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Plane Answers: The Frontline episode regional airlines don't want you to see
I've always been a big fan of PBS's Frontline. It's obvious that they study a subject before they report on it. And as any pilot knows, that can be a rarity in the often hyped television coverage of the airline industry. Frontline has tackled specific airline subjects in the past and I've always found them to be accurate and insightful. I'm looking forward to the episode tonight called "Flying Cheap" that may just expose the disparity in pay and working conditions at the regional airlines.
Major airlines have long used separate carriers as a firewall of deniability while playing them off each other to secure the lowest bid. They control the scheduling of these companies, but leave the maintenance and operational responsibility to the regional.
A few carriers, such as Delta and American wholly own and have control over their regionals, but they still contract with other small airlines to some extent.
After the response from last week's Plane Answers about the NTSB reaction to the Colgan 3407 accident in Buffalo, it will be interesting to see if this PBS Frontline episode spurs enough public interest to cause some changes. PBS has provided an eleven minute excerpt below of the show that may give you an idea of what direction the program is taking tonight.
From the Frontline press release:
In "Flying Cheap," FRONTLINE investigates the deadly airline crash of Continental 3407 in Buffalo, NY, and what the crash reveals about dramatic changes in the airline industry. The rise of the regionals and arrival of low-cost carriers have been a huge boon to consumers, and the industry insists that the skies remain safe. But many insiders are worried that now, 30 years after airline deregulation, the aviation system is being stretched beyond its capacity to deliver service that is both cheap and safe.
Frontline examines the rise of low-cost regional carriers-who now account for more than half of all domestic US flights-and asks: Is the aviation system being stretched beyond its capacity to deliver cheap, safe service? Watch on air and online beginning Tuesday, February 9 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings).
In the eleven minute excerpt from tonights program, there's a gem of a quote from Roger Cohen of the Regional Airline Association, the group that lobbies on behalf of these smaller carriers involved in code sharing.
When confronted with the low pay and how it represents an untenable economic position for the junior pilots, Roger, who looks like he recently came back from an extended Caribbean vacation, defends regional pilot pay with this:
"I just checked the web this morning-you can get a hotel room near the Newark airport for $50 a night." He proudly claims.
Roger doesn't realize that, at $21,000, this would represent between 20% of a line-holder and 50% of a reserve pilot's potential take-home pay. At these rates, even a crash pad looks too expensive and the crew lounge becomes far more tempting.
I had to run some numbers. On a typical one hour and fifteen minute flight, a Dash 8 burns $2,900 worth of fuel. A copilot in his fifth year at Colgan earns $29 an hour, or $36.25 on that flight. (Source: Airlinepilotcentral.com) Maybe it's time to rethink that pay scale. Management doesn't realize that if they gave this pilot the tools (and incentive) to fly just 1% more efficiently, they could nearly double that copilot's salary.
But that just touches on pay. Be sure to watch the excerpt below to catch a VP of operations at a regional that comes up with an innovative way to falsify records in order to get a pilot to fly past his FAA mandated sixteen hour duty day:
While not every regional airline pilot earns these kind of wages or flies with this kind of pressure, tonight's episode just might highlight a few companies that have been driving the pay and working conditions lower for much of the industry. Every pilot I know will be watching. But maybe passengers should take a look at this, as well.
UPDATE:
PBS has posted the entire Frontline episode, "Flying Cheap" online to view here.
Do you have a question about something related to the pointy end of an airplane? Ask Kent and maybe he'll use it for the next Plane Answer's Plane Answers. Check out his other blog, Cockpit Chronicles and travel along with him at work. Twitter @veryjr
Filed under: Airlines, Plane Answers
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Myrtle Feb 9th 2010 12:25PM
We are flying to Miami from Chicago, Milwaukee airport would be closer, easier, with cheaper parking and about the flight price, BUT, we will not fly a Regional, sad to say my old favorite Midwest Airline, has gone the Regional route.......No Thanks!!! My business will go to the airline that pays their crew a decent wage.
