OT: If you fly, PBS Regional Airline investigation 2/9/10

[learlove]

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/flyingcheap/

this show airs tonight for all interested. Some of you have asked me questions over the years about my industry (Airline). This show may clear some things up or at least open some eyes.

[rwsaunders]

Thanks.....more to worry about besides turbulence and the obese gent next to me in 29F. :cool:

[nm87710]

Thanks.

[William]

Thanks.....more to worry about besides turbulence and the obese gent next to me in 29F.


Flew a regional from Sea-Tac into the Tri-Cities a couple of years ago. It was a shaky flight going over the Cascades into the TC. Going back over the mountains in a raging snow storm had me really wondering if we were going to make it. I kept thinking about that movie "Alive" and my eyes began wandering the cabin. I think I would have found the "obese gent in 29F" some how comforting at the time.........any who, I digress.


Thank you for the clip. I was unable to watch the show but hopefully I can catch it at another time.


William

[LesMiner]

The few sound bytes I heard about this upcoming show mentioned the low pay and long hours for pilots. I have a nephew that was a pilot for Mesabi a regional carrier that was contracted by Northwest at the time. He never made more that $16,000 a year. The flights he did pilot were on a bizarre schedule. The on duty time left him stranded in a city away from home. The new flight a day or more later would bring him back. According the PBS show, a pilot is only suppose to fly 8 hours but the on duty time is unlimited. He is now with Southwest and loves it.

I have flown my share of regional airlines. While living in Connecticut near NYC, I flew on Command airways. Some refered to it as "crash and burn airways". On some flights you had to run across the tarmac to get the plane. Typically on of those 3 seats across Short something planes. Brockway was another I flew typically out of White Plains to Vermont. Despite the jokes and jabs at these small regional airlines, their life is tough. They exist under the thumb of the majors. Many times I was on a flight that got jerked around because the regional airline had no priority in the airspace nor access to take off and landing. In an area with many major airports, Newark, LaGuardia, JFK, Boston Logan, etc. airspace is pretty tight.

Now I fly out of MSP and ripped off all the time. Northwest now Delta price flights based on competition. It costs hundreds of dollars more to fly to Detroit than to say Boston. Even more odd is that to get to Boston you have to make a stop in Detroit.

[stormyClouds]

Part of me wishes I didn't watch that show.

[rwsaunders]

Flew a regional from Sea-Tac into the Tri-Cities a couple of years ago. It was a shaky flight going over the Cascades into the TC. Going back over the mountains in a raging snow storm had me really wondering if we were going to make it. William

Willie...I'm on that flight, Horizon Air 2102, twice a month. It's either the coolest flight in the world....view of the mountains....or a bungee jump. Check out the crop circle...someone has a sense of humor.

[gdw]

"Flew a regional from Sea-Tac into the Tri-Cities a couple of years ago."

I took that flight at least once a quarter a number of years ago. On one of the trips my flight was delayed so the engineers who were meeting me at the airport passed the time drinking beer in the bar with the pilots who claimed that they were scheduled to take the plane back to Sea-Tac. :crap:

[1happygirl]

Stumbled upon this program last night while working out.

Scarey, but still safer than driving. Similar to interning. Familiar with hours, not a shock as know some peeps in the business. Knew a navy dude flew more than drove last year and was killed in a car accident.

It's not in our hands!

---love the crop circle and mountain pic!

[William]

Willie...I'm on that flight, Horizon Air 2102, twice a month. It's either the coolest flight in the world....view of the mountains....or a bungee jump. Check out the crop circle...someone has a sense of humor.


Cool photos! :cool:

Yeah, that was a hairy flight back. I've flown out of Sea-Tac and PDX numerous times on major airlines, but that was one of the few times I've been on a commuter.


William

[MattTuck]

Only caught the last part of this show, but it made some good points.

Namely, if you buy a ticket from Continental, then you should be getting continental safety and maintenance at every point along the trip, even if it is a subcontracted regional carrier. The big guys have to use their expertise and best practices and push those down to the regional guys.