This is sad: Republic Airlines will begin operating ERJ-190's for Midwest

[whitesoxnation]

http://www.rttnews.com/Content/QuickFacts.aspx?Node=B1&Id=957292 &Category=Quick Facts

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Republic-Airlines-to-Operate-bw-15319391.html?.v=1

Essentially flying an airplane that competes with a 717, close to competing with a 737... for regional pay.

 

[spinspilot]

edited..back to the schoolhouse for me..

 

[A4sForever]

As long as people (desperate people) keep taking these flying jobs, the regional 'airlines' will continue 'use them' to enrich a few, keep many on subsistence wages, and provide substandard (and in some cases -- unsafe) service to the traveling public.

Regional airlines = they keep pilots from ever becoming what they want to be ... and take jobs from pilots who are what they want to be ...

On a related note:

Airline fined $1.3M for faking pilot records

 

[scoolbubba]

I HATE flying a connector thru a regional. I had to take one out of Corpus for a last minute flight home when my Pops was on his death bed (only option for me).

Knowing that at least one of the guys up front makes less than I do (or most high school janitors, for that matter) does not instill much confidence into how the airline runs itself.

I'm all for airlines making money, but don't do it at the expense of the people who keep your airplanes in the black...and out of a fiery red smoking hole.

 

[Ken_gone_flying]

Even though $1.3 million is a big hit for a small commuter airline, it seems like a small penalty to pay for complete disregard for safety and FAA regs.

 

[Clux4]

How many days a month do those regional guys fly these days. Are they making peanuts and flying ungodly hours or what?

 

[A4sForever]

Regionals are the 'new B-scale' ... mebbe even 'C-scale'??

Believe it.

 

[LazersGoPEWPEW]

Unfortunately my poor American Eagle Regional is going the same route. There are quite a few young pilots at my airline. But I have to say that we've got a good batch of experience along with it. But the reason for that is that the experience came from AA mainline guys who moved over to start up AE in the 80s while keeping their salaries and continuing to gain raises while getting to fly the small jets. At least that's what I've been told.

I remember one day I met a Captain who happened to fly scooters in Vietnam. I thought well dang that's good to know that we've got some experience.

I think the problem regionals is when you have airlines like Republic who operate US Airways flights or SkyWest and ASA who operate Delta flights etc etc.

They are their own airline but they don't operate their own flights. But A4s is right on his points. The regional pilots take way too little pay. It's unfortunate and something will give eventually.

 

[Ken_gone_flying]

Even though those small regional airline pilots accept very poor pay, I can't blame them. I worked with people that flew for regionals before they came to Honeywell Aerospace (after my enlisted days, before my commissioned days) and they were just people who loved to fly. They didn't do it for the paycheck, they loved their jobs. One flew for Horizon, he quit to have more time with his family. The female flew for Sky West and quit to have a baby. But another guy was with Big Sky and they went under of course. If I were in their shoes I would fly for whoever would take me just for the flight time and experience, hoping for bigger and better things to come down the road.

 

[loadtoad]

A buddy of mine got hired at American Eagle with 250 total hours (I think 100 multi). Scary.

Unfortunately for him the very next day AE announced they were getting rid of a bunch of airplanes and he was let go.

 

[scoolbubba]

As long as people continue to say "i'd do this job for free" when the airlines are hiring, they'll continue to be paid at that level. Until enough people coming out of these pilot training programs say "no, pay me at a level that matches up to my education and training," the sheisty operations at regional airlines wrt pilot pay and cost cutting won't stop.

 

[FrankTheTank]

You get what you pay for! And inexperienced pilots are no exception. For example, lots of horror stories about chicks gettin fake tits from cheap docs; regardless of service provided, you get what you pay for! (Lots of the medical stories make the news but never the pilots, why?) Until folks are willing to accept this reality then it will not change. And the "providers" will never see the money as long as they sell their services for less. So they either lower the bar or say 'Hell NO' and the companies have to hunt for said 'providers' in the bottom of tha barrel. My pesos worth!

 

[A4sForever]

...If I were in their shoes I would fly for whoever would take me just for the flight time and experience, hoping for bigger and better things to come down the road.

Completely WRONG answer ... the 'regional' system just hurts the piloting profession; while your willingness to 'fly for whoever' shits on your mates and shits on you as well -- you just don't realize it.

You will get flight time, you may get 'experience' (what kind?), you WON'T get 'bigger and better things' .... but you WILL get used.

And you'll fuck your bretheren while 'getting yours'.

Believe it.

 

[HAL Pilot]

^ What he said.

 

[Ken_gone_flying]

Completely WRONG answer ... the 'regional' system just hurts the piloting profession; while your willingness to 'fly for whoever' shits on your mates and shits on you as well -- you just don't realize it.

You will get flight time, you may get 'experience' (what kind?), you WON'T get 'bigger and better things' .... but you WILL get used.

And you'll fuck your bretheren while 'getting yours'.

Believe it.

No, I understand that and agree that its bad for the profession and bad for actual experienced pilots (coming out of the military for example). But many of these young regional pilots are in debt up to their eyeballs trying to pay off flight school. They can't afford to go on strike until the airlines decide to pay more for their services. Not to mention, if the regionals did start paying more, the regionals would hire the experienced guys over them anyway, leaving them SOL anyway. I'm just saying that the young pilots accepting those wages are looking out for themselves right now and thats what you have to in a dog eat dog world. Don't get me wrong, I know it sucks but thats the way it is.