I can't shake my hips since they were replaced ... Besides, I might sling my dentures. :D

It’s not that dues need to be paid, it’s that most career paths have a so called cost of entry. A doctor goes to college, medical school, residency, internship, and is then qualified to buy into an existing practice, join a hospital, or start their own practice. Lawyers go to college, law school and can apply to a firm or start on their own only after passing the bar exam. We get a bunch of ratings, endure our time at the entry level jobs and then hope to move up. Life at the majors is nice, but earning $70,000 while you wait is still a better quality of life than many people in this country. If you want to fly for a major then there are things you will have to do to get there. If you’re not willing to do those things (such as get a 4 year degree) then you most likely won’t work for a major. Nothing wrong with that. I’m just saying that fewer people are willing to do that without a guarangeed job at a major down the line. This isn’t a get your ratings, work X number of years at an entry level company, and then move up gig. It may be in the future, but it never has up to this point.

I didn’t mean to offend or come off as self righteous. I also didn’t mean to derail this thread. For that I apologize but also still feel the same way regarding the current state of the industry and the difficulty attracting new pilots to the regionals. Let’s just agree to disagree on this one. Having said that, can someone please answer my initial question? Why would UAL seriously consider buying an airline with a fleet of jets that they don’t want or a pilot group that they can simply interview and hire at no cost? Not trying to stir the pot. This is an honest question. I have another question regarding flow at other carriers also. Do those guys move up to their legacy companies no questions asked, or is there a screening process? I can see where a more defined path would attract applicants, but can the legacy company shoot a guy down if he proves to be weak or a problem of some sort while at that regional?

If you’re going to use the “doctor” analogy, at least recognize the inconsistency of that comparison. Doctors don’t languish infefinitely in their residency, possibly never moving beyond it. There’s a fairly consistent progression in that field. As for why UAL would want to buy a company they don’t need, with planes they don’t want........well, that’s probably why it’s not happening. Thirdly, your flow question. I don’t know for sure, but I would think the wholly-owned regionals have mainline-influenced hiring at the beginning. If not, I’m sure they have a rigorous standard for probation once the flow has happened.

I’m an old timer. 55, 19 years here.
Did 11 years of active duty military flying, 6 months of flight instructing, 8 months of hauling checks in a crappy twin with no autopilot before ASA finally called me. I think I paid my dues.

I left out my 22 years in the military (active + reserve) because I was not a military pilot. Flew checks in an old crappy piston twin with no autopilot. Glad that I didn't make check flying a career! If you are still at ASA/XJT I would argue you are still paying dues.

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Yes I am.
I also only included my flying. I was actually enlisted first and had many other jobs that sucked before that.

The pilots who have been at the regionals during the lost decade post 911 and the age 60 change have paid their dues and then some, in fact longer than most of us at the majors. All but a few of the pilots that I have observed commuting in the jumpseat have been excellent and will do well at any company that they may go to. The point is that the next generation of pilots to replace us aren’t willing to deal with 10 years of working stepping stone jobs, much less what you guys have done. That was the entitlement mindset that I’m talking about. They want the prize without having to do all of the work. We’re not the only profession seeing this. There is definitely an entitlement mindset in today’s youth compared to years past. That’s the parents fault for handing out participation trophies, lowering the education standards so we won’t leave anyone behind, and telling our little snowflakes how special and important they are without making them work for it. That has resulted in an entitlement mindset and a is a huge factor in why the regionals are having so much trouble recruiting applicants. I’d argue more so than the pay. The pay is definitely part of the equation, but not the biggest part.

The other half of that equation is that the generation you are speaking of is also doing a lot of the hiring and recruiting for the Majors. Therefore, the value on experience has been diminished, if not eliminated. I’ve personally seen a LOT of people move on without “paying their dues” first. So many, in fact, that I don’t think there are dues to be paid any longer. The pool of quality applicants has become a puddle, and that’s about to trickle UP to the Majors. That is perhaps the only valid reason for UAL to consider buying a regional. And that is the point of the thread. Back on topic. This dead horse is more than beaten.

If UAL bought expressjet, then they could have 100% control of the hiring process. They could implement a flow.

The way the flow works at Envoy/PSA/Piedmont is that, once they are hired at Envoy/PSA/Piedmont, they are hired at AA, with a guaranteed class date sometime in the future. There is nothing else they do, other than wait for their number to be called up to the "majors". If they want to leave Envoy and go to AA before they flow to AA, for example, there is nothing stopping them.

The way things currently are, a number of expressjet pilots will leave for DAL/AA/FedEx/UPS, not to mention Alaskan, Hawaiian, Spirit, Omni, Kalitta, etc. With flow through, some of those pilots will instead flow to UAL,, thus giving UAL more pilots.

The way DAL is doing it is that they have a guaranteed INTERVIEW. No guarantee of being hired.

Also, by buying expressjet it gives UAL more operational control of expressjet.

I thought, several years ago, that UAL would be forced to buy one or more regional airlines, because of the worsening Pilot Shortage. I also think that DAL will be forced to change to Flow Through, and it is easily possible that UAL/DAL/AA will be forced to absorb their regional, just to have enough pilots to continue operations at the current level, not to mention any future growth.