Why I am extremely nervous about 9E bankruptcy.

[altimaklr]

The only thing we have going for us is that other regional airlines are just as dysfunctional as 9E. Skywest is an exception to that, but they also provide a much more expensive product. Airlines have been willing to pay that added incremental expense because SkyW has the balance sheet to finance their own airframes, which provides a financial offset. Their balance sheet will become weaker and weaker as the CR2 becomes a worthless asset and they get squeezed harder on future contracts and a senior regional workforce.

 

[IBNAV8R]

I know one should be careful what they wish for because you just might get it but I often think I would like to see the board of SkyWest have an epiphany.

The epiphany being the realization that they to know how to run an airline. Then go buy some airplanes in the 120 seat range, establish some hubs in cities where your labor pool actually has a work ethic and the manners to treat customers nicely, (yeah I'm talking about you ghetto ATL), give the legacys the finger then go forth and start taking market share from them in the domestic market.

With the 2nd largest fleet in the world already (17 airframes short of #1), that's a LOT of market share. We're not talking Indy or branded Xjet.

 

[altimaklr]

over 200 of the 318 SkyW fleet are E120 or CR2. All The Expressjet planes are 50 seaters, and ASA is mostly the same. The fleet is made up of aged, worthless, lemons. It would be like a rental car company bragging about their huge fleet of Pontiac Aztecs.

 

[xjhawk]

Have you all even talked to anyone in ops? Planning? Anyone? I was talking to planning and it was a former XJ guy who knew my ex. We talked about some of the issues and even he said things can't get done because even if its new people or former XJ people, the idiotic system is in place and they can't change it-for what ever reason. In planning they do not code things in all the places when they change things-instead they assume others will change it. for example-when planning changes a schedule-in the old mesaba method was to change your crewtrac, change your master schedule and change your pay codes. Now? Under the Pinnacle system, they maybe will send an email to payroll, scheduling etc and hope they will make the changes.

just an example....i hear similar things are being said by the XJ training guys sent to the Q program to fix things...but they were given no power to fix things.

bottom line, we are screwed

by the way, XJ was way better ran and had a better culture than 9E ever did. I think XJ cleaned out in their training department 10-15 years ago for crap that is still happening at 9E now. Don't get bitter-its true-I mean who fails a cry 200 captain during IOE who has been flying that same plane for the last 4-5 years as a captain?

 

[xjhawk]

"CRJ" not cry.....even though I want to cry as I work for 9E now

 

[suupah]

"CRJ" not cry.....even though I want to cry as I work for 9E now

An XJ transition CA failed OE on a 200?

 

[Raskal]

Don't get bitter-its true-I mean who fails a cry 200 captain during IOE who has been flying that same plane for the last 4-5 years as a captain?

I was talking to a friend (came off the LGA Saab) who's in 200 training now. He mentioned the high failure rate for 200 captains lately...I have no dog in this fight but the several examples he cited seemed legit. Multiple pilots with actual crashes during checkrides, bad oe where low time captains are actually asking the oe captains when they should descend...the oe captains won't sign them off because, to quote "they aren't being captains, they're not making decisions".

I don't know from which company these problems are coming from, I only know one personally who is former XJ and is having a very long oe, but from all accounts I've heard there are some issues...

 

[altimaklr]

Ask some 9E FO's who've flown with saab transition CA's and you'll hear some very shocking stuff

 

[fam62c]

With the 2nd largest fleet in the world already (17 airframes short of #1), that's a LOT of market share. We're not talking Indy or branded Xjet.

The wrong type of planes for a stand-alone operation where you have to pick up the tab for your own fuel. They will not bite the hand(s) that feed them.

 

[Twisted Mind]

Wow sounds like 9E has a very poor training program if so many experienced pilots are having difficulties.