Regional airlines are doomed!

[Freebrd]

real regional pilots chew

 

[Gillegan]

The economic viability of small jets is, and always has been suspect. Their fuel cost per seat is high and what made them attractive in the past, their lower employee cost reduces as the regionals mature and their longevity costs increase. As fuel cost increases, the profit equation tips towards the red. No real surpise there but there is another factor looming on the horizon, the fact that over the next 10 years or so, there will be a huge number of retirements at the majors. I realize that talk of a pilot shortage seems like Ahab's great white whale to someone who has been stuck at the regionals for a while but the numbers don't lie. With fewer and fewer people entering our profession, there is going to be a problem and people at the majors know it. What they are going to try to do is solve their problems at your expense.

Prediction: As retirements increase, the majors are going to begin acquiring the regionals that they don't already have and offer to integrate the pilots onto their lists but with conditions that amount to a permanent B-Scale. They will wait until the last minute, play different groups off against each other and leave you with the choice of less-than-desirable conditions or no job. The majors solve their staffing problems and reduce their unit pilot costs at the same time. The variable is going to be how the regional pilots manage the process and protect their interests. ALPA will be no help, they really never have. It won't have to be a disaster for Regional pilots if they recognize this and work together to protect themselves.

 

[COOPERVANE]

Unfortunately, I don't think pilots will ever work together. We have always been our worst enemy.