President of Regional Airline Assoc. says regional pilot pay "fair and reasonable"

[ualdriver]

President of Regional Airline Assoc. says regional pilot pay "fair and reasonable"

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aJeU7Viw6UMU

U.S. Carriers Defend Pilot Pay After Buffalo Crash (Update1)

By John Hughes
June 17 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. regional airline pilot pay is “fair and reasonable,” the head of the carriers’ trade group said, defending salaries under scrutiny after a fatal crash near Buffalo, New York.
Rebecca Shaw, 24, copilot of the Pinnacle Airlines Corp. Colgan plane that crashed, earned $23,900 a year, the carrier has said. Federal Aviation Administration chief Randy Babbitt questioned June 15 whether such pay attracts “the best and the brightest.”
Commuter carrier copilots on average earn $32,000, “in line with comparable professions,” Roger Cohen, president of the Regional Airline Association, told a Senate subcommittee today in Washington. He called pay in all parts of the industry, including regional carriers, “fair and reasonable.”

 

[olympus593]

Hey Cohen F YOU!

 

[JustaNumber]

Just wondering what a "comparable profession" is. McDonald's manager?

 

[JumpersAway]

Fair and equitible???? That guy is an @$$, but what do you expect him to say? He certainly isn't going to jump up and down about anything that raises the overall cost structure of the regionals- puts his tail out on the street with no job..................

Rest assured, he's gonna' buff the regional turd to the best of his abilities.................

 

[OCP]

Who the F! is this guy!? Been in this "industry" for 8 years and I have no idea what the regional airline association is, but lately this ****************************** is saying all the wrong things that would help ANY regional.

 

[labbats]

Who the F! is this guy!? Been in this "industry" for 8 years and I have no idea what the regional airline association is, but lately this ****************************** is saying all the wrong things that would help ANY regional.

My thoughts exactly. Who and what is the regional airline association?

 

[ualdriver]

http://www.raa.org/index.php

Mission Statement RAA represents North American regional airlines, and the manufacturers of products and services supporting the regional airline industry, before the Congress, DOT, FAA and other federal agencies.

With more than 15,000 regional airline flights every day, more than one of every five domestic airline passengers now travel on regionals. Operating more than 2,700 aircraft, the regional fleet comprises about nearly 40 percent of the US commercial passenger fleet. Most notably, regional airlines serve 650 communities across the country and in 442 of those communities -- 70 percent of the US-regional airlines provide the only scheduled service.

Founded in 1975, Washington, DC-based RAA also provides a wide array of technical, government relations and public relations services for regional airlines. The association's 43 member airlines and 305 associate members represent the key decision makers of this vital sector of the commercial aviation industry.

 

[Skippy]

the guy looks like a guido wiesel-- no offense

SKIPPY

i mean what do you want him to say "yeah they are underpaid, me and all the ceo's from regional airlines will get right on giving them a non collective bargaining raise.... NOT!

he's doing what's he's paid to do-- represent the regionals-- if he has to act like the bad guy, so be it, he sleeps in a million dollar house i'm sure

 

[AV8700]

What is a "comparable profession."?

 

[ASA_Aviator]

This is what you guys have to ask yourselves, do you want to make less as a senior captain and senior FO, and give the first year guys a more "reasonable" salary. If the new hires make more money, it will come at the expense of top tier pay. I personally think it is horrible that the unions have allowed the new hires to be payed so poorly, but I guess since they don't earn dues off of the first year guys, they don't have an interest in protecting them.

 

[sweptback]

This is what you guys have to ask yourselves, do you want to make less as a senior captain and senior FO, and give the first year guys a more "reasonable" salary. If the new hires make more money, it will come at the expense of top tier pay. I personally think it is horrible that the unions have allowed the new hires to be payed so poorly, but I guess since they don't earn dues off of the first year guys, they don't have an interest in protecting them.

It is true that often the first year pay is not a priority for negotiations because there seems to be the belief that it's a rite of passage, and also it's not the union's top priority to negotiate for those pilots that are not employed yet.

However, your logic is flawed, since there's nothing that says that if you increase one payrate that you decrease the other. I think all pilot groups should negotiate captain pay only... FO pay is simply 60% of that payrate.

 

[Poahi]

If only my mortgage payment, taxes, insurance and food bill were 'fair and reasonable'. Hmm....

 

[LittleDeuce]

Cohan

I thought Mr. Cohan came across very poorly. He certainly did not have is facts and tapped danced around some tough direct questions.

A thought Prater was a little more credible.

I think they both appeared to be lobbyists for their self interests.

 

[dispatchguy]

He can kiss my ass

 

[pilotyip]

Everyone is free not to work for those wages.

 

[DOVPILOT]

Just wondering what a "comparable profession" is. McDonald's manager?

not even close some of those guys make over 50K


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92utho4PjH0

 

[clickclickboom]

I have a friend that is a regional manager and is in charge of 15 chains.

$105,000 a year, annual raises, full paid medical, dental, vision, profit sharing, 401k..

Home every night..


