Virgin America hangs as its hedge fund owners get antsy

[metroplex]

by the way ual driver. check out the pay for UAL six year cpt and VA six year capt on the airbus. see that? Also, if ual would be a start up their labor costs would be extremely low. take a look at your first year pay. stop crying me a river. When you guys very in bankruptcy you had fares that low that nobody could compete, because you were not paying the creditors.. That's easy to do.....

 

[Fubijaakr]

can't believe that ALPA is with Alaska on this. I think that 90% of Virgins pilots are furloughed Alpa members..

Furloghed ALPA members who voluntarily went to work for a non-Union carrier who offers substandard wages.

And ALPA pilots are supposed to support that?

 

[mvedepo]

Furloghed ALPA members who voluntarily went to work for a non-Union carrier who offers substandard wages.

And ALPA pilots are supposed to support that?

Do you really think that those furloughed voluntarily did anything? They lost their jobs.

 

[Grandpa +65]

Branson is a smart guy. Virgin America is subsidized by his European business empire. You can mass produce music CDs for maybe .25 cents each and sell them retail for $15 or even $18. The profits are hidden in airline losses. Hard for an American airline to compete with that.

 

[Green Banana]

Ya, great product, but at what price? They have shown that they have to charge 150% of that they do to break even. So is the service worth that? If so, Why are they not charging that price?

 

[cmrflyer]

Hey Grandpa, Branson sold virign records to EMI back in '92, so how CD sales have anything to do with the funding of VA is beyond me.

 

[Fubijaakr]

Do you really think that those furloughed voluntarily did anything? They lost their jobs.

No one forced them to go interview with Virgin. So, yes, they VOLUNTARILY sought and accepted employment with a non-Union carrier that pays substandard wages/benefits.

Why they think they are entitled to UNION negotiated privileges is beyond me.

 

[metroplex]

fubijakaar, I don't know, you might have been in a position to not have to look for work... good for you. the day you loose your job you probably come crawling for a job at VA.

 

[mvedepo]

No one forced them to go interview with Virgin. So, yes, they VOLUNTARILY sought and accepted employment with a non-Union carrier that pays substandard wages/benefits.

Why they think they are entitled to UNION negotiated privileges is beyond me.

I am interested what you would do if you were put out tomorrow? I can tell you that the Aloha, ATA, and ABX guys we have here now are extremely happy to be here.

 

[Britpilot]

I guess they have shown that their product is unsustainable at the price they charge for a ticket. So where does that leave them?

 

[Full of LUV]

The same as everyone else.....

I guess they have shown that their product is unsustainable at the price they charge for a ticket. So where does that leave them?

It leaves them in the same situation as most of all the majors.

BTW, ALPA should lobby for J/S privledges only apply to union carriers if they want union privledges to mean anything. Otherwise, pilots will whore themselves out anywhere. Look at the way Aloha was giving Mesa pilots rides to the islands to compete against them on interisland flights for a year before calling it quits. It happens all the time. How many Jet Blue and VA pilots could afford to live in the bases they have? Hardly any, or they would have to either ask for union representation or at least a pay raise appropriate with their location.
Luv

 

[Fubijaakr]

Amen, brother LUV.

In fact, Sec. 115.E.2 of the ALPA Admin manual says Captains can ask for a Union card as "additional identification" for jumpseat access.

Unfortunately, 95% of ALPA pilots don't know the ALPA Admin Manual exists, much less what is contained in it.

 

[clickclickboom]

Its a sad day for us all when a American ATP Holding Pilot posts on a message board that better opportunities exist in Vietnam and China.

PS: Being " The One Trick Pony " that I am,,, I cant wait until Branson's sham travel agency stops buying up excess seats. That will be about the same time Branson has to write the check for $150,000,000 plus interest to Black Canyon and cyrus. Good for them they deserve it.

If there is a competing LCC i would like to see successful? Airtran and Frontier

 

[Ralph Cramden]

First I have heard of it.......source?

They treat you well.........pay you really well.......and as long as you adapt, as they say here - No Problem!

Source is a good friend, F9 driver that went there. Tells me a lot of F9 vol furloughs are quitting Viet Nam over numerous issues. My buddy is lucky, got a sand box job as a replacement.

 

[Dizel8]

It leaves them in the same situation as most of all the majors.

BTW, ALPA should lobby for J/S privledges only apply to union carriers if they want union privledges to mean anything. Otherwise, pilots will whore themselves out anywhere. Look at the way Aloha was giving Mesa pilots rides to the islands to compete against them on interisland flights for a year before calling it quits. It happens all the time. How many Jet Blue and VA pilots could afford to live in the bases they have? Hardly any, or they would have to either ask for union representation or at least a pay raise appropriate with their location.
Luv

I am sorry FullofLuv, and I figure you work for SWA, let's revisit payscales of the time before LUV got to the top of the heap by default!

I remember pilots talking about denying LUV pilots because they were dragging the profession down.

Something about glass houses!