TransWorld

Agreed there are a few with every regional that are unhireable at any other regional, LCC, or major. Not wanting to commute, skeletons in the closet, etc. But most will get on with another carrier when push comes to shove. This is an amazing time. I cannot recall anything like it in the last half a century, since the dawn of the jet age.

ZeroTT

just for giggles, there was a time in the 60’s when the majors were hiring guys with wet commercials. Like 250 hr straight to the cockpit of a jet… course it was sitting sideways

Hedley

There is definitely a lack of pilots wanting to enter the field. Some don’t want to do the work, some aren’t willing to put in the time it takes to get to a career company, while others won’t do it without a guaranteed outcome or defined timeframe. That is a problem, however the contraction of the 50 seat aircraft is also largely influenced by consumer demand and scope. Managers like Kirby would love to retire all of the 50 seaters and replace them with brand new 175’s and mainline aircraft where appropriate, but they can’t. The decision for the industry to shrink the 50 seaters is just as much influenced by scope, an aging fleet with no replacements, and customer complaints about a garbage product as it is a shortage of pilots. With increasing demand and limited airport capacity, the only way to meet that demand is with larger aircraft. Being that scope is maxed out, as gauge increases, the legacies grow and the regionals shrink.

flightlessbirds

Kirby is blaming the pilots rather than accept the consequences of his decision to not buy a SNB fleet. That unlocks the scope everyone says he wants. Sure he wants it, but only if someone else is paying for it.

ZeroTT

true true unrelated

they can’t staff the planes they have right now so the least profitable routes get triaged

and yes he could fill more 76 seaters… but not from MLU-IAH

Hedley

I thought for sure that he would follow Delta’s lead with the A220 coming out of the pandemic. It would have offered a great product for small to medium markets, given UAX up to 70 more 175’s, and facilitated the elimination of the single class 50 seaters. The brand would be greatly improved. He went a different route. Instead of a SNB, he ordered hundreds of max/neo’s, got no additional 175’s, and the single class 50 seaters are still going to be mostly phased out. I’m glad that the United pilots dug in their heels on scope. It forced Kirby’s hand and it turns out that he picked higher paying aircraft over a SNB. I guess time will tell which company picked the right path.

flightlessbirds

Agreed. I hope it works well. Though UA (and many others) has had history of doing poorly when they allow their feed to atrophy.

One of the things Kirby did very well when he came from AA that really put UA back in the game as OM was leading the company was to dramatically expand the network with all those old 50 seaters over the pretty strenuous market/wall street and customer objections. I truly hope that this currrent upgauging results in continued improved connectivity and is not just being driven by a CASM - only perspective. UAs strength is their network. Shrinkage in domestic network connectivity isn't what I'd be betting on out of the pandemic.

TFAYD

we will never find out but I bet he got the MAX for less than he would have gotten the 220. I wouldn’t be surprised if the cost per ASM are a lot lower on the MAX with low cost of capital, fleet commonality etc. but offer a lot more flexibility.

TransWorld

Yep, and more than half a century ago. Even before that, the jump seat was used for training and observing. Simulator, what’s a simulator? They did not exist.

My first time in a simulator was in the late 1960s.

John Carr

Yep, well aware of all that.......

I guess I should have clarified and included "in this case, Kirby is blaming it on...."

Or, what the guy below say VVVVVVVV

True, as a great example.

There were a few places where only the 50 seater made sense and could get in/out of. And I believe the marketing/revenue department exploited the crap out of those markets fare wise.