Regional airline CEO warns of pilot shortage
 

From the Airline Convention in Charlotte this week:


Who will fly the planes? Regional airline CEO warns of pilot shortage | The Charlotte Observer

Came in here expecting to read another Bryan Bedford rant. At least he didn't ***** about the 1500 hour rule the whole interview.

PSA hasn't done a whole lot of late to make itself an attractive airline to come to, so he might want to take a look in the mirror first before griping to the local news media.

"He acknowledged that low starting salaries are an issue, but he said PSA encourages prospective pilots to think of their career in terms of more than the first year. Given the airline’s growth and connection to American, new first officers can get promoted and move up to American in a decade or less."

Seriously! CEO of one of the lowest paying airlines that just took concessions from its pilots wonders why people aren't kicking down the door to work there. Pay $100,000 to get qualified, make 20k your first year. But don't worry you'll probably get "promoted" to American in a decade or so....

“We try to condition people to look at it over a three- to five-year time frame.”

Good luck feeding yourself until then! Literally one of the worst things I've ever read.

The best thing pilots can do is explain that there isn't a shortage. There is intense competition among low-paying organizations to get bodies into seats. At the same time, no major has cancelled a class (or likely even had an empty seat in a class). This is not a shortage... this is a functioning labor market.

Maybe he should live a year on first year FO pay.

Isn't this basically admitting there is a B-scale in place? "Get hired here and you are hired at American!"

I've been saying this for a while. How can American own, manage, AND keep profits from "separate" companies paying lower payscales for pilots while they already have a contracted union labor force?

And commute to reserve.

You guys are making good points. i just spent a year and a half not flying because I was not going to waist my time for 20000 per year. There is no shortage of pilots. Pay a pilot 75000 a year and you will have all the FOs you need. Make captain's pay 120 and classes will fill up again. Many of my friends just sit at home.

"He acknowledged that low starting salaries are an issue, but he said PSA encourages prospective pilots to think of their career in terms of more than the first year. Given the airline’s growth and connection to American, new first officers can get promoted and move up to American in a decade or less.

“There’s never been, at least in my view, a better time to be a commercial pilot,” Flannery said. “We try to condition people to look at it over a three- to five-year time frame.”

This is such BS. Lets tell the head of PSA that he is going to be paid 20k a year but he should look at it over a period of time when he may become the head of Delta or American. Take less now because you might get paid more in the future. FU, pay me!

Look at endevor; offer 50k a year starting with the potential to have a guaranteed interview at Delta and they're having no problems filling classes.

I would like to see more regionals start at 50K/yr.

I wish the reporter woukd have asked him why mainline American doesn't have a "staffing problem".

But you showed up to fly as of recently correct? So why would they inflate the wages if what they offered was good enough to put your butt in their seat? I'm guessing you fly for TSA or G7 by looking at your previous posts so im guessing the quick upgrade perked your interest also. This is another way to get people in seats. Changes in wages have happened but they wont double and triple if a 20% increase gets people to show up.

There are charter airlines that offer that for first year pay.

Listening to these low life regional CEO's whine about the "pilot shortage" is music to my ears. After exerting so much time and energy to gut pay, benefits and working conditions, they are baffled that nobody is lining up to work for them.

He is telling the public that we should understand someday "we" will work for somebody else.

Just gotta pay that passage.

This is insane how people up the corporate/political spin.

He is telling the public that we should understand someday "we" will work for somebody else.

Just gotta pay that passage.

This is insane how people eat up the corporate/political spin.

Why do the unions let them get away with paying so little? Isn't that what they are there to prevent?

Ah don't worry...some recruiting departments flat out lie to applicants.

The level of ethics involved in airline recruiting, specifically bottom tier regional airline, is absolutely disgusting.


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Ultimately wages are going to have a lot more to do with the free market than with unions. Unions can and have agreed to wage cuts when market conditions favored them, because ultimately whatever business we're talking about is constrained by market forces. But, these are not those times.

Now, if we had a union structure that had absolute control of pilot supply that would be a different discussion, but that's not what we have.

So you're saying that regionals cannot afford to pay inexperienced pilots more? :confused:

ALPA is very well aware of the scam of having regional pilots subsidize wages & benefits at the legacies.

Do you think it's a coincidence ALPA signed off on all these concessionary contracts while simultaneously seeing huge gains in legacy compensation during the same timeframe.

Its the tacit, unspoken thing everyone "knows" but never talks about: the overall negotiating strategy at National is:

1) Lock in cheap wages at regionals to save money on feed

2) Go get the money they just saved mgmt by signing off on all the crappy TAs at their regional sweatshops

3) Mainline gets more, we get less

It's a perverse Dickensian cycle that ALPA National has coordinated over the last decade or two

Here comes Age-70!

Age 70 is coming weather we want it or not

So damn accurate....1000% true. We have a major problem here. The job progression to legacy carriers is interesting...it's the only profession that I know where your experience means d!ck! That's a major effing problem. Job experience is crucial. ALPA failed regional pilots a long time ago. Honestly wouldn't it be beneficial to represent ALL pilots ALPA? Zero Unity👎

Good try but all misses. But, your point is noted as to people taking jobs at these rates. But the problem in front of us is that there are not enough people doing that and there is a reason. I think you missed my point though, which is there are plenty of pilots who won't work for these low wages. Yes, some will and the more you pay the more there will be. Wages should double or triple because that is what the market demands. These CEOs are trying to distort the market by claiming there is a shortage and asking the government to remove the current standards. The current market rate for an FO, such that supply = demand would be 75 to 80k. That would push CA pay to 115 to 125. That is about what it was for similar planes in 1982. Compare the rates for a DC9-10 for NW or Continental back then. That is not even adjusting for inflation.

Remember, friends don't let friends fly for Hulas Kanolia (TSA Gojet, Compass).

Another great response! 👍👍
Management is trying to operate the regionals the same damn way it was 10 years ago. Ain't gonna happen.

What an absolute TOOL BAG of a CEO. Move to AA in "a decade", LOL.

Big picture guys, today regionals do 51% of all domestic flying. 3-5 years from now that'll probably decrease to 25%. Everyone will have a shot at the majors out of the street, except PSA pilots who will have to wait 10 years.

These CEOs are the most close minded evil maniacs ever. The "broad picture" is that PSA still pays $20s an hour when everyone else caught up with a 40% first year raise.

Imma grab my popcorn and watch this thing implode.

No one can stand to make a sacrifice for future generations.

If there was no shortage, they could severely reduce salaries and they would have enough pilots.

So your saying low pay at the regionals is the fault of the unions?

He is. ALPA has a direct conflict of interest by representing mainline AND regional pilots. Anyone who thinks that mainline would earn what they do if regional pilots earned what they deserved for doing the same job at the same airports in the same weather is either in denial, delusional or both. Regional pilots indeed do subsidize mainline wages and that fact lays squarely at the feet of ALPA by giving up scope for a few pieces of silver and the fact that their over inflated egos didn't want to fly "little jets" 20 years ago.

If you account for number of seats the pay rates are much closer in reality.

Best line from the story;

"The problem isn't a shortage of pilots. The problem is a shortage of honest airline management executives."

Absolutely. There can be no doubt of this. Alpa should be fighting for the disintegration of regional airlines, which is nothing more than a payscale.

I would agree. Sooner than later.

Explain this?

If I fly 5 legs with 76 pax on each leg I have carried 380 pax. How many seats does a 777 have? Seems that I carry more pax, for more cycles, for less money.

What about the MD88 pilot that flies 4 and 5 legs?