Doubtful- upgrades are one of the primary ways out of outsourced flying purgatory.

until downgrades/furloughs happen

I'd bet at least half the regional FOs would take the upgrade for FO pay. Some would do it to hopefully expedite their way out, some would do it just to be a "captain"

This is why pilots got to Great Lakes, who pay Captains as much as FOs at other airlines.

Kind of like guys that went to colgan before 2010.

Zing......

Facts to back up that claim?

I don't know any airline that flew a 34-seat turboprop and had FO's making $47/hr.

I don't know any airline that flew a 74-seat turboprop and had FO's making $58/hr.

I'm not disagreeing with you that Colgan was a bottom feeder, but these little jabs at pre-merger Colgan pilots that make you feel better inside are quite childish.

I've never liked that term, Bottom Feeder, when talking about a regional airline.

I'm just curious as to how one differentiates regional airlines as bottom feeders when compared to other regional airlines?


If all regional airlines run feed into hub airports, aren't all regional airlines bottom feeders to some extent?

Nevertheless, I don't like the term, and I find using it disrespectful towards other pilots.

Some of us embrace the honored term "Bottom Feeder". We, like the mighty and noble Catfish, thrive on the scraps others overlook. We tolerate poorly oxygenated water, and, just like the "walking catfish" (an invasive species), can move from one stagnate pond to the next.



Actually, there is a difference between the "Connection" type regionals and the "Express" regionals. Connections, formerly called trunk carriers feed into the mainline, while Expresses displace mainline aircraft.

Personally, I don't have an issue with Connectors. United, for example, already has six types of aircraft with a total of 14 versions. Is it really cost effective for them to add a couple more types (typically turbo props) when those aircraft augment, rather than replace, mainline aircraft?

Ok, lets look at a positive. Maybe when this is all done the pilots left can all come together as one group and stop all this bickering. No more Colgan/Mesaba/Pinnacle. I am getting sick of all the bs that comes us vs them.