Regional Pilots
This is complicated issue. From the public point of view it is win/win. Flying is safer and cheaper than ever. What is not to like?
Most people I know are stunned when they find out what RJ crews make. I suspect a lot of people, if they were in the know and had a real choice, would pay $20 more a ticket to fly with a higher paid crew. As a practical matter you don't have a choice of carriers on most RJ flights.
Flight time rules etc are all very well but they assume that the crew actually rest when they are not at the flying job. That is hard to achieve when you are making 20 K per year and need to live a life.
It is very easy to say don't take the job when you have a comfortable job you your own. As a pilot there a not a lot of options out there that will use that very expensive training.
Sadly I doubt it will change until there is a series of major accidents with crew fatigue being fingered as a leading cause.
It would not be without precedent for Congress to act. After 9-11 one of the big arguments in favor of establishing the TSA was better pay and working conditions would improve the quality of airport screening.
20driver