He-He. Ornstein is "disgusted" with the race to the bottom? Is he serious? Guys like him and the way they have treated their pilots ARE the reason why young people and career changers don't want to become pilots anymore. For example, Ornstein created an airline called Freedom Air several years back? Why? So he could whipsaw Mesa Air pilot groups againt Freedom pilots in order to drive down pilot wages- wages that were already so low many of his First Officers could qualify for food stamps. If you read the pilot/aviaiton forums, Ornstein is allegedly one of the most depised regional airline CEOs out there.

And Johnnie O, it's not for your unions or your Captains to fix the problem you and your ilk have created. When there was a nursing shortage in the mid 2000's, hospital administrators didn't go around asking physicians to take pay cuts in order to fund higher nursing pay. They recognized reality (unlike you), and took the appropriate steps to attract new nurses into the industry. They raised pay. They gave them signing bonuses. They gave them perks like relocation assistance. What has the regional airline industry done besides cry in the press about their lack of ability to attract and retain pilots? Well, pretty much nothing. Entry level regional airline pay still hovers in the low 20's. A FEW regional airlines offer some meager signing bonuses, but it isn't enough. Stop blaming everyone else for the problem YOU created. Pay pilots a living wage, and they will come, eventually.

And Johnnie O., if you want to talk about "income disparity," let's talk income disparity. There are WAY too many links to post here, but Google "CEO income equality" and then get back to me about THAT topic. Talk about being out of touch. So yeah, you're right. Us pilots are not concerned about the same "income equality" that you CEOs are. You want to attract entry level First Officers? Don't look for other employees to subsidize the solution to YOUR problem. Pay a market wage, just lke every other industry has to do. Or perhaps examine the paychecks of you and your senior executives and start making cuts there.

The One Level of Safety rules did not kill turboprops. The consumer did. Passengers DO NOT LIKE FLYING ON TURBOPROP AIRCRAFT. You know that. I know that. That's what killed those types of aircraft. That's why Mesa doesn't fly turboprop aircraft. That transition started with Comair's initial success with the 50 seat RJ in the early 90's and it went on from there as THE CONSUMER drove the change from turboprops to turbojets. So yeah, some of those manufacturers were hurt in the transition from turboprop to turbojets, but from those failed companies came new ones. So Pratt, Garrett, and Honeywell make products for turbojets now instead of turboprops. The good companies adapt to change. The bad ones fail.

And BTW Johnnie O, it's NOT OK to have a 250 hour pilot in the seat of any passenger carrying aircraft. Just like it's not OK to replace you and your peer CEOs with the "best and the brightest" management school graduates with the ink still wet on their diplomas. Sure Mesa, for example, could save a TON of money by replacing you with a brand new, smart, college graduate, but that's probably not wise, right? No sane board is going to take a young, inexpericed yet "bright" management student and let him/her run a multi-million operation to save a few bucks on CEO compensation. Same rules apply when it comes to replacing placing people in SAFETY SENSITIVE POSITIONS like pilots. How is that difficult to understand? Again, a brand new, 250 hour pilot HAS NO BUSINESS in the cockpit of a US airliner just because a few foreign airlines use low-time pilots as "cruise" pilots (they don't do take-offs or landings) on widebody jets.

In conclusion, John, instead of whing on the mike at you and your peers' little get together, you should have been collectively been trying to COME UP WITH A PLAN to fix your pilot retention and attraction problems. Not complaining about federal air regulations. Not blaming unions for your pilot salary problems. You should have all gotten together and realized that hey, paying entry level pilots with six-figure debt less than what a fast food manager earns probably isn't a long term solution to the pilot retention problem you guys face.

You should have all gotten together and realized that hey, paying entry level pilots with six-figure debt less than what a fast food manager earns probably isn't a long term solution to the pilot retention problem you guys face.