What is Mesabas and Compass travel benifits?

[N813CA]

Heard Comair is going to get hosed once again and get their benifits screwed and they will be lowered to Mesaba/Compass level. Does anyone know exactly what Mesaba/Compass benifits are? Expecially for parents and employees.

 

[Raskal]

What's Comair's

 

[KingAir1985]

Wow, they must have been AWESOME if they are being lowered to the Mesaba level....

 

[N813CA]

Comair's is the same as Deltas. We are S3 and have 6 S2's. Parents have 18 days of free travel each anywhere in the world all for $50 total each year. Parents are S3B's. And 8 buddy passes for friends that are S4s. I would say that is pretty good.

 

[Raskal]

Wow, they must have been AWESOME if they are being lowered to the Mesaba level....

uh, no. XJ's benefits are basically the bottom of the barrel labled 'ok'.

-No yearly fees
-Everyone but spouse/child pays per leg fees
-No buddy/friend passes at all
-There is some kind of "travel partner" deal but it's pretty convoluted and useless.

It sucks that Comair might be losing real privileges, where is the info coming from?

 

[hockeypilot44]

Non-rev benefits are practically non-existent anyway these days. The flights are ALWAYS full to any destination worth going to. I have had to buy my wife a ticket at the airport numerous times in the last year due to getting stuck. Unfortunately, she couldn't miss work. Now, I just buy her a ticket ahead of time. It's cheaper that way. The airlines ruined the benefit of non-revving by over-selling flights. It's sad when you don't get on, and the person standing next to you that didn't get on starts crying because she actually bought a ticket on the flight. F*ck non-revving. A once great privilege that is now worthless.

 

[DrewBlows]

Heard Comair is going to get hosed once again and get their benifits screwed and they will be lowered to Mesaba/Compass level. Does anyone know exactly what Mesaba/Compass benifits are? Expecially for parents and employees.

Compass has the equivalent of S2B (5W at NWA). Same as Mesaba as described above except we have useless buddy passes. You have to travel with your buddy. I'll be happy to get Comair's travel benefits even if it's S2B, but it sucks if Comair is brought down in the process.

 

[CRJ puppy]

Won't be S2B...S2 are "high priority" passes that Delta mainline and wholy owned subsidiaries get only 6 of per year. Might be "S3B" which is the boarding priority for retirees and parents.

Regardless, there are many rumors around this. They seem to have started with a change in benefits for the "RHS" people (the mergered Compass, Mesaba, & Comair rampers, gate agents etc) and the rumor seems to have spread to ALL of the 3 carriers in all departments.

Regardless, we will soon find out as in John the 2nd's last msg he said the announcement would be in about two weeks...

 

[Limeyflyer]

Non reving sucks. I would rather buy a cheap ticket on AirTran and fly out of Flint instead of dealing with the BS and full flights in DTW

 

[Monster Buck]

Mesaba and Compass will come on with S3C, behind mainline retirees and parents. Didn't hear about how Comair and Pinch nickel will go. It sounds like all regional carriers will get the same though. We will see soon. The time line was suppose to be June 1 to have all settled and on TravelNet.

 

[Monster Buck]

Interesting though, I thought that NWA traveled on Mesaba as(5's) the same as a Mesaba employee. So IE date of hire. I wonder how that will go now with Delta.

 

[WMUSIGPI]

Nope that was changed in the last changing.... NWA went on Mesaba as 5 and Mesaba went on Mesaba as 5W (lower priority for nonrev) Mesaba still had first priority on the JS but not for a seat in the back.

 

[Cobraair75drvr]

Well, since ALL the flights are marketed and sold as a Delta flight, I don't see a problem with Delta employees being the top of the priority list. We should be S3 or whatever they call it and the sub-contractors S3B. Don't worry though. They will probably give y'all the same as DAL employees to keep throw you a bone and keep you from whining.

 

[Monster Buck]

Well, since ALL the flights are marketed and sold as a Delta flight, I don't see a problem with Delta employees being the top of the priority list. We should be S3 or whatever they call it and the sub-contractors S3B. Don't worry though. They will probably give y'all the same as DAL employees to keep throw you a bone and keep you from whining.

I don't agree. We shouldn't bump a Mesaba non-rev on their own ac and they shouldn't bump us on our own.

 

[Cobraair75drvr]

Well, I guess we will have to agree to disagree. Those are Delta seats and as such Delta employees should go first. I agree on the jumpseat though. The way that they change from Delta to sub contracted flights on a seasonal, and sometimes weekly/daily basis it is the right way. We will see by June 1 though.

I don't agree. We shouldn't bump a Mesaba non-rev on their own ac and they shouldn't bump us on our own.

 

[Monster Buck]

Well, I guess we will have to agree to disagree. Those are Delta seats and as such Delta employees should go first. I agree on the jumpseat though. The way that they change from Delta to sub contracted flights on a seasonal, and sometimes weekly/daily basis it is the right way. We will see by June 1 though.

