Hows about some BoilerUP logic...

What makes Republic "great"? Is it the growth they've experienced in the last few years, the forward-thinking that secured E-Jets as that growth vehicle, the fact that they've got domiciles all over the country with six different airlines?

What about the fact RJET management has shiat on the pilot group and CBA for years? What about the seniority upgrade bypass mess? What about the fact Bedford and Heller have gotten RICH while not providing front-line and support employees with even 3-4% yearly raises to cover inflation? What about the huge proportion of debt to income and assets on their balance sheet?

Don't get me wrong...I have tons of friends working for RAH. I wanted to work there desperately in the not-too-distant past too, and would have been happy to sign the training agreement so I could sit reserve on my couch, 15 minutes from HDQ in Indy and 30 minutes from the airport. That was two years ago, and my perspective has drastically changed.

Training contracts for pilots, especially regional pilots, are BS. If you operate an airplane for business, training the pilots is simply a cost of doing business. What other industries make employees indentured servants and force the employee to honor the agreement, even when the company hasn't upheld their promises? Think about it...who has a training contract these days? Colgan, Lynx, Republic. Which of these things is not like the other???

Shares and Flex have a training contract because they provide a highly valuable bizjet type rating. Any idea what the job market is like for a pilot with a C680 or CL30 type rating and a couple hundred hours in type? ITS HUGE...unlike the market for Saab, Q400, or E145/E170 pilots. That said, a training agreement even with them is still crap IMO. NetJets negotiated theirs away for a reason...

My boss sent me for a type in our airplane a few months back, and I'm going to get another type in about 10 months when our new airplane comes. We're sending our brand-new pilot to get a type rating next week. NO TRAINING CONTRACT. If you provide your employees a good compensation package and treat them well, then 1. they shouldn't want to leave, and 2. there will be no need for a training contract.