Regional Contracts Lead the Way
 

Saw this topic pop up on the sub-forums. Thought it was worthy of its own thread here.

Regional pay is sky rocketing. 12 year Captains earning in the $200/hr ballpark from Skywest to Mesa. Given the meager increases at from the proposals at AAL and UAL, is it warranted to have greater expectations given the current regional market and ongoing inflationary environment? I just took a phone survey last week, and now I feel like my percentage ask was too low.

Absolutely it's warranted. If you look at from a revenue generated standpoint and experience level, mainline pilots need to be making significantly more than they are now. I'm talking UALs C2000 adjusted for inflation +20% which would allow for a *meager* wage increase over 21 yrs. Think big, and then think a lot bigger.

Imagine a NBFO making $250-300 an hour? NBCA making $375-425? Why not? If they are willing to pay what they are for 76 seats?

$320/ hour for the A320 needs to be the new industry minimum captain pay.

I'm working on a good #

#$320forthe320 ??

$737/hour for the B737 I know those Southwest Pilots made a lot of money.

CRJ900 pilots are salivating at this idea

CRJ is Canadian so it uses the metric system. So 900 is about $3.50 USD.

All jokes aside, for years we were told seat numbers are what guide pay rates for aircraft. Well, clearly a 70 seater crew being paid close to, or more than some major airline counterparts squashes that argument. LCCs and majors need to step it up big time.

Its a bandaid to allow a orderly shutdown and or vast reduction in the size of the regional airlines. It’s not sustainable as a business model. Tge process is already underway.

We always thought that fuel prices would kill the regionals, but it'll likely be the pilot shortage.

Unless they can survive the next 10 years then they can survive long term. The massive retirements at the legacies eventually slow down and the pilot shortage severity lessens

I always said it would be a pilot shortage, per my crystal ball. My crystal ball has been pretty accurate. I was called an idiot. I was called crazy.

Even a broken clock is right twice a day…😉

If you look at my crystal ball batting average, it is over 90% correct. That is a lot more that twice a day. Your statement is a non sequitur, at best.

This is fool's gold. None of it is sustainable and the companies will either cease to exist or see this big money go away in a few years when the pilot shortage evaporates into thin air like a fart in the wind. Anyone who passes on a legacy and stays at a regional because of all this money being shoveled at them deserves what they get.

My crystal ball still predicts by about 2025:

Regional pilots 20,000 —> 10,000.

Regional airlines 30 —> 8 (already 6 of the 30 have closed their doors)

All this belly-aching and yet the mainline metal is moving along just fine. Think about it (especially from a management standpoint).

What 30 are you counting?

I count 11:
envoy
PSA
piedmont
mesa
commutair
gojet
endeavor
republic
skywest
horizon
air wisconsin

No longer around:
compass
TSA
expressjet


Are you counting airlines like silver, cape air, contour, key lime, and others that aren’t flying branded feed/FFD for majors?

yep, unauthorized work actions always go great.

He's right, ooff. There isn't a shortage at the big 6... yet. But it's getting indefensible to pay mainliners modestly to moderately more given the volume and revenue we generate. We need to secure eye-watering gains as well.

As Whack often says- if not now, when?

we need to secure gains. Alluding to “the metal keeps moving” is very clearly suggesting we stop it from doing so to secure those gains. That’s a fool’s errand

Maybe I misunderstood but I took it to mean that while the RJs have been parked due to lack of pilots, that isn't happening at mainline hence there is less leverage for us than the regionals. To add insult to injury, some pilot groups haven't even started through the RLA process towards self help, however unlikely that is.

I didn't think we was suggesting a work action, obviously that talk is not allowed here.

You do you Boo...

Can I send you my bet sheet?

and that, BobbyLeeSwagger , is what I’m talking about

I clicked on the link hoping i was gonna get rick rolled. Unbelievable

THIS I think is what’s going on.

You are wrong again. That situation was completely different. That was an ORGANIZED campaign to "out" pilots who picked up OT. Obviously an illegal work action. It's just as much of a "statue quo" violation to be coerced into picking up OT as it is to advocate that others not do such. It laughable too that someone can "force" someone to pickup VOLUNTARY flying because that's exactly what OT is. If one were to just fly the contract 100%, nothing more, nothing less, there is nothing to be concerned about. Again, as long as it's a personal decision that is not imposed on others and kept to oneself.

They can't force you to pick up anything. They can't force you to not call in sick.

But if the powers that be determine that wildcat activity is occurring, and the union is unwilling or unable to convince the pilots to change their behavior, then there can be financial consequences for the union. That can BK the union, probably not what you want in section six. It's happened before IIRC.

That's what I thought. I presume you are alluding to the AA sickout 20+ years ago? Obviously that was an organized action and utterly stupid and they should have known bad things were going to happen.

I read it the same way.

Supply and demand creating leverage the regionals while management at the majors have their hands over their ears yelling "lalalala I can't hear you pilot shortage".

.

If they can prove it was organized, that makes it easy to hold the pilot group (aka the union) accountable. The union does not have to be the organizer, and in fact the union can still be left holding the bag if they did nothing wrong, or even if they vehemently protested the wildcat action. The courts don't care if the union tried to prevent it, they only care that it happened.

But even if there's no proof of organized activity, a pilot group (the union) in theory can still get in trouble if the status quo is violated (ie sick calls are way up). But it's easier to make the case with evidence of public organization.

The union gets held accountable because it is the only personification on the pilot group. In the case of skywest, not sure who they'd go after. But the main labor action at skywest seems to be resigning to go to a major... nothing they can do about that, although I'm sure they'd like to :rolleyes:

So riddle me this Miss Cleo;

Will the Miata EVER reach true/undisputed sports car status?

At least a MESA pilot no longer has anything in common with a pizza.

Damn. I knew my drive way was missing something.

A pizza :D

the miata is and has always been a sports car. The only dispute comes from people who don’t know what a sports car is

What if it identifies as a super car? Sports car is a spectrum.

Miss Cleo went bankrupt. She did not see it coming.

Sure. Need some light reading material on the toilet.

Good point.

​​​​​​Why such a low bar to identify as? Go big, a hyper car.