Explain your reasoning. How is it "inaccurate?" Yes, contracted flights are shorter, and yes they have fewer seats. Do either of those two factors matter in any way with regards to the job of the flight crew? No. Quantity of quality pilot jobs is the only statistic that matters in reality, and since a flight (contract or mainline) usually requires the same flight crew staffing, the statistics posted are both relevant and important.

I'm a regional guy, and I'd love for regionals to collectively die. I will never celebrate a regional carrier gaining airframes whether it's my company or not.

Good post:)

Airlines staff by block hours, not by flights. Pilots are paid by the hour not by the flight. Delta operates less flights than DCI but has more pilots than all the DCI pilots combined. DALPA got it right in the last contract when included block hour ratios in the language. One DCI crew can do 7 AGS/TRI/CHA flights in a day out of ATL but 2 Delta crews are needed to do an SFO turn. 7 legs vs 2, does that mean DCI domination in this case? Absolutely not.

I understand your point; however, when looking at the probability that a customer will buy a ticket on Delta and then get on an outsourced flight you have to divide by the number of flights not block hours.

The regionals are there primarily to feed mainline. So the probability they fly both is quite high.

Still, what should matter most to us is the amount of pilot jobs at mainline, which happens to be increasing, and which is determined primarily by block hours.

The probability there would more appropriately be measure by seats in your example.

Not anymore.

They now exist to replace mainline, as evidenced by routes such as the entire DL shuttle being outsourced where it's nearly 100% O&D, and many other routes such as DTW-MTY, LAX-SEA, LGA-RSW, JFK-DFW, the list goes on and on. There are routes that feed like CHS-ATL but mainline also has routes that feet out of the hub after connections. It's just as much about outsourcing for the sake of outsourcing.

Wouldn't seats be a more accurate #? DL operates more large RJs, they and UAL probably have a closer # of outsourced seats.

Correct. :mad:

1Q 2013 DAL report:

Consolidated ASMs- 53,022,000
Mainline ASMs- 46,202,000
Regional ASMs- 6,820,000

So 12.8% of the Delta system ASMs are done by 3rd party carriers. Still far too much in my opinion.