Store managers make between 40-60k with full benes

 

[Raskal]

I'm unsure as to why anyone is surprised by this guy's statements. He is head of the RAA, a huge industry group. He is an airline CEO fanboy, he has nothing to do with labor. Well, nothing short of seeing it as a pesky expense for his clients.

 

[DC8Driver]

You don't like the pay at the regionals? Blame ALPA. Babitt screwed every regional pilot every chance he got when he ran ALPA.

ALPA EATS THIER YOUNG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do yourself a favor, vote ALPA out.

 

[pilotyip]

so work for Mc D's

I have a friend that is a regional manager and is in charge of 15 chains.

$105,000 a year, annual raises, full paid medical, dental, vision, profit sharing, 401k..

Home every night..


Store managers make between 40-60k with full benes

career changes can be made

 

[samballs]

career changes can be made

Holy crap! Has REZ got to you?

 

[samballs]

Lets face it, people running stores are in charge of money and a product. We're in charge of peoples lifes, if we kill them it doesn't really cost that much. A small payment, a couple of months of CNN reporting bad news, and insurance will be mad at you. Now manager of store, he can steal money for a long time, get the company sued, and ruin a product that is not really needed like flying.

 

[JustaNumber]

Lets face it, people running stores are in charge of money and a product. We're in charge of peoples lifes, if we kill them it doesn't really cost that much. A small payment, a couple of months of CNN reporting bad news, and insurance will be mad at you. Now manager of store, he can steal money for a long time, get the company sued, and ruin a product that is not really needed like flying.

Unfortunately life's not fair, and we don't get paid what we're worth, we get paid what we can negotiate. If the market demands higher wages, we'll get them; if pilots are willing to work for nothing, we won't. It will eventually help when prospective pilots realize that making it to the majors is becoming as rare as making it to the NFL/NBA/MLB etc., and they need to decide if a regional career alone is worth it. It sure would help if ALPA would quit perpetuating the ponzi scheme, by at least advertising the reality of what being a pilot today means.

A requirement for an ATP for BOTH seats would help the supply/demand equation as well.

 

[Flybywire44]

Cohen = D0uche

His job is to spew concentration management BS.

 

[Browntothebone]

As long as you guys still apply for every open regional f/o position, pay will not go up. It doesn't have to. Supply and demand.

 

[Captain Morgan]

I have a friend that is a regional manager and is in charge of 15 chains.

$105,000 a year, annual raises, full paid medical, dental, vision, profit sharing, 401k..

Home every night..


Store managers make between 40-60k with full benes

Just playing "Devil's Advocate" here but, how long does it take to get to one of those positions and how long do you have to slug it out as a cashier/burger flipper/fry cook/floor mopper?

 

[XJohXJ]

...........................

 

[NCFlyer]

Simple supply & demand.

I may have a few facts wrong so correct me if that is so, but several years ago in the aftermath of an ASA crash didn't 1 of their management personnel testify that $15.00 / hour was adequate compensation. When asked how he came to that conclusion, he stated something about how he could get more pilots than he needed at that pay, why should he pay more.

 

[30West]

Just playing "Devil's Advocate" here but, how long does it take to get to one of those positions and how long do you have to slug it out as a cashier/burger flipper/fry cook/floor mopper?

I'd be willing to bet an online 2 year business degree would trump the traditional "work your way up" path.

 

[aewanabe]

Sent to [email protected]

To Whom it may concern:

My name is XXX XXXX. I am an Embraer 190 First Officer for JetBlue Airways and type-rated as Pilot-in-Command in the Embraer 145 with 1800 hours of Regional Airline Captain experience. I have 7000 hours total flying time, 5000 of which is in scheduled part 121 service.

Mr. Cohen's testimony in the matter of the Colgan 3407 accident is dis-ingenuous at best, and an outright lie at worst. For him to testify that $17800 per year (my first year First Officer pay at Chautauqua Airlines), or $25600 (my second year pay) is "fair and reasonable" is disgusting. Does Mr. Cohen actually believe this is a "fair and reasonable" wage as stated in his written testimony? Mr. Cohen compares the piloting profession to occupations that have little to zero direct responsibility for human life. His testimony regarding fatigue rules and FARs is also disingenuous. Mr. Cohen has completely omitted the fact that pilots typically spend 2 hours on duty for every hour of paid flight time.

Additionally, his claims that Regional Pilots are trained to the same qualifications as Major Airline Pilots is laughable at best. I can directly attest that pilots for Regional Airlines are trained to the minimum federal standards while pilots at Major carriers are given extensive training above and beyond the minimum requirements.

Mr. Cohen you have perjured yourself before Congress. I'm certain you know the truth about the industry, and your lying now that the truth is coming to light is despicable. Rest assured I am part of a growing group of pilots with experience at both Regional and Major airlines who are working to assure that your lies will be exposed.

Sincerely,

Feel free to cut and paste at will. This clown needs about 17000 of these letters filling up his inbox. Now that the seedy underbelly is being exposed he is directly LYING about it.