So I bid SFO and did not get awarded. There are like 15 openings that went to no one bidding, now. I take it new guys get priority for where the company wants to place them?

 

Bids are not done yet.

 

The shortage of regional pilots did not really start until today.

Why on earth would anyone go to Mesa, TSA, Compass, Endeavor, or my beloved Gojet when the upgrade time at Skywest has fallen to 9 months?

The fast upgrade at the Mesa and Gojet bottom feeders is now out of the equation so the other factors will be more important. Range of bases, Skywest covers 60% of the country while the others have 3 or 4 bases. Fly a standup at Skywest and you get over 6 hours of pay while at Gojet you get 4 (if they actually pay you correctly). A four day trip at Gojet has a guarantee of 8 hours (Day one starting after noon and last day ending before 5 pm) while at Skywest it is 17. Bonuses at Skywest but none at Mesa, GJ, TSA, etc.

Which regionals have planes on order? TSH has the mystic MRJs that will go to TSA if they ever are built, as does skywest. Skywest has about 100 more ERJs coming. I hear 36 more are going to Skywest from a regional who can't man the ones they have on order.

At this point the other regionals have one choice, higher pay. The bonuses need to be stopped and the pay needs to be real. A regional captain for any airline should be making at least 140,000 which does still not keep up with inflation for the last 35 years.

If you really need pilots, pay them.

 

Pay isn't going up until classes stop getting filled.

 

It's the recruiters at the above said airlines selling them pipe dreams. They are getting young ill-informed pilots to sign up. All recruiters talk a good talk, it's their job.

 

Mesa will always find applicants.... Mark my words. They always somehow do!

 

Do you guys think that there is a chance that junior manning could start happening if there aren't enough FOs to meet demand for DTW upgrade?

 

Even if we got "awarded"?

 

106 estimated component for the FO 175 side, yet the way things have been awarded so far they won't get close to it. Strange

 

Junior manning for upgrades? NO. We have had it awarded to pilots still in new hire training though.

A lot of pilots will wait until they can hold a line until they upgrade. The vast majority of pilots don't take the first available class.