Actually, Ironbutt, or may call you affectionately Lardass. it is the other way around.
Most of the Regional people have been screwing the major carrier pilots for YEARS!!!!!
The commuter dogs largely fail to put a price on their labor. They work for **** wages, they largely don't unionize, and they don't get the one-for-all all-for-one attitude that it takes to get and earn a good contract. They think that they only use for toe brakes is to stop the aircraft.
As far I'm concerned they deserve their 14,000 bucks a year starting wage as a co-pilot, they deserve their Stand Up Overnights, and they deserve their 16 hour duty day....
Because they don't give a rats ass about making it better!!!
ALPA did a regional jet study at UAL; the conclusion was that UAL could fly the regional jets at the same cost because of the economies of scale....(like hedging fuel, for one) that littler companies cannot do....
By the way, I was a commuter dog for 15 years. I was around when ALPA first organized Council 38. I filed the very first grievance about management flying the line and won it.
Furthermore, the RJ's aren't regional any more. 90 Seats? What comes tommorrow, 176 seats RJ's? What do you do when someone like United furloughs 843 pilots and gives the routes to the Regionals?
What do you do when the United buys the aircraft for the Regionals and pays for the training of their pilots?
For every 4 RJ's delivered to the United Regionals, the mainline airline looses 1 more station.
I'm all for buying up the United Express carriers, recalling our pilots, and laying off the Regional pilots. Staple them to the bottom, my ass. No union on the property, fire 'em.