Changing My Mind (not going to major airline)
 

I'm coming to the realization that my best interest (and there is an argument to be made that most pilots ) are no longer served by the drive to get to a major. Perhaps we are all better off seeing our respective airlines get larger aircraft and competing in the open market.

Lets face it, UA/CO has the potential to be a real debacle. Who wants to work for another Cactus East/West nightmare. AA? It's going to be years before we have any quality of life.. that's after thousands get recalled first!
Anyone from a decent regional with any senority is not going to go to JetB, etc... it's a lateral move. That leaves Delta and Southwest. The probability of getting on is 1 in 1000? 5000?

Maybe we should start advocating our regionals keep their fee for departure agreements as long as we can while another arm of our carrier flies C series, 320's and the like. Who cares if Delta gets $148/hr and we get $130/hr.

I know this isn't going to be a popular view on his messege board, but before you flame away, think honestly about the majority of the regional Captains now. Close to 10 years senority, $90K, QOL. Why should we keep chanting the mantra of scope to others benifit? We have been so focused on getting out of the RJ we haven't bothered to make our current airline better. Why is it wrong to want more pay that a larger aircraft brings.

Did you pass your last DOT drug test? All regionals are c**p. The smell may be different and less nauseating at some, but they are all still steaming piles. Why would you advocate spending an entire career being used and abused at a regional? Get your time and get the hell out.

how old are you?

Well first of all, it's NOT up to the regionals to keep fee for departure contracts. That would be up to the Major/Legacy. Secondly, fee for departure contracts are quickly dying and that trend will continue. Third, lots of people care that you would get $130 an hour opposed to $148. NWA 320 FO's used to make $130 hr!!!

That larger aircraft at your airline, bringing those at the very top more pay & seniority, would be the bottom aircraft at mainline where (at least in theory) newhires start their career before having a choice of bidding larger, higher-paying airframes.

Regional have pilots have zero control over mainline scope, regardless of which way they swing on that subject.

Larger airplanes at the regionals will require one of three things to occur:

1) Mainline pilots give up more scope in exchange for something. I think they have learned the hard to never do this again (never say never, but I think it unlikely)

2) Massive industry catastrophe with multiple majors taking a another trip through the BK drive-through. But why would you even want to be around this industry if that happens AGAIN?

3) Your regional decides to risk it all and go freelance. Theoretically this could work, but nobody has pulled it off in recent memory (RAH TBD). Since in order to thrive at this you will eventually need to compete with your major feed partners you will have to make a break from them eventually...will you be able to survive on self-generated revenue? Probably not. Also only large regionals with a lot of money in the bank could attempt to do this.

As pilots we have almost no control over this anyway...other than accepting substandard wages to fly larger airplanes.

BW, if you think it's cool to do DAL's job at an $18 discount, guess what...somebody else will eagerly discount YOUR rate too. $110 sounds pretty good, right? Etc, etc.

The only real solution I can see to empowering us again is to have no regionals. Every plane and every pilot flying for an airline works for that airline on one seniority list.

Pilots have little control over what you ponder. If pilots (or their unions) had control, 50+% of the current domestic market wouldn't be served by RJ's now and regional carriers would still be pure feeders, but they do and are not.

Market forces and business interests (profits) are in control. It's not going as fast for them as they'd like, but they're well on their way to insuring that in 10 years, about 75% of the domestic market will be flown by regional carriers operating 70-100 seaters, so in effect you won't have to do anything but keep flying.

The only thing that would stop or alter it would be a SOS by the 3 mainline pilot groups and the two unions and the likelyhood of that is slim to none, so it will just be a steady and continuous slide downward for the industry and the fantasy of most regional pilots of flying for a major one day.

Fly into 5 hubs of your choice and look around............it's obvious.

The number of RJ's will increase only slightly over the next 10 years, but as the <50-seaters disappear, they'll be replaced by mixed-class aircraft with 66 to about 95 seats. Stand up and first class cabins are here already in droves, but no one envisioned that when Comair placed their first 50-seat jet into service...............pilots scoffed, chuckled and snorted nationwide.

Not much scoffing, chuckling or snorting going on anymore. Those have been replaced by anger, rage, terror and panic.

It won't happen overnight, but its too late...........the game's over.

Since airline bosses don't want that, it won't happen.

Great idea though if pilots could force it to happen, but they can't. ALPA's become a dues collection agency and you can forget them.......they're more worried about how to maintain their current income, then trying to improve yours.

You're right. And also it's all about timing, it has nothing to do with the want to get to a major. I'm sure everyone wants to retire as a 747 CA but you have to look at it realistically. The problem is that some pilots will be way too senior with better QOL than at most majors. The ones that will be going "up" when the flood gates open will be the guys upgrading right about now or are still FOs. For the 10+ year CAs it would be a lateral move. Sure you will top out less at a regional but QOL curve will be much better in the long term than if you switch. It all depends on what your definition of QOL is, I don't get why so many are focused on getting to the TOP ASAP.