TWA 2 ASA FO
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2003
- Posts
- 471
Wil,
Before you judge what I am saying, please read this entire post. You say a 50-seat RJ Capt should be making $85/hr at his 5th year. That equates to $1.7/hr per seat. By that reasoning a MD-80 Capt in his 5th year should be making $238/hr (140 seat). Unfortunately, that kind of cost is what is making the majors cut schedules and lay people off, while regionals are growing.
As for the, "but RJ's are cheaper to operate than mainline equipment", before I was laid off we were all given a list of all the fleet types AA operated and the cost assosciated with just the aircraft. It really opened my eyes that the RJ was 3.5 TIMES more expensive to operate that the most expensive mainline jet they have. In fact, the 50 seat Canadair RJ burns around 2,800 lbs/hr in cruise. The MD-80 only burns arond 6,000 lbs/hr. If you look at the burn per/hr per seat the MD-80 is WAY more efficient. The reason that RJ are making moeny is that the employees are CHEAP LABOR. Now if you change that one variable by saying we should get paid 40% more, well you just priced yourself out of a job. Then mailine jets become cheaper to operate, and overnight RJs start the one-way trip to Victorville, CA.
Of course, this is all just my opinion, everyone is free to make up their own mind.
Before you judge what I am saying, please read this entire post. You say a 50-seat RJ Capt should be making $85/hr at his 5th year. That equates to $1.7/hr per seat. By that reasoning a MD-80 Capt in his 5th year should be making $238/hr (140 seat). Unfortunately, that kind of cost is what is making the majors cut schedules and lay people off, while regionals are growing.
As for the, "but RJ's are cheaper to operate than mainline equipment", before I was laid off we were all given a list of all the fleet types AA operated and the cost assosciated with just the aircraft. It really opened my eyes that the RJ was 3.5 TIMES more expensive to operate that the most expensive mainline jet they have. In fact, the 50 seat Canadair RJ burns around 2,800 lbs/hr in cruise. The MD-80 only burns arond 6,000 lbs/hr. If you look at the burn per/hr per seat the MD-80 is WAY more efficient. The reason that RJ are making moeny is that the employees are CHEAP LABOR. Now if you change that one variable by saying we should get paid 40% more, well you just priced yourself out of a job. Then mailine jets become cheaper to operate, and overnight RJs start the one-way trip to Victorville, CA.
Of course, this is all just my opinion, everyone is free to make up their own mind.
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