Everything is Coming Together for Delta

[AlbieF15]

And not good for all the other professionals that worked/work at those airlines. But as usual pilots only care about pilots.

Regional airlines are not career airlines. The growth in the 90s and farming out to the regionals in the early 2000s made it look like a career there was possible, but in most cases it is not. Horizon and Skywest seem to be exceptions, but too could change.

A lot of flying left mainline to offer consumers more frequency and save the airline labor dollars. However, these days customers demand first class, wifi, etc if they are elite flyers, and the 50 seaters are on the way out. 80 buck oil higher oil is the new norm, and apparently 50 seaters don't make money at that price. Finally, the new contracts at mainline have eliminated some of the labor cost disadvantage. All these factors have meant some of the capacity passed down the last 20 years is now moving back towards mainline.

As for competitive issues, you can easily make the case Pinnacle "took" flying from Mesaba and/or Comair, or Go Jet is taking flying from TSA. The biggest threat to a regional pilot isn't a mainline pilot, its another regional pilot willing to work for less. While gut-wrentching to experience, the shrinking of the regional business and expansion of mainline flying should be something most aspiring airline pilots welcome as ultimately the best way to eventually secure a mainline airline job.

 

[Lear70]

This latest contract shifted a large amount of formerly-regional flying back to mainline.

Dumb Pilot is precisely correct.

While SOME flying is shifting back to Mainline, by dumping Comair and, if it goes down like that, PCL as well, while shifting the new CRJ-9 deliveries to the lowest bidder, they are artificially LOWERING the bar for the Regionals that people worked VERY hard to raise, while simultaneously hurting a LOT of careers.

That's never a good thing.

 

[filejw]

And not good for all the other professionals that worked/work at those airlines. But as usual pilots only care about pilots.

This isn't about pilots or other professionals but the bottom line at DAL.

 

[Lear70]

The biggest threat to a regional pilot isn't a mainline pilot, its another regional pilot willing to work for less.

That needs to be drilled into every aspiring Commercial pilot out there. Unfortunately, most of them don't care, which is why the "taking it back" approach by ALPA was doomed from the beginning.

The days of pilots of the industry standing together to raise the bar is gone. That's why I no longer am interested in union work... Most people just don't care as long as they're getting theirs.

While gut-wrentching to experience, the shrinking of the regional business and expansion of mainline flying should be something most aspiring airline pilots welcome as ultimately the best way to eventually secure a mainline airline job.

True, but the shifting of flying from one higher-cost Regional to another lower-cost Regional at the expense of those people trying to get to that Major airline job, while labeling it "the cost of doing business", is despicable. Those are people with families with no way to replace the incomes, and right before the holidays, too.

Merry Christmas. :/

 

[HA25]

The DAL management is on a roll, and doing something right for sure. They're also on a shopping spree.... refinery, an airline or two, real estate... they're a juggernaut. Have to say though, considering our tiny size by comparison, our CEO is doing a might fine job himself of running an airline.

 

[General Lee]

Dumb Pilot is precisely correct.

While SOME flying is shifting back to Mainline, by dumping Comair and, if it goes down like that, PCL as well, while shifting the new CRJ-9 deliveries to the lowest bidder, they are artificially LOWERING the bar for the Regionals that people worked VERY hard to raise, while simultaneously hurting a LOT of careers.

That's never a good thing.

You know Lear we would, in a perfect world, like NO outsourcing. Kinda like your airline now, AT and SWA. AT used to have RJs in MKE for awhile, so you know what I am talking about. But, DL goes to some cities that even a 717 can't do profitably. Dothan, AL probably couldn't take a couple per day. And, the outsourcing already started, so stopping it all together is tough to do. The "Cat is out of the bag." But, containment is the next best strategy now. That and recapturing what mainline can. Those 88 717s will do a great job at that, and reducing OVERALL numbers of RJs will help too. There will still be 125 50 seaters allowed, and there are probably cities that those planes will be perfect for. A lot of those RJ jobs were created during the BK phase at the legacies, and a lot of those pilots stayed at the Regionals because of the lack of mainline hiring. Hopefully they will get their chance now, or they can stay and fly at what remains of the Regionals.



Bye Bye---General Lee

 

[GogglesPisano]

Dumb Pilot is precisely correct.

While SOME flying is shifting back to Mainline, by dumping Comair and, if it goes down like that, PCL as well, while shifting the new CRJ-9 deliveries to the lowest bidder, they are artificially LOWERING the bar for the Regionals that people worked VERY hard to raise, while simultaneously hurting a LOT of careers.

That's never a good thing.

Regional contracts have always gone to the lowest bidder. The latest Delta PWA reduces this trend by bringing more flying back to mainline.

 

[Scrapdog]

Article already posted - disregard. :0

 

[titans10]

True, but the shifting of flying from one higher-cost Regional to another lower-cost Regional at the expense of those people trying to get to that Major airline job, while labeling it "the cost of doing business", is despicable. Those are people with families with no way to replace the incomes, and right before the holidays, too.

Merry Christmas. :/[/QUOTE]

Where was your outrage when you took a job flying the RJ and lowering the bar while mainline was furloughing around the holidays. It was a awesome Christmas present for the family then too. you gladly flew that RJ. you were part of the problem? Or was that different.

 

[Lear70]

Where was your outrage when you took a job flying the RJ and lowering the bar while mainline was furloughing around the holidays. It was a awesome Christmas present for the family then too. you gladly flew that RJ. you were part of the problem? Or was that different.

I only look at it differently because I didn't take the job as a new-hire F/O, but rather as an off-the-street CA with Pay and Hotel and Per Diem while in training. Wouldn't have taken it otherwise.

I also didn't get hired during the holidays, have no clue about the furloughs you're talking about. When I got hired, every Major was hiring, my company was shutting down and putting me out of a job, and while I had interviews lined up at UAL and was working with PR to get a DAL interview, I had to have something to hold me over.

Then 9/11 happened.

Not sure what you're getting at but if you're talking about working at the Regionals as an overall problem, then yes, I guess I'm guilty. Just wouldn't do it for the slave labor wages they pay new-hires.