You seem like FNWA, if you are use to the cross travel between regionals like NWA and Mesaba, and mainline's travel priority....you will be shocked when you see Comair's priority's. There are not only the same as yours on Comair but the same as yours on Delta ac.....and yes that means all former NWA ac as well.

 

[Cobraair75drvr]

I fully understand that. Hopefully this will be rectified soon. Being that there are 6-8 subs. flying Delta flights; ie. one flight mesaba, the next asa, the next mainline, the next compass, etc. and the seasonal shifting, it only makes sense that Delta employees are a higher priority. This is a Delta flight. No one is buying a ticket on the subs. The jumpseat I have no problem with. Again, these are Delta seats and therefore we should get a higher status. Never understood/nor liked how a 6 month eagle employee(or child for that matter) could have boarding priority over a 35 year AA employee just by checking in earlier.

You seem like FNWA, if you are use to the cross travel between regionals like NWA and Mesaba, and mainline's travel priority....you will be shocked when you see Comair's priority's. There are not only the same as yours on Comair but the same as yours on Delta ac.....and yes that means all former NWA ac as well.

 

[Monster Buck]

I fully understand that. Hopefully this will be rectified soon. Being that there are 6-8 subs. flying Delta flights; ie. one flight mesaba, the next asa, the next mainline, the next compass, etc. and the seasonal shifting, it only makes sense that Delta employees are a higher priority. This is a Delta flight. No one is buying a ticket on the subs. The jumpseat I have no problem with. Again, these are Delta seats and therefore we should get a higher status. Never understood/nor liked how a 6 month eagle employee(or child for that matter) could have boarding priority over a 35 year AA employee just by checking in earlier.

I'll bet that most if not almost all other NWA employees don't.

 

[CptMurf]

I fully understand that. Hopefully this will be rectified soon. Being that there are 6-8 subs. flying Delta flights; ie. one flight mesaba, the next asa, the next mainline, the next compass, etc. and the seasonal shifting, it only makes sense that Delta employees are a higher priority. This is a Delta flight. No one is buying a ticket on the subs. The jumpseat I have no problem with. Again, these are Delta seats and therefore we should get a higher status. Never understood/nor liked how a 6 month eagle employee(or child for that matter) could have boarding priority over a 35 year AA employee just by checking in earlier.

But a 8 month DAL pilot should have priority over a 10 year XJ CA on a XJ flight. Nice.

 

[Speedtape]

Keep it simple. DOH

 

[Regional4life]

I fully understand that. Hopefully this will be rectified soon. Being that there are 6-8 subs. flying Delta flights; ie. one flight mesaba, the next asa, the next mainline, the next compass, etc. and the seasonal shifting, it only makes sense that Delta employees are a higher priority. This is a Delta flight. No one is buying a ticket on the subs. The jumpseat I have no problem with. Again, these are Delta seats and therefore we should get a higher status. Never understood/nor liked how a 6 month eagle employee(or child for that matter) could have boarding priority over a 35 year AA employee just by checking in earlier.

That's not quite true either. Every ticket sold lists who is operating the flight. Many people will choose different flights based on the operating carrier, and yes, many people simply choose based on the ticket price as well. It is a XJ, ASA, 9E, etc, flight flying under the benefits of Delta's network. We don't fly Delta's profiles, we don't have Delta's FOM. We don't use Delta's mechanics. You want them to be strictly Delta's seats, fine. Integrate all the regionals into mainline Delta and have one seniority list.

 

[Speedtape]

Collectively, the Regionals currently fly more than 50% of all Delta flights. From a mutual benefit perspective, Delta could not exist without feed, the feed could not exist without Delta. Many of us, over nearly 30 years, have transported nothing but Delta passengers. Delta pays our salaries through flow through costs.

Delta employees do not buy the seats, and neither do Delta Connection employees. There should be no disparity in the travel benefits. Many Delta employees are also put at a disadvantage when traveling and/or commuting out of cities served only with Delta Connection service or a mix. One system for all is fair to all.

 

[fieldinsight]

Nothing has been announced about future pass benefits for anyone at mainline or a wholly owned. There's been a lot of speculation, but that's all it is. Usually it comes from someone who hopes to get a leg up on someone else. Benefits for the RHS folks have not been announced.

There is one bit of info that might be a tip.... XJ recently offered early outs to the FA group. As part of the agreement, they were offered pass benefits at S3B priority. It was in the memo posted on MyMesaba. So there's a hint that the wholly owneds will be treated as part of the family which will be a welcome change for those on the NW regional side.

 

[SplitBar]

Non-rev benefits are practically non-existent anyway these days. The flights are ALWAYS full to any destination worth going to. I have had to buy my wife a ticket at the airport numerous times in the last year due to getting stuck. Unfortunately, she couldn't miss work. Now, I just buy her a ticket ahead of time. It's cheaper that way. The airlines ruined the benefit of non-revving by over-selling flights. It's sad when you don't get on, and the person standing next to you that didn't get on starts crying because she actually bought a ticket on the flight. F*ck non-revving. A once great privilege that is now worthless.

