Sit there for a couple of years then go to UPS and that’s it, game over. I wouldn’t go to a regional in your situation.

Not sure what time frame you are referring to about a pilot shortage? The mid to late 1990s had a hiring wave that all abruptly ended in 2001 and created a decade of career destruction.

A great pilot contract had nothing to do with the shutdown of Comair.

Comair had the oldest fleet of 50 seat RJs in the Delta system.

Fuel prices went through the roof and Delta management had realized they had way overbought on 50 seaters.

Larger RJs (better CASMs) were coming to Comair.

As Delta needed to drastically reduce 50 RJs, they went to all of their regional contractors asking for reductions. All of the regional partners were independent companies (unlike Comair) who told them to pound sand as their fleets were protected by existing contracts.

The one fleet that was not protected under contract (Air Service Agreement) was the wholly-owned Comair fleet. All future 70-90 seat RJs were then diverted from going to Comair to instead go to other regionals on a 2 for 1 reduction of 50 seaters.

The remaining 50 seater Comair fleet was parked in an orderly shutdown.

Saying Comair shut down over pilot pay is like saying I don't drive a Ferrari because I can't afford the gas.

Same for Comair, same now. Just because we, as pilots, think the world revolves around us, doesn't actually mean that it does.

Aircraft fleet selection, fleet size, aircraft financing, fuel burn, network routes structure, hubs strategy, aircraft utilization, maintenance, etc. have way more impact to the bottom line than the pennies a pilot may make over his/her competition.

Comair struck-Big Daddy Delta punished.

Second this.

Good point...

That is why Mesa, PSA, and Trans States are the largest airlines in the world and Delta, United, FedEx and UPS are all going out of business. Pilot costs are everything...nothing else matters. Pay cuts for all that want to survive!

$106ph to fly 50 seats, or $225ph to fly 160-190 seats. Which pilot actually costs more.....

$106 ph or the interest rate on a $40 million jet; or the purchase price, or the fleet size, or the hub structure?

My point is that pilot pay is such a small component of the total cost. However, as pilots, we somehow get wrapped up in the idea that it is the ONLY cost and I am afraid to say, you just made that point for me.

Here’s the Unions “official” reason that Comair struck

God Bless.

If airlines don’t want to pay pilots, maybe they should NOT own or run an airline.

Can’t hardly read that one——let me try again. They (Comair) struck to end second class treatment of small jet operators.