Where did I say 50 seaters were the devil? Are you watching Waterboy? I am a former XE CA, & I have no problems with Regional guys. I remember where I came from. Many, many RJ drivers are still my ALPA Brothers & Sisters. Once again, I simply stated WHY SkyWest is in a financially healthy position.

I've personally witnessed what happens to a Regional airline when the gravy train is being pulled. Had XE not kept those 69 airplanes for Branded I very well may not be where I'm at today. Branded was axed after 2 years due to fuel costs & lack of profitability. FFD contracts are the lifeline of all Regional airlines. Paid per block hour and fuel costs passed on to the Legacy. When Regional airlines are burdened with those costs it makes a 50 seat operation very unprofitable. That's a fact. ExpressJet Airlines and Independence Airlines are both examples of this.

If you read the definition in the story, included in the welfare state is:

Social Security
Military Pensions (so who is on welfare?)
Medicare
Unemployment insurance
Other government payments

The last significant change to those was when the Health Care Reform Act cut Medicare by eliminating the Medicare Advantage program. The last massive increase in Medicare came in 2004 (just in time for elections) when the Medicare Drug benefit program was enacted. I am having a hard time remembering, so could you let me know who was in control of the House, Senate, and White House in 2004? Elephants who live in glass houses.........

All I can say is........:D

Dash, complex question actually because there are several ways to look at it.

Are we talking about scope, regional jets or fee for departure? What you're asking in essence is why would a former RJ pilot at Delta feel like they have the right to pull up the ladder behind them? Or maybe why is said pilot being so hypocritical?

fwiw, I was hired at Coex when the props still outnumbered the jets but the jet onslaught was coming. In fact, new hires straight to the jet was a sore subject for a lot of line pilots. Even worse, a lot of line pilots were ****ed that new hires weren't paying $10K for training, got per diem while in training and their hotel paid for. But that attitude invokes a different discussion.

The most concise way I can say this is- regional airlines have always sucked. But they were a means to TPIC time and a mainline job. Post RJ, they got an upgrade in equipment but most still sucked.

Not to rehash, but as soon as 9/11 happened the RJs that were being eyed as possible mainline replacement jets became full fledged replacement jets and operations. What was once a means to an end went from a hopefully short visit to a slit your wrist prolonged stay. And for those prone to Stockholm syndrome, a career.

Now if RJs had never been invented, every civil Delta guy you see here would've still gone that route. We'd flown "regional" legs and done so in ATRs, Saabs and Embraers. Pay for departure wouldn't even muster a discussion given we'd had a smaller fleet and we'd burned less fuel than any other option out there.

So it's not accurate to say a RJ guy now turned Delta pilot is being hypocritical about the RJs. Was it fun to fly at 370 in a nice little jet? Absolutely. Looking back, wish it never happened.

We all knew that while RJ growth meant possible upgrade it really meant fewer jobs at mainline anyways so that upgrade was all for naught. I wish I had been relegated to flying an ATR 42-320 out of EWR up and down the Hudson to Albany instead of flying an ERJ-145XR nonstop from EWR to MSP and Nebraska. I wish instead of a fleet of 600+ jets at DCI it was 200 props and that all of the remainder of that flying was at Delta on Delta jets flown by Delta pilots with the Delta PWA and that we'd been hiring since 03 nonstop instead of what has happened.

It's not that a former RJ pilot wants to pull up the ladder but rather that former RJ pilots, who mind you were willing to take the risk and move to a major, are trying to ensure regional pilots can get off that boat and on to this ship.

Because for the first time we have the opportunity to vote and talk to the powers that be about the one thing, the only thing, that matters most- scope.

There's not a thing an RJ pilot can do about mainline scope. It's our responsibility here and so don't look at it as being hypocritical but about more voices being added to the mainline ranks that want this trend reversed.

Spending was how the republicans lost congress in 2006. But since you want to talk about living in glass houses, the February federal budget deficit was $223B. For 1 month. The entire 2007 deficit in the out of control bush years was $161B. For 12 months. And that was down from 2006's $248B. Again for 12 months.

U.S. Government posts biggest monthly deficit every of $223B- Washington Times

Deficit for Fiscal 2007 Slides - Real Time Economics - WSJ

Like it or not (military pensions included I guess I didn't see that) 1/3rd of the income in this country comes from taxes. That's kind of scary considering we haven't hit the baby boomer retirement period and unless wages shoot up somehow in the private sector, how in the heck is that going to be paid yoy? I love how the article says 35% of income comes from [government taxes] but hey were so much better off than the UK, they're at 44%. They're at 44% and coming unglued and we're only 9% behind them and jumped 14% in the last decade. Talk about bribing the public with its own money.

Maybe Delta pilots will get a big raise to fund all of this stuff? Stop laughing. It was a dream many of us had until we were told to temper our expectations and be prepared to give up work rules for a small increase in the pay tables.

Answer at your own risk. This will probably all be deleted.

btw, I wish 1 national poll would have the guts to ask the under 40 crowd, do you mind paying social security taxes until you retire even though you'll never get any social security? They only ask, do you want to give this up? How about, do you mind paying and not getting anything?

Oh and by the way, 1000+ waivers for the health care law. A) why is a waiver needed and b) do we get a waiver? We are AFL-CIO are we not?

Funny, and timely, you should mention living in a glass house. Sebelius just admitted to double counting the cuts that were supposed to come from the health care law. So in the end, it won't save $160ish billion in health care costs that was promised but probably start in a hole of $340B and that's before waivers and whatever else occurs.

Here, watch the video and then lets regroup and talk about not throwing stones again...



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Now I can go on. Shouldn't on this forum. Don't think it abides by the TOS. But I can go. I can go on politics and defending Cam Newton and Nick Fairley. I have everything bookmarked. Just mention expulsion at Florida or a Thayer Evans article....... :)

.

I hate to tell you, I thought Coex was the devil 6 months in to my 5.5 years there and was even inspired by them to quit Part 121 and head in a, thankfully temporary, other direction.

And while I still haven't shaken that opinion of the place they should thank me, I made them look so good despite the fact they hated me and everyone I worked with. :D

So yes, they are the devil. And you can say regional's are the devil, but it is of our own making. But still, the devil. And still, section 1 is a devil making machine.

All I can say is..... :D;)

That and your previous post on the topic well said.

I don't understand how people struggle with that but I see it daily on the forums.

I think the T in which came out of left field. :eek:

Please don't. Politics on this forum sucks.