A. From this source, it seems anytime there's disagreement most of us become "dopes".

B. Who said she was a guy ?

 

PDT is just an easy target to toss aside because we all know our fleet is our biggest issue. This place "will be closed within the year" ever since I was hired over 5 years ago. I think with the excessive amount of RJ's flying for US Airways, if they wanted to close PDT down they would have already. There are plenty of seats to cover the lift that Mainline wants us to cover. HHH is the only station PDT is truly needed for. They are keeping us around for a reason. If they want to add larger RJ's to the new American feeder, who's to say PDT doesn't have a chance on flying them? PDT is due for a re-fleet anyways. It would be less of a training bubble if they just re-fleet PDT and train us on the new fleet vs merging everyone then going through what PCL is going through. I know it's not what people want to hear, but it is still as possible as anything else. Our pilot group is just as senior as Eagle's is. I'm pretty sure we can handle those Jet things we hear so much about.

 

Truth is no one knows whats going to happen to any of us. Its all just theory. PSA and PDT could easily be sold off to Trans states, republic etc. Delta did so with mesaba and compass, could happen here as well.

 

9/11 is over !!! It seems only yesterday I took off at dawn from my outstation to my hub and watched the whole thing in the crewroom after I got there (Eagle RJ captain at the time).

Jeez.........I had no idea !

FT/DT will be mostly mitigated by PBS at carriers that don't have it (that's you and me especially). Additionally, you DID note all the loopholes included that water's the FT/DT improvements down,yes ?

As an example, most of the major carriers like DAL and UAL said it would only amount to needing another 400 pilots or so and they have seniority lists 4-5 times that of Eagle and much larger then AA. AMR broke ranks and intially stated they'd need an extra 2400 pilots, but once the ridiculousness of that became obvious, they too have tempered that estimate down to close to that of the others. The regionals for the most part (especially with PBS) have the flexibility due to weak scheduling language and rare trip/duty rigs to hardly feel a ripple from that.

The 1500 hour rule will slow the entrance, but already flight schools will get waivers down to 500-800 hourse depending on the program. Considering the majority of previous regional entrants from these sources had at least 5-800 hours, very little change there, which was the whole point as guess who controls government roadblocks to corporate profits as I stated before ?

The shortage will be college entrants seeing the $50-75,000 extra above tuition that they'll have to pay of for a decade or longer for a $25-30,000 year job. Many who would have gone into Pilot positions, either will shun the airlines or go into another career. The philospohy that some "windy" characters on some of those Eagle websites believe that regionals will have to raise pay to get people won't work. They're getting people now and this problem is still several years off. If anything, I'd think they'd find it much cheaper to offer funding for those who go to flight training programs, instead of offering more pay accross the board. I think in 5-7 years it WILL be a problem, but to really change that equation, you'd have to raise regional new-hire pay to at or above a major carrier and then where are they ?

As for age rule changes now being "behind us", I think that is unfortunate assumption. It seems to me you have a lot of disappointment coming your way on the long and bumpy road of this profession with all these pollyanna ideas. Economic forces AGAINST airline pilots have never been greater and leverage has never been weaker.

 

If you add PDT to the mix with Date of hire you have a couple Captains who were hired in the late 70's plus a boatload form the 80's and early 90's

 

whoever said they keep PDT around for some reason, and want the props............well they had a million reasons why AA wanted the Exec ticket and the ATRs. Seems like none of those matter now.

Also saying it is alot cheaper to train PDT on jets and not a new company. I think they would rather have you guys start over at 1st year pay somewhere new, instead of having 30 year guys flying those jets.

Sounds like good cockpit convo though.

 

AA/Eagle is in BK, not US Airways/PDT/PSA. When US Airways WAS in BK, they sill kept us around.

I said they have kept PDT around... never said they wanted to keep props around. The original plan was for the Dash 8's to be done in 08', but since the CRJ's went to PSA instead, and the drop out of the economy, it didn't happen.

When you say "...start over at 1st year pay somewhere new...", do you mean at Eagle? As in we go to the bottom of your list? Just need some clarification here.

Isn't Eagle top heavy on seniority too? What's the difference? You guys keep flying the 700's and train PDT pilots on whatever else they want us to fly. Sell off Eagle to someone new and keep the wholly owned airlines that US Airways already has. Same scenario just opposite of what everyone is talking about. It's easier to get rid of the Dash 8's then it is the ERJ's. Ours are owned. If I'm not mistaken the ERJ's are leased, which may or may not be in our benefit.

 

Best thing AA or USAIR could do, is make a new airline and over 5-8 years give it all the flying, or 3 airlines all the flying, then they have a bunch new low cost labor. That was what I was saying. Best thing for any airline is all new pilots, all at low pay. Taking an airline full of old employees and giving them the new planes makes no sense at all.

 

Says the Eagle pilot with a year or less invested. Why are you flying the planes? You seem destined for management.

 

Well, her airline is one renowned for having the most "oldest" pilots of all, now that Comair has melted. Seems to me, she's making a case for her own demise.

Being a fresh young cart hitched to a team of old, broken-down, swayback nags economically destined for the glue factory is no place to be in the desperate streets of Merger City.