Interesting topic. My "opinion" about Pilot Unions and experienced pilots is they're primary objective is the work on raising their pay. i.e. If newer pilots get a significant pay increase, surely they will demand higher pay also....sort of padding their pickets.
My belief is that more smaller new tier of commuter airlines to spring up. These commuters would start out by flying nine passenger aircraft that would be certified using a single pilot. I'm sure that sort of arrangement is in effect currently with Cape Air. Those co-pilots can be used also for other duties in addition to flying. WHAT AN IDEA? That will prepare them for the future they're after anyway...lots of cross country time in an airline type environment.
I'll bet a lot of older and near retiring pilots didn't have more than three or four hundreds hours when they started???
The big job is how to make them pay for themselves...fares will have to be high, but need be justified. After all, the days of cheap airline fares is over.
Herml
Again, my opinion the Buffalo incident situation was an accident in the making. I feel commuting be avoided at any cost, at least time and distance restrictions. I've seen, pilots like to "get in" their hours then get a week or so off so they can scout for better jobs. I say, the work week and flying time be reduced to no more than an eight hour duty day, with only about four to six hours of flying.
According to a USA Today article several weeks ago, the professor from MIT mentioned near the end of his story, that maybe commuter airlines go back to their roots, flying turboprops, even flying nine passenger aircraft.
Right now, there's only about three new ones coming out. The Evektor EV-55 Outback, the Reims rebirth of the F406, and the Tecnam P2012.
I hope they're preparing for orders to start coming in.
