It's not that simple :rolleyes:

The regionals would *really* like it to be, but plenty of folks with a type rating flunk 121 IOE.

What about natural selection in the C Suite?

Oh yeah, I forgot, they're worthy and we aren't.

Great posts.

The answer is demand destruction, at least that is what our overlords from the Chicago School would dictate, and what appears to be evolving from the dark and hallowed halls of the managerial banks. Who wins is a meaningful question, because while airline travel is a luxury is some countries, it is almost essential in the U.S.

Great thread and thanks for posting it. And with regard to the regional model, F*ck innovation and the model that paid me $17 bucks an hour to fly a jet out of America's capital city.

Video - "Death of the US regional airlines?"
 

Here is a surprisingly comprehensive video on this subject, made by a (European) airline pilot for his YouTube channel.

Title: "Is this the death of the US regional airlines?"
https://youtu.be/oYM8dG-ZGRo

Very well done!

Could the FAA reduce the 1,000 hours of SIC 121 time required for upgrade, to 750 hours? Would this have any meaningful benefit?

I’d think hard and long about that. For many people 1000hrs just isn’t enough experience to really take on that pic responsibility. The faa minimum imo is already pretty low and many airlines required more than that only to now drop those required to the faa minimum. CA upgrades have no where near the same pass rate that initial has.

By adding special circumstances to have ATP at lower than 1500 hrs, we ve already lowered the threshold for upgrade down the line. I see no benefit to lower it further.

I'd rather have them lower the ATP rule requirements (which I am very against) then that. I will continue to write my lawmakers as a professional pilot and a constituent every time these rules are challenged. They have been a blessing for pilot QOL and pay along with the increased and undeniable safety (sorry, statistics don't lie) that have come from it.

Could they? Sure. Not without risk, but anything is possible. Would they? Unlikely.

Would it help the regionals if they did? Equally unlikely. Those uncomfortable with immediate upgrade would have even greater reason to find themselves a ULCC where they could hang out for a few years before going to their career destination.