are regional airlines a big scam?
Jun 8, 2009, 1:21 pm
#1
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are regional airlines a big scam?
It seems to me that the more we learn about these regional airlines, they're perpetrating a big scam on us. The airlines and entire industry try to convince us that they're "just as safe" as the mainline flights, yet as we learn more about these operations, the pilots are working on fumes and often fail the tests they are given to assess their airworthiness:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/newss...ple-tests.html
I'm beginning to think this "race to the bottom" in terms of costs for the airlines has put us all in a giant scam.
Thoughts?
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/newss...ple-tests.html
I'm beginning to think this "race to the bottom" in terms of costs for the airlines has put us all in a giant scam.
Thoughts?
Jun 8, 2009, 1:38 pm
#3
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I have always refused to fly regional carriers for a few reasons. Service and comfort were always a concern, but safety, for me, is an issue as well. If the mainline carriers ever switch to a domestic/regional international/mainline model, I'll have to decide how I'm going to manage.
Jun 8, 2009, 4:23 pm
#4
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I have always refused to fly regional carriers for a few reasons. Service and comfort were always a concern, but safety, for me, is an issue as well. If the mainline carriers ever switch to a domestic/regional international/mainline model, I'll have to decide how I'm going to manage.
Jun 8, 2009, 4:26 pm
#5
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Are you offering?
Jun 8, 2009, 4:41 pm
#8
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My home airport (15-20 minute drive) is only served by regional jets, and the nearest big airport (RDU) is a 90 minute drive away. Driving to CLT would take at least 2.5-3 hours. If the price is significantly better out of RDU, I'll go with that, but it often isn't, leaving me on DL or US Canadairs.
Jun 8, 2009, 5:08 pm
#9
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The big scam I've found is that the flight attendants keep telling me on American Eagle that "every seat is First Class". Well if that's the case...how come the meals are so awful?
Jun 8, 2009, 5:23 pm
#10
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Well...judging by the amount of segments flown by RJs (an RJ might fly 5 segments for 1 mainline segment) and the amount of crashes there are, I'd say they are pretty damn safe. Otherwise I'd have to say that a pilot or flight attendant job for a regional carrier would be a death sentence.
Never once questioned flying a regional, and never felt unsafe.
I fully respect and trust the crew on these airlines.
Never once questioned flying a regional, and never felt unsafe.
I fully respect and trust the crew on these airlines.
Jun 8, 2009, 5:28 pm
#11
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Well...judging by the amount of segments flown by RJs (an RJ might fly 5 segments for 1 mainline segment) and the amount of crashes there are, I'd say they are pretty damn safe. Otherwise I'd have to say that a pilot or flight attendant job for a regional carrier would be a death sentence.
Never once questioned flying a regional, and never felt unsafe.
I fully respect and trust the crew on these airlines.
Never once questioned flying a regional, and never felt unsafe.
I fully respect and trust the crew on these airlines.
1) Is "pretty damn safe" the standard we want or "perfectly safe"?
2) How can you respect crew that continually fails exams?
Jun 8, 2009, 5:29 pm
#12
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In addition, what do you suggest we do when the current mainline pilots are retiring? Surely we can't hire the scum from regional airlines. Maybe we could hire straight from flight school, turning mainline carriers into the same as a regional. Really...you have to start somewhere. Regionals also hire a lot of military pilots. Surely our government trains them poorly.
Don't mean to start a rant, but I feel for these pilots who are almost all highly skilled, some probably more than mainline pilots.
Don't mean to start a rant, but I feel for these pilots who are almost all highly skilled, some probably more than mainline pilots.
Jun 8, 2009, 5:30 pm
#13
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In addition, what do you suggest we do when the current mainline pilots are retiring? Surely we can't hire the scum from regional airlines. Maybe we could hire straight from flight school, turning mainline carriers into the same as a regional. Really...you have to start somewhere. Regionals also hire a lot of military pilots. Surely our government trains them poorly.
Don't mean to start a rant, but I feel for these pilots who are almost all highly skilled, some probably more than mainline pilots.
Don't mean to start a rant, but I feel for these pilots who are almost all highly skilled, some probably more than mainline pilots.
Jun 8, 2009, 5:33 pm
#14
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Pretty damn safe with continuous improvement with perfectly safe as a goal is going to have to be reasonable enough for me.
Jun 8, 2009, 6:05 pm
#15
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I'd love to see perfectly safe, but that would mean no incidents, for any reason, at any time. In that case, I guess we would have to rule out flights on wide bodied Airbuses for the time being, or flying in the vicinity of storms.
Pretty damn safe with continuous improvement with perfectly safe as a goal is going to have to be reasonable enough for me.
Pretty damn safe with continuous improvement with perfectly safe as a goal is going to have to be reasonable enough for me.