Saabs

^^^

Go ahead and play with daddy

MatchPoint

If our cost isn’t equal to Delta's 2nd lowest by 2015 then Delta will have the right to void our contract and right now with GoJet and 9E in the picture we are nowhere close to where we must be.

Take a look at what's going on within our company today, we already have labor groups taking concessions. We are their highest priced labor group so do you truly think they're not going to come to us? I don't like it either but concessions are coming.

wrxpilot

I think you're right... It's inevitable really, which has always puzzled me that there are so many captains here intent on staying. It would be the first time in history that a regional was able to maintain payrates and stay at the top.

My intent with SkyWest was to just have it be a stepping stone, and I'm working hard on getting out of here within the next year or so.

rcfd13

Standups and non-commutable 2 days are the most junior trips in SFO right now. The standups could actually be nice for someone who lives 10 mins from the airport depending on what kind of person you are. The 2 days in SFO are pretty bad any way you look at them. 7:54 credit for almost 40 hours away from home.

Wasatch Phantom

Whoa there!

Why do you think "Delta will need us more than we need them"?
The Edmund Burke quote seems apropos: "Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it".

Look at the industry, and look at how events have unfolded over the past several years. There's a race to the bottom amongst the regional carriers as the mainline airlines are whipsawing one regional against another. The winner being the one willing to fly for less.

SKYW Inc. negotiated a sweetheart deal with Jerry Grinstein (Delta's CEO during bankruptcy) regarding the purchase from DAL of ASA. But there is a reset coming in 2015 and basically (as another poster pointed out) SKYW can't be any more expensive then the second lowest or they can be replaced.

That's why, from a purely business perspective, Delta's purchase of Pinnacle and the corresponding pay cuts/concessions from the Pinnacle pilots was a stroke of genius. It puts tremendous pressure on SKYW to reduce their costs...or get replaced. I strongly suspect one cost they will aggressively try to cut will be pilot compensation.

Do you really think SKYW could go it alone and compete head to head with DAL, AMR, UAL, etc? If you do, I suggest you Google Independence Air. I'll save you the trouble - here's a link to a Wikipedia article:
Independence Air - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

rickair7777

Some truth to this, but SKW management is not stupid enough to attempt an Air Indy. Although it's possible they might fall back on their original commuter roots since they "own" the gates at many of their western outstations and in one large western hub.

I'm not sure SKW can reduce pilot costs...regional pilots are already underpaid and will not accept accept further reductions. The only way an airline could get away with that is if they're also doing massive staff reductions at the same time...there will always be a few who will stick around. That's the only reason PCL went down that road...they're going to have a deep bench.

rjboy

This is not true guys. We take a hit on the rates we are paid by DAL if we are not the second lowest but it does not give DAL cause to void the contract. We need to hold on for a couple more years and when guys are flying out the door to mainline our pilot cost will not be as big of an issue as it is right now. I don't doubt mgmt will ask but until we start posting consistent losses there is no reason for us to even consider any cuts.

Utah

I could be wrong about this, but I believe the contract with Delta has us operating fewer and fewer aircraft each year. Parking something like 20 aircraft each year and expiring in 2019. With that we will only operate 60-80 aircraft three - four years from now and only 20 in the last year of the contract.

Obviously, a new contract could change all of that.

Wasatch Phantom

I again point to the historical perspective...

Look at Eastern, Pan Am, TWA, Western, UsAir, UAL, Delta, NWA. They all took significant pay cuts. The only pilot group I can recall (off the top of my head) that said "no" was American's APA last fall, and they subsequently voted in concessions.

One truism: Pilots talk tough in pilot lounges, they talk tough in the cockpit, they talk tough in hotel vans (and they talk really tough on Internet forums!) but they vote in the privacy of their homes. They look at their mortgage payments, car payments, etc as well as their wives and children and think "I don't like this, but we (I) can get by, and it's better than unemployment". Then they vote "yes".

I was blown away when 85% of the voting Pinnacle pilots voted for their recent concessions knowing that (IIRC) roughly 2/3 will get furloughed. And those were (the) "already underpaid regional pilots" you spoke of.

Is it "fair"? Absolutely not, but "fairness" doesn't matter.

But here's another interesting issue. Regional carriers are having a harder time finding applicants. People considering a career in aviation are seeing the low wages, lousy work rules and sub-optimal quality of life of junior pilots at the regional carriers and deciding that perhaps a career in a different line of work is more appealing. Additionally, some experienced pilots are taking their skill sets overseas for rapid (instant) upgrade and significantly more money.

What happens in a few years if this rumored "pilot shortage" materializes? The regional airlines have agreements with major airlines that they are contractually obligated to fulfill yet they don't have the staffing.

Redbird611

Any idea where the instant upgrade is overseas for a CRJ driver? I'd do it if the terms were good enough, but every place I've seen so far wants 300+ PIC in type for the left seat.