Brian Bedford, is that you?

God bless

Yes. Cheap labor is the only reason the regional industry exists in it's current form. If pilot labor cost significantly more for regionals, majors would just shut it down, bring the flying in house, and drop the non-profitable routes. Congress might whine about that last, but that's what deregulation is all about...the gubmint might have to pony up for some more EAS to retain service to Podunk Falls.

Mr CEO, Mesa is having no problem recruiting FOs with their lower wages. Maybe you should lower FO pay and then increase your recruiting budget.

Or, maybe you can park marginally profitable leases and consolidate operations to maximize profits. The point being, it's far more complicated than, "raise wages, get more FOs, everyone wins."

On that point, we agree.

Here's your dollar, Randolph:

Mr. Stakeholder would simply find another vehicle to invest in.

Regionals will only make more when they can demand more from the majors, and I don't know when/if that will happen. Until then any appreciable raise in pilot pay would bankrupt most, if not all, regionals.

Skywest's $3.3 billion in revenue in 2013 only resulted in $59 million profit. Do you know how quickly that would be eaten up by a couple dollar an hour raise to pilot payscales?

$59 million dollar return on $3.3billion revenue? I mean what's the point?

That's a 1.78% return on investment. Investors would be better off putting their money in a low yield CD or money market checking account with 0 risk.

The majority of airlines have and to a certain extent, are controlled by their CBAs. Changing payscales is an example of a tough cookie to crack. Bonuses are the sidestep, until a judge determines that they violate the spirit/letter of the CBA. The regionals were created by, and for the major partners. Eagle, pinacolaba and all the others are feeling the pinch, even Skywest is trying to poach typed pilots for cash. If this isn't proof that there is a shortage of pilots willing to walk through the door, what is?

I find it interesting that not one reply mentioned that, by the most part no a CEO of a regional can even if they want to increase pay and benifits, without going back the the negotiating table and restructure a completely new contract, which would then have to be ratified by the members, so how many of the pilots that replayed to this actually regional pilots ?

Clickclick boom your the exception

Go to church? Maybe take an "offering" and hope people pitch in like they do at my church haha.

Or a tip jar at the front cabin door would be the same idea haha