That doesn't pass my math test. Passengers are willing to pay money to fly, airlines want that money. If the problem becomes a lack of pilots to fly a growing number of passengers, how will "contracting that work out" help, unless they contract with bus companies? Contracting it out to smaller outfits would mean more pilots not less, for the smaller planes. A more logical scenario would have the same pilots flying larger airplanes, or fewer passengers flying on more expensive small planes. The first scenario earns more money for the airlines, follow the money.

 

Who are you to tell RAH guys that its their fault they have no contract? They should just simply commit illegal work actions and let the dozens if not hundreds of pilots get taken hostage by the company all because you say they need to walk? Ohh wait did you mean walk like strike? Surely you and your 25 years of regional experience understand the bounds of the RLA right? Finally, you and I both know if you were at RAH and in their same shoes with your 25 years of regional experience you would not do a damn thing except for talk big on the forums.

 

I spent three years at a regional during the mid 90's and just like the song says just one look, that's all it took. I decided to never fly for another regional carrier again. I have friends who have lost jobs at Comair and Pinnacle. When pilots properly prepare themselves(education, financially,and plan) for this day he or she never has to look back or go to another regional.

 

In the 1960s UAL recruited pilots in high schools. You need a HS Diploma, and a PPL. UAL hired you, paid you, paid for your room and board, and paid for your comm/inst/mel...and then put you in a UAL plane.

USAir already guaranteed to the AA pilots that if there was a merger there would be no layoffs. UAL just recalled. UAL and AA will be hiring this Spring. Many overseas airlines are very desperate now. Just saw an ad for -170/-190 PICs....$18.5 per month base...and a variety of rotations to choose from...after one year they will pay for your A-320 type ratings....a number of those jobs are paying $20/month. A-320 capts need to be current within 5 YEARS to qualify!

Eagle thread say most of new hire classes are no shows. My buddy got an email from Eagle asking if he was still interested...he applied in 2002....another guy same....applied in 2005.

cliff
GRB

 

Airliners cost millions of dollars to buy, and cost a lot of money even sitting unused. Potential revenue per plane is huge if there is a market underserved. If anyone has an airplane they can't fly because they don't have pilots, they can and will offer a lot more money than the pittance currently being paid. That day is coming, seems to be coming quickly. It might start at regionals, it might start at corporate, it might start at flight schools. It seems to be happening overseas already. Simple economics, nothing more complicated than what happens when you need gas and see gas prices have gone up. Maybe I'm wrong, but so far i haven't seen a lot of people leaving their cars and walking/bicycling to work.

 

I have my ATP, two type ratings, 3200 hours, 1200 PIC, some TPIC, experience in 91 (corporate), 135, and 121. I have a four year engineering degree, and have never busted a checkride. I have a very good work history, with numerous references. I'm currently employed at a regional with no upgrade in sight, and I cannot even get a call back from anybody outside the regional level. I am quickly becoming very pessimistic about this "pilot shortage"!

 

Thats because there isn't one. There may be a lack of people who are willing to work at the regionals. But think of the thousands of pilots who currently work at regionals who have applied at the majors as well. Unfortunately, I think it is really luck of the draw if you get called by a major. For example, the U.S Airways system. I had more TT and PIC and TPIC than most of the people who got letters asking to interview. I have worked 121 as well. I am in your same boat, not flying for a regional right now but no one is calling me back asking if I will fly for them.

 

You couldn't be more wrong. Here we have the longevity system. Year 1 pays so low that no one wants to start over. The Pinnacle pilots on here were all over voting in a new industry low to keep from "starting over" at another regional. This keeps our wages deflated artificially low. They might have a hard time finding pilots at the regional level, but I don't expect wages to increase that much.

 

There is going to be a point where they can't get enough butts in the cockpit to keep the flying going at the regional level and they can't afford to pay more to get more applicants. At that point, we might start to see more regionals go away.

 

Your wages aren't artificially low, they are just low, based on the supply/demand curve and the lowest pay pilots will accept without taking a job at the mall. That situation is normal in any industry when there are more applicants than jobs. Another thing that is normal is that when there is a shortage of applicants, pay goes up, until the supply of applicants increases and things stabilize. How much do you think pay will have to go up until the pilot supply again matches the demand? That is what has economists in this industry worried, that mechanism doesn't work in this industry, the supply is not able to respond to higher incentives driven by demand. The only limit to how high pay can go is how much an employer can financially justify, versus parking planes and turning down customers with cash.

The bottom rungs are where things will happen the fastest, this isn't a business that can wait around making airplane payments while competitors swoop in on their passengers. The internet has made pilot hiring into a universal marketplace, the highest pay in the country will get pilots, whether it is corporate or airline or blimps.