Judy Feb 10th 2010 6:46AM
That is why we never fly on Delta Northwest Airways. Too much outsourseing and friction against their employees with their lockouts and outsoursed employee mechaics. We always fly AirTran Airlines. Its great.
Bk Feb 11th 2010 8:32PM
You are obviously mistaken if you think that those at the majors are going to keep you safer than those of a regional. All pilots are trained to the best. But regional pilots have more landing and take offs than those at the big airlines you are speaking about. Particulary when the flight is across country or international flight as these pilots land even less!! You really need to spend less time worring about your pilot and get your facts straight. this is why our country is going the way it is because people read something and automatically think that it must be a fact!! Learn your history and spend less time watching TV and wrong reports. The news is NOT always right but a lot of you proablably think that our preseident deserves his noble prize too!! How sad that we have become a nation of babies.
FlyMuscle Feb 9th 2010 12:30PM
I have been in the airline industry at a "legacy carrier" since 1979. Roger Cohen is absolutely bending the truth. It is his job. He is a lobbyist for the regional airline industry. His lies combined with the regional airline business plan of "get the equipment to where it is scheduled to be," has been and will continue to be life threatening. A big part of the responsibility for this situation as well as other circumstances facing all airlines today rests with the consumer. A flying passenger today feels entitled to fly the furthest at the rock bottom cost, even if it means that airline will loose money flying them. It escapes me that these passengers are will to roll the dice with their lives the way they do. Airplanes fly on a calculation of WEIGHT. The cost structure of flying in America today radically changed 15 years ago from labor being the highest cost to fuel being the number one driving force in expenditures for all other areas of running an airline. Maintenance, customer service, age of aircraft, number of planes in the limited airspace. American consumers agree with and accept these conditions today and are willing to take the risk of life and limb to save $20.00 on their ticket. as recently as 2-3 years ago how many passengers proudly exclaimed "I over packed soooo much when I went to ________ last week?" Well you didnt pay for that extra weight being carried on the plane in the price of your ticket. It cost the airline employee in their pay, it cost the mechanic in the quality of the part he/she was replacing on that engine. These airplanes are NOT a city buss or mass transit train. Passengers do not have an undeniable right to fly in America at a cost below a safe level for the airlines to operate safely, even if the flying public is willing to accept that additional risk.
Master Shake Feb 10th 2010 7:24AM
Flymuscle - the problem is the greed of American aviation corporations. The airlines of other nations charge reasonable fares and have excellent service. When you fly an airline based in the United States these days, you get deplorable service - and often one of the highest fares in the sky. Why? Because the executives make millions of dollars a year, while the crew makes peanuts.
DJ Feb 10th 2010 12:17PM
Well Judy apparently - you don't know what you are talking about. AirTran is outsourcing to SkyWest. The problem with this documentary is that it does not have an equal comparison to the "main line." They have the same problems. Remember they are the ones buying out the contract labor. FIrts Officers may mkae 21,000 the first year. However the know what they are getting into for that first year. 21,000$ is to offset the expense that goes into the extensive training. After the 1st year their salary then jumpe to around 38,000!
Jen Feb 10th 2010 1:43PM
Don't passengers usually pay for extra luggage nowadays so the airlines can keep up with costs? How does it costs their employees to handle the passengers bags?
Sam W Feb 13th 2010 9:00PM
"After the 1st year their salary then jumpe to around 38,000!" I live in a small midwest town, $38k is almost enough to live comfortably here, key word is Almost. As a computer sys admin that would be a $16k/year pay CUT. And as someone who has thought strongly about a career change to become a pilot the BS they have to go through early on and the amazingly low wages has prevented me from looking into this career change. I have been told by more then a few people I make a great pilot with natural stick and rudder skills, yet here I am flying for fun because of antiquated pay practices at the low levels.
tm Feb 9th 2010 3:25PM
With all of the fees airlines are charging, it's pretty clear that our money isn't being invested back into the companies, but lining the pockets of the executives and helping the numbers look good for shareholders (who are historically morons if you look at how poorly airlines have done in "increasing shareholder value"). It's a pity that while executives are criminally liable for misrepresenting financial statements, they have no liability when it comes to people dying because they were too cheap to properly run the airline safely.
