PBS Frontline expose' on regional airline industry

[dougdrvr]

That's exactly what happened at Midex. The pilots stood up and refused to grease the slide of the mainline payrates for the entire profession and ended up paying for it with their careers. Now RAH is flying the Midex flying in ERJs for RJ wages.

And nobody gives a damn.

The Midex situation should have been the seminal issue over which an SOS should have been called, but who cares about that little cookie airline up there in Milwaukee. They're still owned by Kimberly Clark, right?

That's something over which ALPA has control and could have some influence. As for scope erosion, take a look at USAirways.

They brought the E190's in house for basically RAH wages. With regionals providing 52% of enplanements, it's only a matter of time before the RJ is the standard against which all pay should be referenced. In the case of US, they have to staff the entire 190 fleet with new-hires (when the furloughees willing to come back run out), since no one in their right mind would take a paycut to go fly it.

Mainlines didn't gut their scope because they felt they were too good to fly a little jet. They simply weren't going to trade their top end wages to bring in a B-scale. The same way the Midex pilots refused to consider their 717 an RJ overnight.

This Quixotic pursuit of consolidating all branded flying under the seniority list of the mainline is as elusive as the holy grail of a National Seniority List.

Face it- Pilots want the power and influence that their greed denys them.

Thanks for an outstanding post. It's so rare to hear anyone from other than Midex or Skyway that really gets it!

 

[Abernathy]

Probably not.... he is doing what is done everyday in DC. Representing his organization. The threads of pilots appalled by Cohen simply show a disconnect for how it gets done in DC.

Not saying anyone should like it. But this stuff goes on everyday in DC. This is just high profile.

Pilots know how regionals treat them. Why would the Regionals representation, the RAA be any different. Do pilots actually expect Cohen to see things a pilots way? Does Cohen look bad on the video aside from the Fake Bake? If you were an investor in the regional airline industry, you'd probably be glad that Cohen was "representing...."

The real question is... do you want your group to be represented as well.

I don't disgree with anything you just wrote. It reeks of the truth. But, candidly, I don't think my group is represented well.

 

[Stifler's Mom]

This message is hidden because CX880 is on your ignore list.

11 years and he is the only one on my ignore list

What does this tell you?

He made it on to my signature list.

His attempts at flaming are weak at best. Maybe Instructordude and General Lee can teach him how to be successful at it.

 

[buscap]

Do you exepct the mainline pilots to take all the reginonal aircraft in one event? Is a metered process more reasonable?

Yes. One big painful gulp. Piecemeal will result in a repeat of the present situation. When just enough has been taken back, the mainline pilots will once again fall for the carrot or succumb to the stick and me and my ilk will be down here circling like the bottom feeders we are and once again undercut the brand.

A 'metered process' is how we got here. It's attempted reversal in a metered manner will only result in the same situation.

But then again, being educationally banned from mainline, I am biased

And I am also right about about the metered thingy. That's just mainline guys wanting the equipment which strokes the ego and sets a higher minimum payscale.

"We wouldn't want our Navy/Airforce/Marine buddies to have to start off in the right seat of a Q or RJ, would we?"

It all goes back to the Frankenstien's Monster argument I've made in the past.

You made me!!! Now don't be peeeved when I start killing the villagers!!

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

Yeah, and don't tell me ALPA is doing a good job of it.

What would you do differently and how would your results be better?

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

I don't disgree with anything you just wrote. It reeks of the truth. But, candidly, I don't think my group is represented well.

Why is that, and what needs to be done so that you believe you are rep'd well....

 

[Metro752]

Until you have a 20 year captain sitting next to a noob in an RJ because the old fart likes the local flying, you are going to keep seeing these royale screwups because somebody slipped through the cracks and didn't learn a lesson they should have.

20+1= 21

14+3 =17

that is a whole lot more experience in YEARS than

1+3 = 4

2+5 = 7

 

[Nevets]

That is what happend at CAL who outsourced to XJT who outsourced to Colgan.

Just so that we are clear, it was not XJT who outsourced any of the flying Colgan. It was CAL who outsourced their flying to Colgan.

 

[EMBpilot]

Recorded it on DVR and watched about 5 times.

Great show!

Thanks Miles.
Thanks Chis, Corey and Ben for having the balls. If you know them please shake their hands for me!
Thanks to the guys in the crashpad. Looks very clean and nice, btw!

Really hope something good comes out of it.

Can't believe Colgan is still in business. Even with senator (not capitalizing on purpose) on the payroll it should be history by now.

Roger Cohen should be demoted to a first year FO at Mesa or Great Lakes.

ps Regional pilots - don't take it as a personal blow. It has nothing to do with your skills, intelligence or potential.
It is all about corporate greed and complete disregard for safety, which should be fixed.
Sadly it takes blood to fight the greed.

 

[crj567]

Roger Cohen is a giant ****************************** BAG

That guy is a complete crap pile. His spray-on-tan reminds me of someone....

http://llwyd.tripod.com/gross/lsmary2.jpg

Also-

Why the hell does that guy blink so much? I mean-Really?

He blinks almost as much as Gen Lee on that return flight from LBB-(of course, Gen has an excuse-he has just taken more than a couple "money shots" in his baby blues-courtesy of Ned, of course.)