Just wait till those Embraer's get a little age on them. After all it is an Embraer, it can be as shiny and nice when you first get it but it'll start going down the crapper eventually.

You could ask the same thing to a TWA or USair/America West pilot.....

Risk vs Reward, thats all there is to it. Looking longterm, the upside of the majors is still going to be better than the potential upside of the regionals. No matter how its sliced, the massive amount of retirements that are coming in the near future will show that the majors are where the next big movement will be. imho

It's very realistic. What do you think provides a pilot group with leverage for pay increases during contract negotiations? Industry standard. How do we increase it? By using those other pilot groups payrates flying the same or comparable equipment. Each pilot group uses it peers as a step in the ladder. To fear being a target for concessions because you shot for higher payrates is ridiculous. Please, let's try and help each other.

Lee Moak has been getting an earful from a lot of the DAL pilot group about scope & how further relaxation is unacceptable. We know scope recapture is a steep slope, but we are ready to fight for it. We wont just give up because it seems unrealistic. None of us got into this industry with dreams of flying for a regional for our entire career. I want to help bring jobs back to Mainline. RAH guys can help bring better pay.

I agree 100% but you and I are young. Someone who's older with a nice schedule and decent pay at a regional might not feel the same way. It's all in the eye of the beholder.

It's so sad some RAH guys can't see the light. Just because you haven't had a string of bad MX issues doesn't mean it doesn't happen. I used to hear all the time pilots call the E-170/175 the E-180. The thing always had to do a mid air 180 to come back because of a problem they were having. FIGHT FOR WHAT'S RIGHT! Good pay, trip/duty rigs, higher per diem, leg by leg, day by day cancellation pay for both WX and MX issues, 100% deadhead pay. And you say you don't want to reach for the stars so you don't have a bulls eye on your back? That is most saddest thing I have every herd. So, with that mentality, we all should sit back and just take what comes to you? THIS IS YOUR CAREER! *******it, stand up for what's right, don't roll over on your back and take it. This job isn't a normal 9-5 job; this job is a freakin bear if you don't have a good contract. I can think of about 25 to 40 times my contract has saved me money, made me money, or increased my QOL. We are so intertwined with our jobs you don't just fight for you job, you fight for a better quality of life man!

Ohh and to the poster who said you don't want to be the top dog, just munch on this for awhile. I am willing to wager that your seniority list is vastly younger then mine. With that comes longevity pay, or lack there of, in your case. At AWAC, we have a very, very senior pilot group with a decent pay scale that causes us to be extremely expensive. However, I see the day when our seniority list becomes much younger and our pilot costs go way down, compared to RAH's or others. However, with this, I also see RAH's costs going up due to the simple factor of alot of guys seem to enjoy it there, as evident by numerous posters saying that they content with 100k a year and 16 days off. I see the same thing happening at Comair/ExpressJet, with their costs going down. Also, as those nice, new E-170/175 become older, and break down more and more, your costs are going to skyrocket, not to mention the push to start bringing scope back to a more normal level. It should be interesting.

I agree which is why i said it depends on each persons hand. If a guy is 50 and very senior then sure i can see why they would stay. But the truth is the majority of guys at the regionals arent 45+ years old. Most guys even the young guys who are senior at the regionals need to start looking past their noses. The only reason they shot up the lists like they did over the last 7 years was because of 9/11. That skewed the reality of a lot of people. Yeah the regionals have been cushy for schedules and decent money for young guys but how long will it last? Most CA's at the regionals arent making 100k with 16 days off a month that was my only point. Even with concessionary contracts the majors still have much better payscales and they should start getting better again.

But like you said its all in the eyes of the beholder.

Anybody else have the feeling that Skywest and Republic have reached their pinnacle and potentially things could turn south sooner rather than later?

Just wait until UAL files for BK........................

No. There's other growth opportunities out there. US Air(if any flying is needed if Mesa goes BK), F9, Mok, Alaska, and CAL(if any flying is needed if XJT goes BK). I don't expect Midwest to last but it only has to go till June to have been a complete profit for the company.