Jetblue Pilots' barrel bobbing closer the waterfalls edge...

[Full of LUV]

Simple because we are cheaper and for this matter US pilots cost in general less than anywhere else in the world.


Lucrative US air market – are you serious. The US market that the lowest yield margins in the world. US airlines have the weakest financial balance sheet amongst their peers overseas.



Well if you want to be scared be scared. By you own admission there is very little the International Federation of Pilots or ALPA can do. In the case of ALPA it should not come as a surprise. ALPA has not credibility domestically why do you believe it would be different internationally.

Blueside,
First as an observer, I believe the yields in Europe have to probably make the American execs shudder. You can often fly across Europe for the price of a 10 block cab ride in NYC, or any European city for that matter. The Europe market has been decimated by Easyjet, Ryan air and a host of cherrypicker airlines that pick a few profitable air routes and fly charter or limited service in Allegiant style.
The old, well paying "legacy" airlines in Europe are stagnant or shrinking and there are no new prospects of growth. The upstarts seem to rule the day. The pilot profession over there has the legacy professionals with a large cadre of vagabond experienced pilots who go from job to job depending on the financial state of their contract agency. On the face of it, they seem like well paying jobs (compared to the us regional pay scales) but skin deep, they are short term with little to no security and living in your base, forget about it.
Bottom line, US is a growth area and if cabotage is allowed, there will be an invasion that makes VA seem like a toy soldier. Does an American company want to fly from England to France, not hardly, does AF want to fly from NY to LA and fill in the wholes with local pax, you betcha.

I don't have a clue how this will play out for JB or any particular airline, but to think that cabotage will be a nonevent for a US pilot is the epitome of niavete.

Lastly, you seem to think that it is ALPA's job to prevent the airlines from going out of business or keep mgt from making poor decisions, or stop the free market. I submit that ALPA's job should be to protect the profession, and keep mgt from forcing labor to pay for their mismanagement. Eastern should have gone out of business if the option was that or work for half wages. Same with TWA, Pan Am, etc. US Air is doing more harm by continuing with their lame contract than would be realized by their extinction.

If I ran ALPA, I would push for min wages to be a "professional" pilot and the Mesa's of the world and any other mutually agreed substandard contract carriers would be forced out of business through limited access to the jumpseat. After all, professional pilots enable pilots working for substandard wages daily to continue to undermine the profession. People will fly, it should be alpa's mission to make sure as many do with professional pilots as possible.
LUV