Airline employees have gotten some of the worst of it, since the cuts have been so steep. But in some sense, they're lucky, they still have their job in their industry. Take a look at the Rust Belt areas of the country to see where jobs have been shipped overseas in bulk, and those people were reduced to working for Walmart, if they could find work at all. However, the difference in ringing things up at a Walmart and flying a plane on the cheap is that the latter puts the lives of people at risk. Flying cheap is just another aspect of a broad cheapening that's affected every sector of our economy, that's driven by greed and a perverse but pervasive message that we are to expect everything to be cheaper and cheaper. It just happens to be one with the most dire consequences.
George Harrison Feb 10th 2010 7:49AM
Tim, what profits? In the history of the airline industry, airlines have lost more money than they have made. Investors keep pouring in more money in hopes that this time will be different. This new money is the only reason that any airline is still flying. Passengers sure don't pay what it cost to keep the plane flying. The airline business is all about testosterone and who has the biggest market share, not about profits. Most airline top executives exhibit behavior that you would recognize in a bully in grade school. Passengers don't give a hoot weather the airline makes money or not. They go online and buy the lowest cost ticket listed. They get what they pay for. Cheap flights from the lowest cost producer.
Rob Feb 9th 2010 5:10PM
'There are many other people who earn way less'
But do they have peoples lives at stake? Do they get paid for only a fraction of their work?
The other question, why would the young pilots take a regional job just for quick progression? I would not feel safe being 9mths then in the captain seat. To me the 7 years is a great amount of time to learn and enjoy the right seat. It's not all about the Captain seat but the journey as well. I'd rather be in the right seat for 10+ years than work for $20 an hour!
I hope there is a large scale investigation from these allegations of falisifying documents as well.
Mark S. Feb 9th 2010 9:37PM
I work for a company operating under part 91 (general operating rules as opposed to charter or airline) flying King Airs. We had one captain who was determined to skip going to the regionals and instead to go directly to Southwest. After long enough of not getting the job, he came to the conclusion that in order to get to the major airlines, the only way is through the regionals, and I must agree that for most of us, that is the only way a major airline will hire you. It is not just a matter of speed, but also making your career happen at all. Also, the pay is a huge factor in everyone wanting to get to a major carrier as quickly as possible. When the regionals keep pay low, that keeps pay in the whole industry low.
Rob Feb 9th 2010 9:42PM
Interesting Mark, in Oz it's possible to get into Qantas or Virgin without using the regionals, but then again, the regionals in Australia are set up a bit differently.
Al Feb 10th 2010 10:14AM
I'm not defending the practice of a F/O upgrading after 9 mo's.I too would be uneasy if I knew the experience level in the cockpit was so low. But look at why he progressed so fast-who's seat did he upgrade to? Where did that Capt go?
It's all about building time so you can move up to the majors and eventually earn the big bucks.Who in this world gets paid top dollar first day on the job?
And a pay raise from 21K to 70K!!!!
Again I'm not defending the company -there should be standards in place to insure proper experience level up front.I just think the whole story should be told.
Rob Feb 10th 2010 3:34PM
Agreed Al, but a big problem in the industry is our love for flying. Because we all love it and want that big airline job so bad, we will do anything to get it, even if that means work for a wage that even Mcdonalds workers would question.
I do now see the attraction, a fast track to the airlines is nice, but in doing so they are selling their skills short, we are pilots we either just paid 100k+ for our education or spent 10+ years in the service of our country! Lawyers don't sell themselves short to land the big law firm job.
This started say 10 to 20 years ago, when pilots began accepting slightly lower wages, then we kept accepting lower and lower and lower because of that promise of a jet job. In another 10 to 20 years we will have to work pro bono to get a start!
