A scope clause is part of a contract between an airline and a pilot union. Generally, these clauses are used by the union of a major airline to limit the number and/or size of aircraft that airline may contract out to a Regional airline. The goal is to protect union jobs at the major airline from being outsourced to regional airlines operating larger aircraft. In 2016, the limit was at 76 seats and a 86,000 lb (39 t) maximum takeoff weight, until 2019 at United Airlines and 2020 at Delta Air Lines and American Airlines, limiting the sales of the new Mitsubishi MRJ90 and Embraer 175-E2 to the smaller MRJ70 and current ERJ-175.
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Influence on airlines
Scope clauses place restrictions on how many and what size of aircraft a regional airline may operate. Some holding companies operate a large number of individual airlines, with each airline's fleet specifically tuned to the scope clause of that airline's contracted major carrier.
Influence on aircraft manufacturers
Scope clauses have a major influence on manufacturers of regional aircraft. Manufacturers will create airplanes specifically tuned to the scope clauses of most airlines. For this reason and others, regional aircraft tend to be manufactured in families, and competing regional aircraft will often have identical seating capacity.
Support and criticism
Scope clauses are supported as a means of saving union jobs. Additionally, major airline pilots are usually higher paid than regional pilots, and there is a perceived safety advantage in favor of major airlines. Criticism of scope clauses centers on the limits they place on the regional airlines they target. They are seen as a way of artificially maintaining the pay of major airline pilots when regional pilots will in theory fly the same size airplanes for less pay.