Adlerdriver

I understand there is outsourcing and re-branding going on within the EU. I'm also not disputing the long standing policy of major airlines in the US or EU outsourcing some of their domestic flying to regional carriers. Finally, I realize that code sharing is happening throughout the industry world-wide.

My response was mainly targeted at this statement by our radial engine friend, T28.

I'm also scared that what happened to the US merchant fleet (and many others) will happen to the major airlines. I don't want to wake up and discover that my only options for employment are domestic flying because all of the international flying is handled by airlines technically run out of the Bahamas and crewed by nationals willing to work 11 month contracts for 1/10th of what a regional FO makes.

While US airlines have traditionally outsourced a good bit of their short haul flying, there is a slight trend at some of them to fold some of that flying back into their mainline. I think part of that trend is market driven due to lack of pilots at regional carriers resulting in service failures. Additionally, raising the pilot qualifications in the US has resulted in a positive industry trend in pay for the regional sector.

International code share agreements between US airlines and their partners overseas could be viewed as outsourcing to some degree. However, those reciprocal agreements are not one way streets. Passengers that would otherwise be on their national airline end up on the US airline that code shares with them. Sure it would be great if Delta, United or AA flew 100% of their long haul flight to international destinations. But that train has left the station. That reality is a long way from having Ukrainian or Filipino crews fly Delta flight 123 from Atlanta to Rome while relegating future Delta new hires to ATL-BOS for their career. That was my main argument.

When I fly into Paris, Frankfurt or the UK, I still see significant numbers of wide body, long-haul aircraft in in that country's flagship airline's colors flown by pilots employed and trained by those airlines. From what you say, those EU country's airlines appear to be less concern about outsourcing on the European content and select international markets, so I stand corrected. Since the focus of T28's concern was international (or maybe a better term is "inter-continental") flying, that's what I chose to discuss.