Watch the video in the link below and skip to 1:56. It looks like the shift away from regional feed has begun, at least at Delta.

With fewest canceled flights, Delta wins best title - Aug. 8, 2014

They can't staff the planes, notice he didn't mention that, and only mentions the 50 seater.

Pretty encouraging to hear a CEO talking about bringing flying back to mainline and "up-gauging" the airline. You're right, he does only mention the 50 seater... but with SWA basically paying DL to take 717's off their hands and the low acquisition costs of the M90's from China, we can fly those planes half full covering 50, 70, and 76-seat routes and still make money (especially with the crack spread advantage from our refinery). All of those ATL-BHM, HSV, MOB, GSP...CVG-SDF, DAY, IND...SLC-PSC, FCA, MSO, JAC, HDN, ect, turns used to be flown by mainline 737, M88 and 727's..and it looks like we're slowly headed back in that direction.

As far as staffing..you're right, DL was late getting the hiring up to speed but the machine is just warming up. That's good news for everybody looking to get hired at the front of the wave. By this time next year, the big 3 will be hiring RJ FO's off the street without any TPIC..(you heard it here first)!

C'mon Mesabah, put your app in.. (don't know if you have an SSP or not)...you're a smart guy and would be a welcome addition to the lineup. Help us make this the "mainline" career we all thought it would be. If you don't want DL, then good luck with all the other carriers currently hiring, or whatever you wind up doing in the future.

Until then, it looks like GS's for everyone at DL as we work towards bringing Delta flying "back to mainline".

Jmho..

Right on! And never a mention of large RJ going to main line.

a little misdirection with a tiny misinformation = management talking

Yup, just a play on words. What seems to be lost on him is that pax also think "puddle jumper" when a CRJ-900 pulls up to take them from JFK to DFW, etc.

Yeah, but it's not like they won't get on the plane. Passengers would rather go on something bigger (who doesn't), but they've accepted RJ's.

The CRJ-900 is a much better flying experience as opposed to the CRJ-200.

I think the more telling comment wasn't the size of the aircraft (he stated 50 seaters as an example, not a limitation) but the comment flown by Delta Airlines Employees and not regional... I would offer that perhaps we will see more aircraft in the 90-135 seat range (based on what manufacturers are focusing on (and that is based on worldwide demand)), I think that is a lot more 175's as the smallest with more 190s, A319/320 variants, and possibly 737NEO. He also argued fewer flights (that contributes to a fix to pilot demand). I also think he is thinking much longer term than we are discussing. I would guess the Endeavor-To-Delta and alignment with ERAU, North Dakota, etc. is the beginning of a long term move toward the European ab-initio programs where you start your career with a seniority and career in flight school. That will be the attraction of young talent, that will lock in pilots they will need, and that paradigm is inconsistent with the cost structures of FFD. Add in...I think that is where ALPA would want this industry to go...and the new CFR for 1500 and ATP training/upset training/sim training... I think this is the lead of a major change in the industry.

Food for thought...carriers in the middle east are now allowing women (no, I'm not sexist and they should have allowed this all along) to enter flight school to meet their anticipated demand...and I believe some of those societies do not currently even allow women to drive (mea culpa if I'm mistaken)...just saying...I know the worldwide pilot demand is real ... I think the demand and market is driving this here too. Times might actually be dramatically changing! Hopefully for the better!!

i think the paycheck should also be a much better experience for the pilot as well.