Mark Feb 9th 2010 10:17PM
Kent--I just watched the full Frontline episode and came away a bit disturbed. Sadly, I think most Americans are blissfully ignorant of the realities faced by employees in the airline industry. What is even more disturbing is that the Frontline episode didn't make clear whether Colgan has ever met the safety standards it promised to attain--and is required to attain, yet it is still flying. I'm not clear on this point. If anything we need to get the word out and we need to improve regulation and also be willing to pay more. Will it take more accidents like Continental 3407 to move the public to action? I'm moved to write to my representatives in Congress to make mainline carriers jointly responsible for the regionals the sell tickets for as well as have higher standards for pilot experience/pay.
Can't Trust Frontline Feb 11th 2010 11:27AM
Why is Mark's comment so faded that it is barely readable? Maybe because he doesn't agree with the Frontline conclusion, and therefore the blogger's conclusion?
Thre was so much spin in that Frontline report that people should be dizzy from watching it. Using 'experts' such as a plaintiff's attorney, slanting questions in a way that were seemed to be intended to make one side's point of view better than the others, interviewing a couple of pilots who seemed to have axes to grind, cueing in music during interviews that clearly seems intended to influence your gut reaction to somthing, Miles O'Brien's (the reporter for Frontline) demeanor changing depending on who he was interviewing, and on and on and on. This wasn't a fact-based report; it was meant to garner attention and ratings.
Ron Feb 10th 2010 12:59AM
What a complete hatchet job. Frontline didn't look for answers. It just attacked a business.
It says people are buying Continental safety like people think that a little turboprop is the same as a big jet.
Also, it talked about "firewalls" between the two companies like liability was the biggest reason to separate it. But the PBS pro union types make no mention that there are probably a whole bunch of union contract issues that the business has to get around through employing the regional carriers. It's surprising that they didn't paint a picture of busting or getting around unions as something trumping safety.
But the biggest problem is probably that people who want to be pilots I read all the time on this web site think that they are entitled to a good or decent living just because they're employed. But instead they take a job that is totally untenable and then complain about it, and do supposedly unsafe things like fly in unsafe weather or fly too heavy or fly too tired or blah blah blah blah... They took the job. All the employee pilot can do is work for free or quit. There's plenty of them that are apparently okay with working for free.
It sounds like a typical union situation where people with time in the job have a much different and cushy job while they make more money, and people starting out have to take less glamorous and lower paid positions.
Flying is statistically safe. The more attempts to micromanage industry and regulate will just drive up prices but not really drive up safety. The bottom line is to get there. No solutions were offered by the show. It just painted people who were in the business of making money as evil and cruel somehow. And then it seemed to say that the majors should be in charge of safety which is a total double standard. Why would the major be so much "better" than another business. The same market pressures will exist. The same flight schedules will be in play presumably.
THE BIGGEST reason air travel is safe is that the pilot is the first one to hit the ground in a nose dive. They don't get ejection seats. It's in their ultimate best interest to get there safe. Maybe watching this, they'll think twice before making decisions that will lead to flying tired. Just like driving drunk, if you don't drink, then you're not drunk. If you get enough rest, then you're not tired.
Are other regionals any safer than continental?
Also, the general public hears a salary of $70k+ on average, and they don't get too worked up about feeling sorry for them. Especially in this economy. If you're making $20,000 in a year, is it because of your choices?
I could go on and on. But mostly, I thought the show was very lopsided against the regional carriers without any real evidence that they were being that awful. They have to optimize operations. It's crucial. The flying public demands seats at the prices that the market set through supply and demand. You just can't it both ways. The more regulation and safety and BS costs that are put into the system driving up price will decrease the amount of air service quantity demanded by consumers.
If you put Continental / Colgan out of business, then who says their replacement will be better at safety.
Jennifer Feb 10th 2010 7:04AM
Ron .... please ... keep going. Very informative post.
Zoe Feb 10th 2010 11:42AM
Finally, a voice of reason. There was much editing going on, obviously, for this episode. I was particularly struck by the FO who continued to fly with a load that was too high. Why didn't he just refuse? And the report cited that there had been no prior issues with the Captian, not that he did the right thing in this instance. Plus, he was suspended. End of story!
There were so many other areas that were skewed in one particular direction. And the sad part is, the general public buys into this because they don't know any better. Makes me wonder about all Frontline reporting!