Regional airlines confuse, concern business travelers

[buscap]

I've had the same experience, my training at ASA in the classroom, sim and in the airplane has ALL been absolutely top notch.

I keep hearing about these regional airline 'safety compromises' and don't see where they exist at ASA.

More sensationalist media inaccuracies I guess.

Oh, those safety compromises do exist, and it would be quite easy for them to develop at ASA. At some other regionals, those compromises are status quo.

One reason our training is as good as it is; the EMB-120s killing people. That training department was bunch of ball-busters for a reason. I'm not quite sure how they ran such a good department with George and John running the ship.

But don't forget, it doesn't take system-wide problems to kill PAX. Individual failures which fail to take advantage of the good safety system backing us up, can easily render the whole system moot.

Comair in Lexington for example. That company was in many ways a mirror image of ASA, though at the time still saddled with the REJECTED DELTA MANAGEMENT program.

Mainline is no different. Take a great safety culture and throw a temporary or permanent idiot at it with just the right combination (chain) of events and next thing you know you've got a MD-88 in Little Rock's approach lights or a 767 Captain wondering why the runway lights are blue.

None of us can let our guard down, mainline or regional. But having a terrible operational, safety and training culture is a guarantee for disaster, whether you are doing the right thing or not.

But back on point, to paint all regionals with the same brush, simply as part of the "taking it back program" is a sure fire way for ALPA to get a decertification effort going at the regional level. I myself am not a fan of such actions, but until ALPA stops using my dues to smear me, I will consider it.

They can and should be more specific about exactly which airlines they are talking about.

 

[FDJ2]

For Alpa to comment on this is real nice, but to paint all the regionals with the same "unsafe" brush makes me want to stop paying dues. The training AT ASA is first class and I would put it up against any mainline, save for Cathhay.

The experience level at ASA is what it is, but my opinion on this matter is that it certainly must not be the most important factor. Mainline has been known to hire some of our least respected and experienced pilots based on nepotism (blood or not), gender, and race.

I don't think ALPA's painting anyone with a broad brush, other than to point out that the current regulations are lacking and making recommendations which should improve pilot training and safety industry wide.

 

[Flyer1015]

But back on point, to paint all regionals with the same brush, simply as part of the "taking it back program" is a sure fire way for ALPA to get a decertification effort going at the regional level. I myself am not a fan of such actions, but until ALPA stops using my dues to smear me, I will consider it.

As I've said before, and I'll say it again: ALPA simply cannot serve two masters.

 

[Draginass]

ALPA can't even serve one master, unless you consider that master the corporate managements. Moak did a pretty good job of that at Delta.