AirTran Mgmt. meets with NPA

[Max Powers]

Heard a rumor this was happening. Any truth to it? Anyone know what was said?

 

[RIDETHELIGHTING]

Yes they are. I flew with a union guy last week that said, they are meeting prior to negotiation next month to let the union know were the company stands.

 

[njcapt]

Yes they are. I flew with a union guy last week that said, they are meeting prior to negotiation next month to let the union know were the company stands.

Let me guess. The company stance is for pilot group concessions in work rules and scope combined with maintaining the current management bonus structure.

Did that capture everything?

 

[RIDETHELIGHTING]

no that wasn't what was said but who knows maybe it will go that way. If you guys are so concerned that it is bad. Why don't you post it on the NPA forum.

 

[Max Powers]

no that wasn't what was said but who knows maybe it will go that way. If you guys are so concerned that it is bad. Why don't you post it on the NPA forum.

There is an NPA web forum?

 

[maxblast72]

Fornaro has said recently that there is not too much room to cut on the cost side. We already have the lowest non-fuel CASM out there. Let's hope he sticks to his words and continues to look at revenue improvements instead of cost reductions.

By the way, a 10% pilot concession (about $20 million a year) would be zeroed out by a nickel rise in fuel price as we buy about 400 million gallons a year. We may have one of the least trouble causing pilot groups in the industry, but I haven't heard one pilot say they are OK with concessions in the slightest bit (except for the one senior Captain on the NPA website).

 

[njcapt]

no that wasn't what was said but who knows maybe it will go that way. If you guys are so concerned that it is bad. Why don't you post it on the NPA forum.

nj no workie for the Trannie anymore. I didn't even get home from my last trip before I was cut off from all the NPA web stuff. I simply care for all the folks I used to work with (and believe me, there are a lot of them) at all my former airlines.

 

[Lowrider717]

There is an NPA web forum?

That is not funny. And even more not funny is that only 400 pilots are registered on it. That's less than 25% participation.


http://www.npaforum.org

 

[Colonel Savage]

That is not funny. And even more not funny is that only 400 pilots are registered on it. That's less than 25% participation.


http://www.npaforum.org

Is NPA just for AAI pilots, or does it include LUV, JB, or F9 pilots?

 

[Ty Webb]

Is NPA just for AAI pilots, or does it include LUV, JB, or F9 pilots?

The NPA is the AirTran pilots' in-house union.

We (NPA) are a member of CAPA, the Coalition of Airline Pilot Associations, which includes SWAPA and APA, UPS and ABX.

Ty

 

[TV9Driver]

i tried to register for the website the first day that we could, and it didn't work and has never worked. obviously i'm doing something wrong - i just haven't figured it out yet....

 

[PCL_128]

That is not funny. And even more not funny is that only 400 pilots are registered on it. That's less than 25% participation.


http://www.npaforum.org

Maybe more people would participate if some of the NPA reps actually got on there and answered questions. As it stands right now, it's basically just a b!tch board that lots of people are concerned is getting funneled to management.

 

[tubelcane]

They need to replace all of the ask so and so sections with ask Pete, because he's the only freaking one who participates on a regular basis. Im sure the other guys are busy but once a week could they come on answer stuff maybe?

 

[PCL_128]

Im sure the other guys are busy but once a week could they come on answer stuff maybe?

Exactly. If your life is so busy that you can't take a half hour once a week to answer questions on the message board, then you shouldn't be a rep in the first place. The secrecy and silence is really starting to piss me off.

 

[RIDETHELIGHTING]

Has anybody heard anything from the meeting

 

[spinproof]

Exactly. If your life is so busy that you can't take a half hour once a week to answer questions on the message board, then you shouldn't be a rep in the first place. The secrecy and silence is really starting to piss me off.

Better than being Pi$$ed on which is what ALPO has been doing to their members for years...but then you know that!

 

[ATLboeing]

What burns me even more is sometimes when they do get on there and respond, they only give you a tidbit and say, "More to follow". It almost seems as if they enjoy sitting on info they know we're dying to hear. Like a power thing of sorts. I'd rather them just wait until they can post everything than to do that crap.

 

[RIDETHELIGHTING]

From what I just read the NPA ask for the meeting with the CO..

 

[27 driver]

I don't know what the meeting is about but I got a bad feeling it will be about concessions or furloughs. Things are not looking good right now. If you are a new guy like me I would start looking for a back up plan. Time will tell. It's a great time to be looking for a new job. :angryfire

 

[MINIME]

Sorry, but when I hear talks of concessions or the "all is lost" talk I cringe. Concessions in today's market would be like peeing in the ocean. They wouldn't make a lick of difference in the outcome of your company's well being. They'd be wiped out with just a few cents in oil increase.

