JohnLocke

I'm surprised no one has been talking about this. In 4 years the retention payment program at Endeavor will have expired, and what will there be to attract new hires? If this program was designed to allow Endeavor to thrive, then why will it be gone in 4 years when things will really be getting bad?

Call me a pessimist, but I suspect it might not be such a bright sign of things to come as so many think. I submit that Delta et al. are making a serious play for the 1500 hour rule, and in 4 years Delta will be unleashing a new training program or some lame exception to the rule. Until then they put this multi million dollar band aid on Endeavor.

HR 5900 is law, but like anything else there can and will be ways around it. Credit towards 1500 flight hours for new training programs, sim time, whatever- I will not be surprised if this rule is watered down significantly in the future.

Whatever the case, the short life of this program at Endeavor begs the question: what does Delta have up their sleeve in 4 years?

FLYZERG

Got me to click, you should work for buzzfeed. What Endeavor will be doing to their pilots in four years will shock you.

billyho

Hey but you get to be the only Regional that offers a guaranteed Interview at Delta.

Two Kings

Couldn't you say that about any regional offering bonuses right now?

As retirements continue everyone who wants to should be able to move up to mainline in the next 5 years so I'm not sure if it'll even matter if the bonus goes away. The regionals could be absorbed or shut down by then for all we know.

block30

Four years is an eternity in the regional world. Who honestly knows where the industry will be then? Peak retirements will just be starting....

JohnLocke

Hah, I was afraid it would come off like that- I tried to make the title more specific but I kept exceeding the character limit.

JohnLocke

No, because they are fundamentally different. Endeavors program is for all pilots and it is only for four years. Bonuses at other airlines are for new hires only and they are indefinite.

JohnLocke

Exactly, so why abandon the program that is designed to keep endeavor staffed?

VoiceOfReason

JohnLocke

It's a fact that the RAA and others are trying to find ways around the 1500 hour rule. The idea that delta is throwing a band aid at the problem until they can hire lower time guys again is a sane, logical explanation as to why they are only offering this retention program temporarily.