All the little RJ companies need to be shown the door. Mesa, Trans States, Republic, Shuttle America, ********************aka, and let's not forget BLOJET i mean GoJet.
It's MAINLINE FLYING YOU PUNKS GET OVER YOURSELVES
First, let me say i agree, I'd like to see it be mainline flying too. More major jobs = more more jobs for everyone.
However, how is this going to happen? Simple economics at the major airlines will make 70/90/110 seat flying very tough. It's not just about pilots. How will you convince a mechanic who works on a EMB190 that he should make less money than the mechanic in the bay next door who is working on a 747. How are you going to convince the FA to work for less when she passes out Biscoff's to the pax on a CRJ700 than she does when she steps on the 777? What about the marshaller who's been at CAL for 25 years? you gonna tell him he will make less on the days he has to park an RJ?
I know, I know ... you say the problem is in the "doing it for less" statement. But the fact of the matter is that if you show all these regionals the door, someone will turn right around and start a 70/90/110 seat operation that expands faster than you can get off the ground in JFK. Before you know it they have a market share that's tough to compete with (ala Southwest). Watch out ... Republic is already headed down this road. With 30% less operating costs, that C-series is gonna change the game.
If i remember right, AA tried something similar a few years ago. Pilots said they would fly RJ's for the "right pay" (whatever that is) but all the other labor groups told them to pound sand.
And don't blame regional pilots for flying for less. They just go where the jobs are to make a living which takes me back to the statement above. It's not just the airline business ... look how long Arby's held out from the dollar menu game. This year they finally caved.
So the question is ... if you're going to keep 70-110 seat flying at the majors (and I hope you do), how are you going to do it?
