Regional career possible?

[greyhound]

In a business that is used to seeing pilots work for three to four years then move on before having to pay them more money. How will the regionals react when all of a sudden more and more people stay, therefore having to pay higher and higher wages to people who stay longer? Something they are not really used to.

Will this become like those jobs that once you get paid too much (in management's eyes), they will try to give you the boot?
Or is it not really a concern?

 

[ACE]

Not a concern. As long as you are part of a good union and a stong pilot group.

 

[Vorleron]

Not a concern. As long as you are part of a good union and a stong pilot group.

AMEN!

 

[Cadillac]

How will the regionals react when all of a sudden more and more people stay, therefore having to pay higher and higher wages to people who stay longer?

After reading most of the threads on this site, I wonder if management's strategty at most of the regionals is to make the quality of life so bad that the pilots get frustrated and quit the profession, therefore eliminating the problem of paying higher wages to the lifers.

But seriously, if mainline jobs are being eliminated and RJ's are taking over, how many RJ's can you have before the cost of the jets, fuel, and pilot's salaries for all those RJ's make it less affordable than 1 B-757 on the same route?

I'm wondering if the contracts start getting better, will the flying start to shift back to mainline jobs?

To try to answer the original question at the top of the thread, I think we have seen the regionals react by attempting to open alter-ego operations without unions such as Freedumb and Republick where they can keep wages low. Or by putting the company into bankruptcy and cancelling pensions like the majors have been doing recently. Retirement?! HA! Back to work dogs!

 

[climbhappy]

regional issues

Hasn't it been documented that its more profitable to fly a 757 full 500 miles than three RJs?

what happens when demand picks back up, and the rjs , whose sole existence was to replace aging turboprops, suddenly becomes unable to handle demand, and the carriers start going back to the desert and doing "C" checks on a bunch of old metal?

 

[WhiteCloud]

if mainline jobs are being eliminated and RJ's are taking over, how many RJ's can you have before the cost of the jets, fuel, and pilot's salaries for all those RJ's make it less affordable than 1 B-757 on the same route?

I'm wondering if the contracts start getting better, will the flying start to shift back to mainline jobs?

Hi Caddilac, My crystal ball on the airline industry future has been off more than it's been on so.....for what it's worth....The thing that makes the RJ's desirable are they can be full several times a day going to a destination instead of one flight at one time. The alter ego airline scam that some airlines are using to break unions needs to be addressed by pilot groups in EVERY negotiation from now on. I see (mystical music in background) a merging of regional and major routes and also a merging of pilot jobs to where a regional becomes a small major (Comair) and the major (Delta) shrinks and ultimately merge into one reality because there won't be that much difference. Right now the regionals are being "used" by mainline companies as the equivalent of "alter ego" airlines to drive down the quality of the job. That's got to stop too. But how?

 

[Old Crow]

The major, ie. Delta Alpa, must recognize the benefits of ending the outsourcing because they too are being outsourced.

The regional level pilot union is just along for the ride until then.
Delta Connection Inc. can reduce a great deal of overhead by becoming one company. Efficiency would improve through the sharing of assests. We don't need two management groups when only one is required.

Oh... I don't remember, was it the ATR or the E120 that was doing the Canada/Mexico/California/Colorado/Utah/ trips. Get real...

 

[WhiteCloud]

The major, ie. Delta Alpa, must recognize the benefits of ending the outsourcing because they too are being outsourced.

The regional level pilot union is just along for the ride until then.
Delta Connection Inc. can reduce a great deal of overhead by becoming one company. Efficiency would improve through the sharing of assests. We don't need two management groups when only one is required.

Oh... I don't remember, was it the ATR or the E120 that was doing the Canada/Mexico/California/Colorado/Utah/ trips. Get real...

Good post! Especially the part about not needing two management groups. In reality they might need 1 1/2 of what they currently have. But that would be a good way to cut costs.

 

[bobbysamd]

Regional career

In a business that is used to seeing pilots work for three to four years then move on before having to pay them more money. How will the regionals react when all of a sudden more and more people stay, therefore having to pay higher and higher wages to people who stay longer?

I do not believe that the regionals really and truly want careerists. They want, and expect, people to leave after a few years. In other words, if you tell them sincerely at the interview that you want to make them your career you might not get the job.

It boils down to money. The lifers would eventually top out at scale, which would raise the companies' salary costs and, worse, the lifers would vest in their retirement programs, which would raise their expenses even more and decrease the bottom line. They do not want to be stuck paying pensions to their retirees.

With my understanding and experience with the regional airline management mindsight, it would not surprise me one iota if they would try to force out tenured pilots. At least with a union, there are some protections.

 

[climbhappy]

good point bobbysamd!

I agree, heretofore, Mgt never planned for the obselescense of the hub and spoke system. they expected pilots to move and therefore not cause them to fund the pensions.....Or in the case of US Airways, don't fund it at all, and cry BK. Or in Carty's case , just save the hides of the senior mgrs'.


What concerns me are the tactics that Mgt would employ to force out senior guys. Maybe imposing compensation contracts with each pilot, whereby , just like the NFL, you could be waived after ten years!

With so little jobs , I'm afraid many would sign anything to fly a jet to further their personal goals and THAT'S exactly what's undermining all the collective bargaining right now along with a poor economy with which to negotiate in.