In fact, the opposite needs to happen. The CEOs need to finally realize, like LUV, that employee compensation is like an investment. Just like an investment in a new fuel efficient aircraft. Make the right investment and your machine will not break down on you. Especially today, keeping your machine in good running condintion and doing the things you need done, are essential to the survival of any airline. A disgruntled, discouraged pilot group can really put a hurting on an airline right now. It doesn't take much in the way of engine utilization, APU usage and time on the ground.

My guess is that some airlines may be hurting far more than they need to because they have not begun to control these costs. They'll have a hard time doing it if the pilots feel cheated and disadvantaged.

In reality, unless furloughs are absolutely warranted in a large capacity cut, there's no need to take from employees anymore. DAL may be coming to this realization I think. Taking from an already discouraged employee group will only ensure, in most cases, the demise of the airline.

If a large percentage of your peers a AAI are disgruntled because they feel under-compensed, it should concern you. A little fuel here and there can do a number on a company that size. Therefore, it should be in the organization's best interest that labor problems are positively put behind very quickly. And by that I mean settle your well deserved contract improvements in the near term. Best of luck to you all....

 

[ATLboeing]

Very well put, sir.
Now can you forward that to management?

 

[27 driver]

Minime,
You are spot on with you post. I have not been here very long, but from what I have seen everybody is doing all they can to save fuel and cut costs. I don't think the employee group can do much more. Everyone is unhappy with the old contract, but they still do their part. There is a good group here at Airtran. I hope this all works out.

 

[Ty Webb]

Update:

According to an interview in the Orlando paper, CEO states that we could see a reduction in flying of 5% come September . . . a comparison between June flying and September flying, minus an additional 5 percent, would mean that we are "overstaffed".

What this means is anyone's guess. Will we just see lines built to 70 hours (versus 82)? Will attrition continue (curretly 5-7 a month)? Will we sell off some aircraft, or just upcoming deliveries?

No one knows for sure. We could see some furloughs, if trends continue in this direction, but my guess is that we will not, unless we actually sell off some airplanes. It doesn't make sense to furlough guys for only a few months, and as the legacies trim down their schedules and raise fares, we may not have to reduce flying as much.

Who knows? If I were in the bottom 100-200 guys, I would be keeping my options open. Best of luck to all.

Ty

 

[PCL_128]

I doubt we'll see furloughs. We have guys still waiting on SWA class dates, plus interviews are going to start again next month at SWA. We'll continue to lose people to them as long as our payrates are so far below theirs. Along with the trickle of attrition to other places and the LVI in the low 80s, I don't think furloughs would be needed.

 

[maxblast72]

Update:

According to an interview in the Orlando paper, CEO states that we could see a reduction in flying of 5% come September . . . a comparison between June flying and September flying, minus an additional 5 percent, would mean that we are "overstaffed".

What this means is anyone's guess. Will we just see lines built to 70 hours (versus 82)? Will attrition continue (curretly 5-7 a month)? Will we sell off some aircraft, or just upcoming deliveries?

No one knows for sure. We could see some furloughs, if trends continue in this direction, but my guess is that we will not, unless we actually sell off some airplanes. It doesn't make sense to furlough guys for only a few months, and as the legacies trim down their schedules and raise fares, we may not have to reduce flying as much.

Who knows? If I were in the bottom 100-200 guys, I would be keeping my options open. Best of luck to all.

Ty

I listened to union president last night on the conference call and he gave his take on some of the numbers. The 5% reduction you got the from the Orlando paper is comparing block hours September 2008 vs September 2007. When you compare block hours September 2008 vs July 2008 block hours, I believe he said the reduction was 16%. Chief pilot was quoted at the meeting Monday saying that pilots should get their pay hours this summer if they want to because noone would have a line over 70 hours for September and October.

On the F word, he couldn't give any info one way or the other due to the confidentiality agreement they signed due to the forward looking information they got that hasn't been released to Wall Street yet. He did say that things were changing day to day with everyone else reductions announcements so final plans for this fall are not set in stone by any means. He did say it was good that Airtran is a very flexible company (hopefully to flex into some opportunities that might arise).

On another note, some guys were asking about executive compensation. His take is that he is not concerned about exec pay right now other than fact that if theirs is going up, then we should be sharing in the rewards. However, the minute the company asks for a pay freeze, pay cut, or reduction in workforce, that their pay would become an issue and that they should share in the reduction. By his not being worried about exec pay now, I don't think the company has asked or brought up any of the 3 things above yet.