Regional airlines lower bar for pilots

[jetbluedog]

http://www.star-telegram.com/business/story/322928.html

 

[samballs]

Hey, I know, why don't everyone that reads this post it on here so we can have like 20 threads about this meaningless writers views

 

[LowlyPropCapt]

I agree about the multiple posts, but I am not sure the writers views are all that meaningless. Personally, I think the article was pretty factual all the way around, not very much editorializing.

 

[norskman2]

I agree about the multiple posts, but I am not sure the writers views are all that meaningless. Personally, I think the article was pretty factual all the way around, not very much editorializing.

Agreed. John Q. Traveler needs to understand that one of the reasons so many flights are delayed and cancelled is because most regionals are understaffed because they're not willing to pay pilots enough to a) attract more pilots to the profession and b) keep them around once they're hired.

 

[ren]

Hey, I know, why don't everyone that reads this post it on here so we can have like 20 threads about this meaningless writers views

Are you kidding? This guy hit the nail on the head. It's outsourced labor at it's finest. As long as they can recruit guys right out of high school that want to "fly for food", it's going to continue to be this way. All about the almighty dollar....

 

[samballs]

Are you kidding? This guy hit the nail on the head. It's outsourced labor at it's finest. As long as they can recruit guys right out of high school that want to "fly for food", it's going to continue to be this way. All about the almighty dollar....

I'm not saying what was written was wrong, I'm saying that this person writes for a papers website, that will not get enough peoples attention. Plus I'm hungover to all hell today and the only view I have is the Piss off view, even my dog is staying away from me

 

[zasca]

I like the line about "challenging tropical weather" in the Caribbean. Oh, and the one about flying into small airports being dangerous. (which can be true...)

 

[9rj9]

If you really want to blame someone its the mainline pilots that for various reasons gave up scope on the 50 seat jet, then 70, then 78, and now 90. Now you are seeing the result, including the powerlessness of ALPA, whipsaw, and mainline pilots on the street while their regionals hired like crazy to replace them.
The answer is also with the legacy mainline pilots, will they stop the expansion of the regional flying, or sell out for a little pay raise. Doesn't look promising.

 

[eaglefly]

If you really want to blame someone its the mainline pilots that for various reasons gave up scope on the 50 seat jet, then 70, then 78, and now 90. Now you are seeing the result, including the powerlessness of ALPA, whipsaw, and mainline pilots on the street while their regionals hired like crazy to replace them.
The answer is also with the legacy mainline pilots, will they stop the expansion of the regional flying, or sell out for a little pay raise. Doesn't look promising.

Aw gee, let's not pick on ALPA for turning their backs on the RJ when they had the chance to insure it wouldn't come back to clobber the profession 15 years later.

Soon we'll be recruiting people from India and illegals from Mexico to fly as career regional copilots. It's better then answering phones in Calcutta or picking melons in the southwest.

The profession (and it's "watchdog") will continue to get bit in the arse for their faliures.

 

[skyaddict]

The staffing of regionals by FO's from places like India is already SOP, but they are mostly here to get a few hundred hours of slave labor logged and then run right back to the right seat of an Indian A320 or heavy at their homeland, not to become career regional pilots. One can't really blame them- airlines in Chindia are going to be growing 20-30% a year or so for many years to come.

 

[eaglefly]

The staffing of regionals by FO's from places like India is already SOP, but they are mostly here to get a few hundred hours of slave labor logged and then run right back to the right seat of an Indian A320 or heavy at their homeland, not to become career regional pilots. One can't really blame them- airlines in Chindia are going to be growing 20-30% a year or so for many years to come.

Where is "Chindia" ?

 

[Soverytired]

To be fair, it's not all that difficult to be a CRJ captain at a regional and make $95,000/yr.

That threshold, by the way, is defined as "upper middle class" and "rich" by both Hillary Clinton and Obama. And not so incidentally, should be taxed at a much higher rate than they currently are.

Clearly, they don't think that level of renumeration is underpaid at all.

 

[norskman2]

Where is "Chindia" ?

The cool way to refer to China and India.

 

[atpcliff]

Hi!

No one has excess pilots but us. India needs 11,000 airline pilots in the next 3 years, and they produce 150 per year.

China needs 9,000, and produces 1,000.

cliff
GRB

 

[apache]

To be fair, it's not all that difficult to be a CRJ captain at a regional and make $95,000/yr.

That still means living like an animal in bases like SFO, ORD, LGA, SEA, etc. And no hope of having the same things or even living in the same suburbs as your non-aviation friends. Unless you marry well.

 

[Soverytired]

That still means living like an animal in bases like SFO, ORD, LGA, SEA, etc. And no hope of having the same things or even living in the same suburbs as your non-aviation friends. Unless you marry well.

Welcome to the wonderful world of commuting.

I'M not saying 90k is a great deal of money. The bright lights leading the democratic party are.

 

[apache]

Welcome to the wonderful world of commuting.

I'M not saying 90k is a great deal of money. The bright lights leading the democratic party are.

Agreed