It is essential to understand that the price of anything in a "free market" is unrelated to the cost of production. An airline will set up a ticket price structure that attempts to maximize the revenue generated by each flight. They may make or lose money, but the goal is for the system to generate as much revenue as possible. Ticket prices are unaffected by how much the pilots make. The airlines will not lower ticket prices if the airlines are allowed to use half price pilots. They will just make higher profits. This is true across all industries. Did the price for car and trucks go down when they started making them with brutally repressed cheap labor in Mexico? No, but profits went up.
It is not ALPA vs customers. The customers will pay the same prices. It is not ALPA pilots vs NA pilots. It is the 1% vs the 99% like it is everywhere else.
As a regional pilot I have to wonder why ALPA is so upset about this now and not back when they created the regional airline system (which is massive compared to the NA threat) that is full of half price pilots, mechanics, FA's, ramp workers, etc. When you look at the good profits at some major airlines or worry about the NA threat, don't forget about the tens of thousands of people already working at half price at the regionals.
Scott
Odd to see someone with some smarts posting on FI.
BUT, just because ALPA screwed us with RJs, doesn't necessarily mean they want to screw us with 787s too. In addition, the threat is to a different group of pilots than RJs were. Those 787s will be competing with widebody international flying, so the people going under the bus will be all of us this time, not just the junior people on "regional" routes that "Can't support a mainline aircraft". *barf*
If you don't know, widebody pilots willing to fight for low end scope are a rarity. Look at how easily DAL's last contract passed, and the pay raises weren't even that good (compared to 2004 wages). "If it doesn't affect me, why do I care" attitudes prevail.
As for what others have posted about a pilot shortage saving us from NAI... The RJ revolution happened just like this is starting, hence the "camel's nose" metaphors. Yes there is a pilot shortage, but only for the lowest paying jobs. There are more than enough pilots willing to work at NAI wages to get the airline started, and more pilots can be made, especially as other less competitive airlines shrink.
Since the industrial revolution, market forces have NEVER benefited laborers, EVER, because businessmen make the markets.
Sadly, our only hope is our government stepping in via legislation to save us from what this is, pure global free market capitalism coming with a pay cut.
And for those of you who think that since you fly at a domestic only carrier, this won't affect you, think again. The last thing any pilot needs is less options for Domestic US pilots.
