While I don't want to see the majors shrink anymore (for the pilots) I fear that the concept of a "major" airline being the rulers of the industy is fading. It seems that regionals are becoming the "big" thing and soon you will see majors only around to provide feeder to the smaller airlines. Not the other way around. People don't care about flying on bigger planes for more money. They just want to get there and get there cheap. They are ok with sacrificing luxury for ticket prices. For example, DFW-LIT can easily be run by a S80 but eagle has it. That route would not be profitable though without AA feeding Eagle in DFW. I think you will continue to see shrinkage until the majors finally equalize with the demand at regionals. Sadly this will cost the majors much as far as downsizing. My .02. I'm not sure if I worded that in line with my thoughts.

 

If you really want to stop the long spiral down I think taking away fee for departure away would be a good start. That would cut a lot of regional flights and add a little profitability to the industry.

 

Please have mercy on the rest of the American Eagle pilots who do not share the same views as that guy.

 

I wouldnt mind more planes, but bigger ones? I dont think so....leave that to mainline. Id love nothing more then to let the mainline guys have the 70 seaters. Just creates more jobs at higher pay. I dont understand the guys that want 190's or CRJ 900/1000 at a regional. Give them to mainline, secure our jobs for the future.

 

The Regionals are the New Mainlines!

 

Why wouldn't they? Everyone else is flying them. Why should eagle be different? The woody AA pops for barbie jets seems strange. Everyone else wants to fly dreamliners and Airbus 380's.

 

Lets go back to flying B1900s and SF340s, we would have to double the number of aircraft in our fleet just to cover current flying! Upgrades for everyone! Yay!

 

Hopefully tsa doesn't break any of these new crj. Whatever came of that incident? Sorry for the tangent.

 

This kind of thinking is exactly what represents the race to the bottom. "Just because everyone else has outsourced jobs to the regionals, we should, too." I mean, you might as well apply that logic to all the US jobs being lost to India and other countries, right? Hey, as long as it benefits ME, screw the rest of them. Just keep in mind, the very same thing has already started to happen amongst the regionals, too.

73

 

Nothing. I flew one of those jets a couple days later.