The disparity between top end CA & junior FO pay at regionals is asinine. I can perhaps understand first year being disproportionally low (~30K) as you work through being a probie but 2nd year you should spike up dramatically, maybe even top out there (~$65K) CA pay should also top out after year 2 (~$95K).

Lower CA pay at regionals would discourage lifers...really no reason for 12 year pay scales...and encourage moving on to bigger and better things for senior guys, where the loss in seniority via moving up the ladder would be nullified by the pay raise.

Of course these are just arbitrary numbers in a perfect world :rolleyes: but as someone earlier said, pilot compensation at the regionals is mostly simple economics: supply and demand. Hopefully the equilibrium point starts sliding our way soon...maybe :cool:

Here is a great article on pilot pay and unions, seems timely.
Unions and Airlines

That's exactly as it should be. A regional "captain" should top out at two or three years then drop by ten to twenty percent per year. This would encourage the deadwood to either move on or get out if they can't cut it by then and get a real job.

The "deadwood" as you put it in many cases are the very same who control your union. The company doesn't decide how salaries are going to be divided up, they could care less (up until maybe now). It's your union who decides how the money is divided up.

If you want a shot at changing this, get a few other pilots who feel the same, then the bunch of you run on this single point together.