It is a good deal at someone's expense, namely another pilot.

 

As ACL points out, they are held to a high standard of accountability. It read to me like the truth, no embellishment, no chest beating, just the facts.

While I do think we were in the loop conceptually, developing a consensus response takes time.

I could not have written it better myself.

 

Who negotiated and ratified the good deal?

I think it is more our responsibility since it is within our control. Expecting everyone to refuse to work at GoJets is just unrealistic.

 

That was not the point. Point is that these "Super Regionals" want to get to the scope and size where their route structures and circumnavigate mainline PWA's. That would be at your expense.

We have discussed this scenario many times.

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 100% ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

"Hey Mr. Jumpseater, who are you with?"
"ASA"
"Were you going to apply to Delta?"
"Well, I'm thinking about it, I'm not sure, you know right now, and my wife is, and I have pretty good seniority, I've been here 10 years, and well I don't know, I'm a Captain now..."
"How much do you make?"
"$78 an hour."
"You'll be back there by year 2."

But you know what, if you don't want it then don't bother. There are plenty of people who want it, we'll bend over backwards for people who want it, and frankly see OH as a warning and not a 'ha ha'.

I am interesting in tieing these 5 things together: the lessons DAL has probably learned from RAH and funding their growing competition, the "we want out of the RJ business" comments from up high, the Continental Express LAX risk sharing system, not finding anyone to bid on buying OH, and this Compass and Mesaba sale to none other than TSH.

Its like looking at one of those darn Magic Eyes. FWIW, if I were a regional airline right now I'd be saying the same thing Delta said "we want out of the RJ business."

 

This discussion of moving on to a Major vs. staying at a Regional has played out many times before. The damage to the industry was not anyone's fault. You cannot blame the current generation of regional pilots. Most wanted to move up and now the opportunity is coming too late. You can not fault someone for looking out for their own best interest. Moving up to a Major and commuting for the last 15 years of one's career, a majority of which will be spent in the right seat mind you, in today's uncertainty is dubious at best. I hear the conversation you quoted above all the time and I always have to agree that staying at a Regional is usually the best case. Job security is probably better sitting at the top 20% of a Regional than the bottom 5% of a major. Many are well on there way to a 6 digit salary, finally a good amount of vacation, 18 days off, 125% matching 401K, it is hard to make an argument for someone in their mid 40's to move on.

With that being said, as a regional pilot, I will be the first one to support the taking back of 50+ seat flying for mainline and I will also be the first one to jump ship to a brighter future the first opportunity I get. Ask me in seven years when I am in my 40's and you might get a different opinion.

 

If we are comparing moving on to a major and staying at a regional, I don't understand the sentence in bold. Sitting in the right seat for 25 years at a major in the smallest equipment in the base you want to live in will still pay more in a career than being the #1 guy on the largest RJ at a regional airline. I don't get it. Yes many will commute to fly captain on a widebody for the last few years of a career to maximize retirement etc. but many do the opposite. Several guys I fly with in IAH on the 757/767 were 777 CA's commuting to EWR. They have only 5 years left to 65 and want to fly more domestic and limit their overseas flying so they can coast through their final years.

 

Exactly, Bar.

sailing's line of reasoning is exactly what got us in this scope mess in the first place. Short sighted vs. long view...

sailing.. you really need to think about what you typed.

 

Living in base, bidding the top of your equipment is a whole lot more palpable than commuting to Newark for five years was my main point. Many of the current Regional Captains have seen many of their peers go to United and Midwest over the last 10 years only to be burned. Sometimes staying put is the safer bet. We all know every move in this industry is a gamble.

 

Please go into detail on what I should think about in what I typed? You don't think we should try and take back the 170/175 flying? You don't think we should make sure we don't tie scope and pay together? You don't think the MEC should try and improve the life of Delta pilots? Please tell me the part I should think about?