We already do see them at JBLU...
Wyoherkdriver, I agree with you. I think the horses are out of the barn already, so to speak, with regard to the E-190's. While they aren't actually on the property at JB, the pay rates and all are agreed to - and believe me, I'm not knockin' JetBlue folks but the E190 pay rates are pretty sad.
Who knows - by the time they arrive JB could be considered a major - maybe it already is to most, I don't know.
There are those at the regionals that want the E190's and above, and it does not bode well for the next ten years or so if companies and union look at "Embraer" and see "RJ" or, more importantly, Regional jet pay.
On the flip side, it is cheaper for UAL to run an E170 from ORD-BDL than an A319 or a 737? Probably. We have yet to see how these airplanes will really be utilized. If they do the off-peak, almost but not quite profitable routes for UAL and leave the profitable stuff to the mainline pilots, at the very least, it might help UAL's bottom line. On the other hand, if they do what Airways has done and start flat-out replacing routes with RJ's, that's another story.
If CHQ drops the hammer and signs a good contract next time around with significant pay increases, the line between regional and non-regional will continue to blur, as it already has to some degree. The arrival of E190's, though, at any regional and/or whatever JetBlue is considered - will be a bad thing for those wanting to break into the next tax bracket as a pilot.
Of course, there will be those at whatever company receives these jets that will be happy to fly something bigger, to fly a "real airplane", happy with the pay increase, etc.
It will be very interesting, though, to see what happens on a larger scale, now that we have an RJ that, by any other name, isn't really an RJ at all.
And if you want to get really nit-picky, I flew to MSP last month on one of the oldest "RJ's" around - a tired 'ol North Central vice Northwest DC9-10. 60 seats in that bad boy, I think.
-brew3
