Pilot Shortage: Regional Airlines Are Cutting Flights - Businessweek

 

The chickens are coming home to roost.

"The grim outlook for regional airline profits is also showing up in their stock prices. Shares of Republic fell 8 percent today and are off almost 15 percent this year. Another large regional carrier, SkyWest (SKYW), dropped 2 percent and has declined 19 percent in 2014."

 

pretty good article, hopefully it catches on

 

Well something's got to give that's for sure. Good article.

 

Some shortage. Here we are grasping at a link bait article as reliable evidence of a shortage. And read some of the comments:

"They're just glorified bus drivers"
"Why do we need pilots? The planes fly themselves"
"Get another job if you don't like it"

The public is not on our side. If things aren't good for you now, don't wait around for some magic "shortage" to change them.

 

Airline stock prices always rise before the end of the year and taper off at the beginning of the next year. This is nothing new. Thanks for the newsflash, Business Week.

 

You can't go by what some ignorant people post on these articles. Not everybody is going to empathize with our cause. I guarantee that if those same ignorant posters lose air service to their communities their posts would read differently. You have to give them credit though, some of those posts are funny but very true. We are glorified bus drivers, let's face it! The problem that I have is that a regular city bus driver or a greyhound bus driver has better pay, benefits and most likely better retirement than a regional airline pilot. Who's fault is that? Yours, mine, and every regional airline pilot that has accepted the low pay. That's just the reality of things. Something has to give! I hope this rule stands it's ground and regionals have a harder time getting pilots. It doesn't really matter what the general public thinks anyway, it's all about money. If it hurts the airlines pocket we'll start seeing change.

 

At the same time a lot of non-trolls are posting intelligent comments and getting a lot of thumbs up "WHAT DISGUSTING GREED!" "The ONLY reason the wages are so low is the fact that you and me, the consumer insists on the lowest possible price for a ticket" "Maybe airlines should consider paying more than a job as a part-time McDonald's night manager. I suspect their "shortage" will suddenly resolve itself." Someone actually thanked a regional captain for his comments "I thank you for your dedication to your profession and your obvious concern for your passengers" Hopefully more articles like this will help the public realize what's been driving those low ticket prices all these years.

 

What was the intention of this article?

 

I will only believe a shortage when an airline calls me: "Mr. XYZ, yes is airline ABC, we have your number from the FAA medical records, sorry the bother but we would like to invite you for an interview process, would you be interested..."
Is management 204, now we need concessions because we don't have pilots, and we have been loosing money due to cancellations....or the classic, take concessions for bigger equipment, we need to make the number in order to mitigate initial cost, and right now we don't have it... Rv5, am with ya'