of a lobbying/PR effort (like the ATA), and not have any great role in individual airline contracts.

I'm thinking more in terms of the character and vision of the guy, and also in terms of it being good for DALPA to see a semi-orderly change of power.

I also think that we need to come to some resolution in terms of the balance of power between the Regionals and the Legacies. I hear blurbs about some of his efforts with the DCI carriers, and I think he may have the clout to offer something there. I also suspect that there will be an opportunity in the future to combine mainline and DCI flying, a) because Age 65 only delayed the inevitable retirements, b) duty/flight time regs AND certification/qualification regs will make it costly and difficult for the regional model to work, c) the economics of the small RJ's are exposed as horrible, and d) airlines are getting bigger, making it easier and easier for everyone to maintain frequency while fielding larger and more economical aircraft.

I think LM is often taken for a fool on scope issues, and people attribute to thim statements about the RJ's taking themselves out of existence. But maybe it's not so stupid. And we certainly have not seen an increase in RJ's under his tenure, contractual or actual.

I think that, at some point, there could be (finally) a shortage of qualified pilots, and there may be bargains to be reached between the respective managements and pilot groups. Someone with a little vision might help in that regard.

 

Same here.

 

Whoa! "We certainly have not seen an increase in RJ's under his tenure"?? Are you sure about that???

 

What he said ^^^^^^^^

Another for good measure!

 

Yep. I figured a five year delay in contributions was in order.

 

Well, yes... but feel free to refute it if you have numbers. Overall RJ numbers are way down, and the big RJ numbers are capped. Are you disputing that?

 

For the "too lazy to look it up folks" do you have the numbers? RJ# pre LM and current. 50/76 seat

 

Yeah, but 50 seaters are being parked because they are inefficient & expensive. Not because he negotiated them out.

Yes, large RJs are capped with multiple layers of scope/furlough protection which I think he did a good job with.

 

I am sorry, but those are MY girls.

 

True, but you have to go back to my original statement, the one DAL88 quoted, to understand the context. I wasn't making the point that all RJ reductions are attributable to LM, I was saying that the quote that is often attributed to him about the 50-seaters is not stupid. Which you're confirming: the 50-seaters are taking themselves out. And we have finally reached the cap on the 70-76 seaters.

We're actually saying the same thing.

"...I think LM is often taken for a fool on scope issues, and people attribute to thim statements about the RJ's taking themselves out of existence. But maybe it's not so stupid. And we certainly have not seen an increase in RJ's under his tenure, contractual or actual..."