Cost of a crash exceeds costs of paying to retain professional pilots - Repost

[CanadaAir]

Historically, the top factor which determines whether or not an airline collapses is the airline’s safety record & accidents.

When airlines operate unsafe & have multiple safety incidents, passengers stop booking flights.

If there is a major accident or crash, the airline is usually done.

Colgan Air is an example
After the crash in Buffalo

Colgan Air went out of business restructured
Pinnacle Airlines went out of business restructured
Continental Connections went out of business restructured (absorbed by United – now highly paid pilots)
Continental Airlines went out of business restructured (absorbed by United – now highly paid pilots)


Colgan Air pilot pay, work/life balance, fatigue all played a role in the accident.

The crash resulted in the 1500 hour rule which restricted pilot supply, resulting in airlines having to pay pilots more to continue operating. In the end, the airlines had to pay higher pilot wages, more than they would have paid if there hadn’t been a crash without the 1500 hour rule.

Wouldn’t be a more profitable solution for Continnental, Pinnacle & Colgan to have paid pilots higher before the crash? To have maintained a better work/life balance for their pilots before the crash?

If the company had done so, the accident wouldn’t have occurred. Coglan, Pinnacle & Continental wouldn’t have lost business and the companies could still be operating today, a more profitable outcome and without the expensive 1500 hour rule restricting airline hiring.

With Continental there'd be more market competition & lower fares for passengers.

Colgan is one of many examples. Several Canadian operators have closed due to accidents.

Maintaining top safety and avoiding an accident is in everyone’s interest, the pilots & the management.

If higher pay and better work life balance is required to retain experienced pilots and high safety levels, then it’s a cheaper solution rather than building the environment for a crash and resulting bankruptcy.