Past V1

Well here we are...still in shock of the Compass and Mesaba transaction...without the dust settling from that...BOOM...another transaction that ASA is going to merge with Expressjet. Although there has been little to no talk about it...I believe we are on the dawn of the Super Regional Airlines. But what does that mean? Never before in the history of aviation has there been this magnitude of mergers. Yes...we know that consolidation needs to take place to be efficient for management...but what does that mean to the pilots that caught in the mist of this battle?

In two years time, I feel that this industry is going to be very interesting. Lets look at the facts for a moment.(And I am sure there are more statistics but these are just a few off the top of my head)

AGE 65----December 2012

New 1500 rule passes

Low Pay on the Regional Level

The decreasing demand for 50 seaters

Fuel prices remaining high

Consolidation seems to be the best option for Majors and Regionals...yes I get that.

But where does that put us as a collective profession of Airline Pilots? What does management have up their sleeve to further reduce cost to increase their profit margins and keep the share holders happy?

And most important...How do we take advantage of managements need to consolidate on the regional level? With the dawn of the super regionals upon us and the merging war still going on...Do we need to think of merging unions as in Major and Regional to work collectively together to establish goals?

These are just some thoughts that I have had over the past few weeks and would enjoy a discussion on this topic to see others thoughts and inputs on the manner. I rather us (Airline Pilots) be ahead of the game rather than standing by and get abused from the upper level management sorts.

pkunzip66

I think it could be a positive for the pilot groups overall. You begin to combine these groups together and have a bigger representation of one group. Costs of multiple management teams, headquarters, mx facilities, etc when combined/mergered should bring the cost down for the entire company.

Hopefully, that will allow for the pilots, mechanics, fa's to have a bigger voice for better pay, QOL, benefits, etc.

Also, maybe we can finally start to lessen the amount of whipsawing that we have seen over the years and bring back some stability.

Of course these are all hopes, wishes and wants from me.

goaround2000

Two words for you:

One List

It really doesn't matter how big a regional is, if it's still operating with 2 or 3 separate pilot groups because we're still susceptible to whipsaw. It's that simple. In other words, you must have a single list to avoid getting the same **** sandwich with a different wrapping.

CheapFlyer

Time to get FO pay up to a respectable level. Imagine how long it will take to upgrade at a 7000+ pilot "super" regional!

goaround2000

Although I agree with your point about pay, the number of pilots has nothing to do with attrition and movement. Over the course of the next 3 to 7 years many out of that 7000+ will move on, and there will be ample opportunity for upgrades.

CheapFlyer

The larger the airline, the longer the upgrade. The days of huge regional growth are over. Only way to move up is due to attrition.

C5Pilot

Lets not forget that they have committed flying for over 700+ airplanes and United wants them to add more in ORD, locked in for 10 years, with both ASA and Skywest still taking deliveries of new planes.

erjpilot7

What I think would be very interesting to look at is independent representation for many of the biggest regional groups. It is no secret that ALPA is playing a game of conflicting interests in many situations by representing mainline pilots and the regional feed at the same time. I know resources and undoubtedly politics would make this scenario almost impossible, but I would love to see a Sky West/ASA/XJT whatever Pilot's Association that represents pilots at that company. When I look at the companies that are doing the best, many have their own in-house associations. I know many don't agree with this philosophy, and I understand it is probably not likely, but I honestly believe many groups would be better off. Only through consolidation would there ever be a chance to have the resources available for this to be reality.

goaround2000

Ok, so you just made my point. The number of pilots has nothing to do with attrition. No one said anything about growth. Although, anything is possible, I certainly wouldn't count on it. Upgrade at ExpressJet for instance will not be any better or any worst post SLI. It all hangs on how many guys move on in the next round, how many guys downgrade on account of quality of life (bases, schedules, and so on), and/or whether or not there are contract protections in place to minimize whipsaw (if unable to reach a SLI between all groups); which has in many cases affected upgrade times by means of fleet reduction.

CheapFlyer

All I know is that I wouldn't want to be a new hire with an airline that has that many 50 seaters and 7000+ pilots. Good luck to the junior guys.