Wow, if it were only so simple…

Pilots are only paid when the aircraft is ‘in motion’. That is, after it has left the gate. Yep, that much is true!

Faulty assumption however is that it is to the pilot’s benefit to dawdle and do nothing….

This is FAR from the case! A typical pilot’s day has 3 or somtimes 4 legs…. if ONE of those legs gets screwed up and goes beyond the scheduled time, then the pilot LOSES the remaining time! Sometimes as much as 75% of their scheduled work time! They then have to try to make it up…. Maybe they can, maybe not….

No silver lining here… Pilots get screwed just as much as the passengers when they cannot complete their scheduled trips within a reasonable amount of time…

Sorry Mr. Pollock, your assertion that the pilot’s don’t care or are ‘making money by doing nothing’ is absolutely not true in this case…

Go private enterprise! Yay team!

Err, based on 7 years of historical performance, what makes you think the problem will be solved, or if anything, made far worse.

1) Break up the hub operation that requires all the airplanes to fly in all at the same time, quickly exchange passengers, then all fly out again at the same time.

2) Eliminate the pilot rule that they get full flight time pay for when the aircraft is away from the gate but still on the ground. What incentive does the flight crew have to stop at the gate and end the flight if they can sit on the ground away from the gate and get full flight pay and accumulate monthly flight hour requirements for doing absolutely nothing?

He should also order the airlines to serve cake during gate holds, and weather delays, too.

Without a plan for more runways, this is just more of too little, way too late. The consequences of which are only beginning.

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

The aware has to be large enough to be meaningful to those who do not fly much to motivate them to take another flight with this airline. It also has to be a big enough penalty of additonal miles to the frequent flier.

Further the extra miles can be used at anytime and are not subject to a blackout. In other words to be a real penalty to the airline they are just like cash.

Frequent travelers will not be as upset when they are inconvienced as they know they are getting a lot of new miles. Casual travlers are getting the chance to earn a free flight if they fly one or more times. The airlines are penalized but with the casual travler they may be motivated to buy a ticket sooner than later.

The so-called ‘Regional Jet’ is being stuffed down consumers throats on longer and longer routes!

The newest tout for saving the harried executive is the oncoming VLJ (Very Light Jet). This aircraft will carry 2 pilots and 4 passengers but will utilize the same ATC resources as a large jetliner carrying 245 passengers!

I ask you, which is the most efficient usage of the limited resources? Small aircraft or large aircraft?

My suggestion would be to drastically limit aircraft with less than 99 seats during peak usage times at airports with limited capacity: NYC region primarily! Other high usage airports such as Chicago O’Hare, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Los Angeles International should be limited on smaller aircraft also.