Articles tagged “regional airlines”

Flybe's management team will be hoping the airline's latest turnaround strategy works, where others have failed. The carrier has plenty of challenges and is operating in a very tough environment. Might it find things easier as part of a bigger aviation group?

PSA Airlines has been in the news lately. But do travelers have any idea what PSA is? Is this a problem? Should passengers have a better idea what regional airline they're flying? Or doesn't it matter?

In three years, Embraer will be able to deliver new regional jets to U.S. airlines that could significantly reduce their fuel bill. But U.S. airlines may not be able to take them because of restrictions in collective bargaining agreements with pilots. It's easy to blame pilots for their stance. But they have leverage. Why shouldn't they use it?

Great Lakes Airlines is essentially going out of business. The Regional Airline Association is using this as a chance to lobby politicians to relax requirements on pilot training. But that's probably not necessary. There's reason to believe the Great Lakes situation was unique.

Qantas' new pilot academy may address the airline’s needs, but won’t solve an imbalance which has already seen regional Australian airlines cancel and reschedule services. Meanwhile, the government has bowed to pressure and will again grant temporary visas to pilots after scrapping them last year.

Call it a pilot shortage, attrition, a wage-rate problem, or a structural defect -- it all amounts to basically the same thing. Pilot recruitment is under stress, and will remain so until there are reforms.

Republic Airways freed itself of money-losing Frontier, and Republic recorded a nice profit in the first quarter despite massive flight cancellations.

Market forces eventually will have to force improvements in regional airlines' pilot wages. And mainline airline partners are going to have to kick in some money for pilot training, and ensure that lowly paid regional pilots will find an easier path to the big payday at major airlines.