All valid points. I don't think it would be an effortless move but if the costs justified it perhaps all the things you mentioned would be looked at.
Let me try and address some of these elements.

First- are there any current pay rates for the crj200/emb145 or crj 700/900 emb 170 in the majors?
If not they would not have to pay these pilots what they are paying the mainline pilots.
In an ideal world maybe this pay rate could be the middle of the road between the majors lowest paying aircraft and current regional pay. If the company was insistent on keeping the cost as low as possible they could leave the rates where they are (but risk lower new hire appeal). Even with current pay- I am sure plenty of applicants would take the low rj pay if it meant securing a mainline seniority number (Not saying this is positive necessarily).

The new pilots could be bound by the same contract and scheduling rules- these are interesting and challenging topics that require some creative thinking, but at least we are talking about them now...

 

Ok this at least the second time that I've seen you send this message out. I would like to know what you consider going around the FAA 1500 rule. There are already stipulations that can be met and reduce the time down to 1,000 hours but it also requires a bachelor's degree in aviation from an approved school. Delta and/or Pindeavor have no ability to change that.

 

That's the stated goal of the program, how they intend to do it, I don't know.

Quote: We have a subgroup that will develop a proposal for an alternate track to an R-ATP. The track would allow an
aspiring pilot to study and train for a Type Rating in a transport aircraft without having to acquire a thousand or
fifteen hundred hours of flight time. This sort of course will entail intense work directed at an airline job, but
should not require as many years to complete as the current tracks.

 

Where did you get that quote from? Thanks!

 

I'm not so sure this would solve the problem. If they offered a R-ATP tomorrow you wouldn't see an increase in people wanted to become pilots. You would just have the current crop of aspiring pilots get a job faster, long term you still have the same problem -- no one wants to become a pilot. And who would foot this bill for a R-ATP? The training foot-print would be much larger (and much much more expensive that it is now) for the FAA to allow something like this. Even Bedford admitted in his testimony to the Congress sub-committee that training would have to be increased in exchange for lowering the hours for an ATP.

The airlines need to come up with a clear and defined career path. Until they do people won't become pilots and banks are going to be stingy with money for flight training. The investment pays off long term if you know that getting hired at XY airline ensures a clear and defined path to a major airline job. That is it, that is the only card they have left to play. Everyone likes to use the doctor analogy, the first few years might be hard but there is a guaranteed career progression path, you don't get stuck as an intern for 10 years making 25K. The airlines can delay, fight Congress and government regulation but the only carrot left is a guaranteed job at a mainline partner (as in when you walk in the door that first day of class you get a mainline number, not a flow). The first one to offer this will be head and shoulders above the competition.

 

Sounds like a multi-crew license.

 

That's the biggest issue, who is going to give $200K to an aspiring pilot to complete a 1000 hour college degree/training program.

 

Membrain comes here to stroke his ego whenever the guys in the cargo playground kick sand in his face . He's the college senior that wears his high school letter jacket to high school football games.

 

ygtbfsm.......................

 

This has and always will be a question of money. It is currently worth it to have regional feed and to whipsaw those regionals. When costs change... Anything will be looked at.

Flew at a regional. Fly at a legacy. Same job.