50 Seat RJ Pay at the Mainline?

[B-J-J Fighter]

I know this will be speculation but:What if the RJ's had gone to the majors in the early 90's and the regionals were still for the most part turboprops. What do you think the pay rates would have been for each seat?

 

[Axel]

I know this will be speculation but:What if the RJ's had gone to the majors in the early 90's and the regionals were still for the most part turboprops. What do you think the pay rates would have been for each seat?

If only....sigh.

If that had happened, and it is what should have happened, much of the turmoil this industry is experiencing today would never have been conceived, much less have occurred. There would be a lot fewer 737's rotting in the desert, a lot fewer mainline guys on the street and the demand for RJ pilots would not be such that the only quals are 1000/200 and hot burning desire to fly a jet at any cost. All the small jet operators would not be flying former 737 routes while at the same time falling like dominoes as they are sequentially played off against each other by carnivorous managements who invented a game the pilots, for the most part, don't even know they are playing, much less have an understanding of.

Best of all, all there would not be all the squalling on the "Regionals" board about who is the biggest bottom feeder and who is leading the race to the bottom. Such squalling being a facet of the aforementioned game.

The law of unintended consequences. Or, pride goeth before the fall. And what a fall.

 

[BenderGonzales]

The RJ's WERE at the majors. They were simply not called "RJs". The term "regional jet" was a stroke of marketing brilliance on behalf of the aircraft manufacturers and played right into the hands of airline management.

But 50-70 seat jet-aircraft have been in the mainline inventory for decades.
The Bac 1-11
The Fokker F28
The BAe 146
The DC9-10...

 

[jetfo]

If only....sigh.

If that had happened, and it is what should have happened, much of the turmoil this industry is experiencing today would never have been conceived, much less have occurred. There would be a lot fewer 737's rotting in the desert, a lot fewer mainline guys on the street and the demand for RJ pilots would not be such that the only quals are 1000/200 and hot burning desire to fly a jet at any cost. All the small jet operators would not be flying former 737 routes while at the same time falling like dominoes as they are sequentially played off against each other by carnivorous managements who invented a game the pilots, for the most part, don't even know they are playing, much less have an understanding of.

1000/200 quals, you must be kidding. They are hiring at 300 to 700 hours everywhere.

 

[KeroseneSnorter]

Would have to dig through my files to find an old contract to get the exact numbers, however F-28's at USAir were still in the payscale on the 98 contract.

Rates were somewhere around $125 or so for a junior capt and 80 to 90 an hour for a mid level F/O. Do not know the exact rate that was in place when they were still on the property, but it was close to the above.

Of course that was before they were phased out due to not being able to make money on such a small jet, and they were replaced by DC-9's and 737's.


On a side note, my father made just over $40,000 in 1971 as a Convair 580 Captain(the RJ of the day so to speak) Adjusted for inflation that is well above $100 k in todays money. (A new Cadillac was around $7000 to $8000 back then)

Looking at the big picture we are doing pretty badly now a days in the payscale department even at the majors.