Republic’s Bedford Calls for New Pilot Pay Model
Republic Airways boss Bryan Bedford wants to see a better deal for regional airline first officers.
Republic Airways CEO Bryan Bedford (Photo: Gregory Polek)
Republic Airways CEO Bryan Bedford (Photo: Gregory Polek)

Speaking Wednesday at the 39th annual Regional Airline Association Convention in St. Louis, Republic Airways CEO Bryan Bedford called for a fundamental shift in the “model” on which pilot unions negotiate for compensation, characterizing the imbalance of pay between first officers and captains as irrational and counterproductive. Recently suffering a failure to reach an agreement with its Teamsters-represented pilots, Republic offered a 30-percent raise for new-hire first officers and as much as 50 percent for more senior copilots, said Bedford. Still, the pilots refused the offer, leaving Bedford in a precarious position as his company tries to avoid grounding more regional jets to cope with a shortage of qualified applicants for right-seat positions.