I disagree. Yes the flights are more full these days but if you do your homework and are slightly flexible then getting on is rarely a problem. I non-rev on a few dozen flights per year and rarely do I not get on my flight. I certainlly wouldn't call this a "worthless" benefit.

 

[hockeypilot44]

Collectively, the Regionals currently fly more than 50% of all Delta flights. From a mutual benefit perspective, Delta could not exist without feed, the feed could not exist without Delta. Many of us, over nearly 30 years, have transported nothing but Delta passengers. Delta pays our salaries through flow through costs.

Delta employees do not buy the seats, and neither do Delta Connection employees. There should be no disparity in the travel benefits. Many Delta employees are also put at a disadvantage when traveling and/or commuting out of cities served only with Delta Connection service or a mix. One system for all is fair to all.

Delta could easily exist without the feed. Delta has DC-9's again. It is a regional jet. Delta would just have to cut back frequency a little bit.

 

[sweptback]

Not worth it.

 

[Speedtape]

Delta could easily exist without the feed. Delta has DC-9's again. It is a regional jet. Delta would just have to cut back frequency a little bit.

If you believe that, you know nothing about your industry. The DC9 was a regional jet back in the regulated CAB days when airlines like Southern, North Central, and Delta were subsidized to fly near empty airplanes into places like Columbus, MS, Tupelo, Greenville, and Columbus, GA. They could only make money because of subsidy. When the Subsidy ended, so did the viability of the DC9 in those markets. No one flies DC9's except NWA and now Delta. Delta got rid of it's first fleet a long time ago. Of course, they made the mistake of selling them to Valu-Jet now Airtran.

Regional Jets are necessary and without the feed, Delta would be losing more money. A regional jet is another tool in the box and could not be replaced with DC9's unless they wanted to lose a lot more money.

 

[Cobraair75drvr]

Speedtape,

If you believe that, you know nothing about your industry. The DC9 was a regional jet back in the regulated CAB days when airlines like Southern, North Central, and Delta were subsidized to fly near empty airplanes into places like Columbus, MS, Tupelo, Greenville, and Columbus, GA. They could only make money because of subsidy. The subsidy is still alive and kicking. It is just the mainline employees subsidising outsourced flying with fee for dept. airlines. When the Subsidy ended, so did the viability of the DC9 in those markets. It appears that the industry MAYBE realizing that fee for dept. does not work either. That is why, as contracts come up you are going to see lots of them not renewed. Once one airline takes the lead of larger aircraft with less frequency the rest will follow. Smaller towns like the above have no reason for the frequency they have. No one flies DC9's except NWA and now Delta. Jetblue seems to be doing ok with a DC9 sized airplane, as is Airtran. Delta got rid of it's first fleet a long time ago. Of course, they made the mistake of selling them to Valu-Jet now Airtran.

Regional Jets are necessary and without the feed, Delta would be losing more money. I think most of us agree that there is a role for an rj, however the size of that role is the question. It has a role in off peak flying for rational extra frequency and opening new routes. Never had a problem with that. The late 90s and early 2000s saw an explosion of rjs in mgmts lust for outsourcing mainline jobs. They signed ridiculous fee for dept. contracts that not only bought all the seats, but in many cases guaranteed fuel and a 10% profit. Where do you think that money came from? Me and my fellow mainline employees in the form of paycuts and job losses. This worked well when airfares were high, not so now. This is why you are going to see a lot more rjs(35-50 seaters) parked. Now as long as the mainlines (for once, not holding my breath) do not allow further expansion of the already agreed to limits on the 76 seaters, I think you will see a rational migration of flying back to mainline with a little less frequency and larger lift. A regional jet is another tool in the box and could not be replaced with DC9's unless they wanted to lose a lot more money.

 

[Monster Buck]

Nothing has been announced about future pass benefits for anyone at mainline or a wholly owned. There's been a lot of speculation, but that's all it is. Usually it comes from someone who hopes to get a leg up on someone else. Benefits for the RHS folks have not been announced.

There is one bit of info that might be a tip.... XJ recently offered early outs to the FA group. As part of the agreement, they were offered pass benefits at S3B priority. It was in the memo posted on MyMesaba. So there's a hint that the wholly owneds will be treated as part of the family which will be a welcome change for those on the NW regional side.

I checked the FA XJ memos back to Feb1. Where did you see this. I didn't find it under any memo. Was it under something else?

 

[Raskal]

I disagree. Yes the flights are more full these days but if you do your homework and are slightly flexible then getting on is rarely a problem. I non-rev on a few dozen flights per year and rarely do I not get on my flight. I certainlly wouldn't call this a "worthless" benefit.

There's a big difference between nreving alone and taking a couple of family members along. Sure, I can hop on flights all the time, but throw my wife and daughter in the mix and I'm buying a ticket almost every time-the reductions in capacity have all but killed family non-reving..

Personally, the benefits aren't worth much, CASS and the ability to jumpseat is though.