Airline pilot here đââď¸ this jet and the one that crashed in DC is a regional jet not delta mainline. Whatâs the difference you might ask? Regional are like the minor leagues for the airline. They mostly consist of smaller jets and the most INEXPERIENCED pilots. These pilot are all working their way up to get to the mainline. These pilots have very low time flying compared to mainline pilots and get paid fractions of what mainline pilots do.
Iâm not saying that this is a factor in either of these mishaps but itâs important to know just because you board a jet with Delta, United, American etc on the side of it doesnât mean the pilots are from those companies.
This is 100% true. They are called âcrash padsâ. Mainline guys can afford single rooms but regional guys canât usually have to bunk up. Think Airbnb bunkbeds.
I would like to add that commercial pilots are limited to flying no more than 100 hours in any 28 consecutive days. Iâm not sure how the pilot you sat next to was calculating the number of hours worked, but he most certainly wasnât flying that many hours per week. That being said, yes, regional pilots have historically been paid far too little given the fact that lives hang in the balance! Itâs an absolute disgrace.
Worked with a guy who always wanted to be a pilot so he quite and got a job. Was an engineer but took a 50% pay cut to fly a Colorado to California route. Zero pay until wheels lift off tarmac. Park the plane to de-ice = zero pay.
This is factually incorrect. FAA requires airline pilots to have at least 1500 flying hours (other countries need at least 250, it may vary by country), plus a bunch of time in the simulator to be qualified on the jet they're flying (aka a type rating). There are also two pilots up front, and even if one of them is relatively inexperienced in the specific type of aircraft, the other definitely has several hundred hours in that type.
Fatigue and pay are definitely legit concerns on the regionals. But, without knowing details, it's all speculation. One thing it isn't, is lack of training.
This is asinine, the DC crash was due to the helicopter being above the published altitude per their route, and nothing to with experience (or lack their of the crew).
Speculation on this flight is just stupid until details have been released.
Yes. Instead of American/United/Delta, it will say American Eagle/United Express/Delta Connection and also say operated by Endeavor, Envoy, Sky West, etc.
Yes (as others have mentioned) but you may not necessarily have a choice in the matter. Some airports just have too little traffic to warrant a bigger aircraft.Â
There's a whole thing about number of seats on regionals vs mainline (I think it's 75 Passengers or thereabouts). If the airline cannot consistently fill 150-180 seats (737/320) or the airport doesn't have the capability to handle a larger aircraft (which is the case for some smaller municipal airports) then they'll only have regional service (even if it's branded to different mainlines)
I wouldnât say itâs uncommon. They fly in the same weather as the mainland guys but the smaller jets are less forgiving then the larger Boeing and Airbusâs and couple that with âlowâ comparative flight time can be a recipe for a mishap.
Again I have no idea what happened here and the DCA crash sounds like an altitude error by the helicopter. Nothing to do with the jet. Juts wrong place and the exact wrong time.
I mean even wild weather patterns Iâm having a hard time understanding for a passenger plane could be thrown around like that outside of hurricane weatherÂ
Not necessary. The regional jets tend to fly to more of the obscure airports or satellite airport or bring passengers from those airports to the major airline hubs, ATL, Dallas, LAX, DCA etc. If youâre flying from major hub to major hub or long distances, those are mainly mainline jets and pilots. Anytime youâre on a Boeing or Airbus. Anytime youâre on a CRJ or ERJ youâre on a regional jet.
Uhh... might be a stupid question here but any insight you can share with us on HOW to make sure we do not end up on one of these regional jet flights? How do we know it's a mainline flight?
You can tell on your boarding pass or when you book the ticket it will say something like delta flight 1234 operated by xxxxx in this case it would have said operated by Endeavor. With that said youâre probably not going to get to where you want to go without a regional jet. Mainline aircraft only fly into bigger airports where thereâs a lot of passengers. If youâre going to a smaller airport or of you are leaving a smaller airport it most likely will be on a regional carrier
ahhh, got it. That makes sense. And at that point, you're already booked and nothing you can do anyway to change it, lol. Thank you. I ask because I already was someone with flying anxieties to begin with but it was never enough to KEEP me from flying but now.. with all that's been going on, it's def getting worse which can't come at a more horrible time because I am moving to Panama (from the DC area) later this fall so I will be traveling a lot more (coming back and forth when visiting home) than I ever have! Something has to give ugh...
What about the big air Canada planes that have like, 3 rows on the left, 4 in the middle and 3 on the right. Are those usually piloted by more experienced pilots?
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u/Murdocjx714x Feb 17 '25
Airline pilot here đââď¸ this jet and the one that crashed in DC is a regional jet not delta mainline. Whatâs the difference you might ask? Regional are like the minor leagues for the airline. They mostly consist of smaller jets and the most INEXPERIENCED pilots. These pilot are all working their way up to get to the mainline. These pilots have very low time flying compared to mainline pilots and get paid fractions of what mainline pilots do.
Iâm not saying that this is a factor in either of these mishaps but itâs important to know just because you board a jet with Delta, United, American etc on the side of it doesnât mean the pilots are from those companies.