A depressing question

[FN FAL]

Jet Blue's announced loss got me to thinking. Yes, I know they still made operating income for the year, but here is my question:

If Jet Blue can't make it, is there any chance that ANY airline can be started and grown successfully? Indy Air is gone, Vanguard is gone, National is gone...

United is coming out of bankruptcy, Delta and NWA are reorganizing. The legacy carriers squashed smaller competitors in the past, why would now be any different?

 

[BLUE BAYOU]

The industry is depressed when a legacy carrier (UAL) can go 3 years in bankruptcy and charge nearly nothing for tickets. Then when they don't meet the required financial goals, they just get the courts to change them on a quarterly basis. Now that NWA and DAL are also in bankruptcy, expect more of the same-- why would anyone want to operate an airline out of bankruptcy during these times?

 

[pipejockey]

UPS started in 1988, so I guess that makes us a startup. We've been doing OK so far. Over $1 BILLION profit in the fourth quarter. Now if they would only share some of that with us!

You guys don't count. Your company delivers freight door to door. Your profit consists of everything involved in that I believe. The UPS Store, all the trucking of the ground freight, UPS Supply Chain Solutions who I in essence fly for. Since I am current and qualified in the 727 and I already fly your freight how about I just fly your aircraft as well? As a UPS pilot of course!

Sorry, just a little humor that I am sure a UPS pilot does not find funny. But I fully expect you all to take all that flying by July anyway. It just takes a while to transition I guess. And why the heck can't UPS find an A300 or 767 to fly the trip out of Dayton that World did at least, instead of bringing in yet another contract carrier?

 

[Focus]

Within 10 years Pilot Pay and pensions will be back to respectable levels where they belong as one of the top paying jobs in the country; otherwise there will be no competent pilots left to fill the seats at Mesa Wages. With all the furloughs and the doomsday predicted by everyone for this industry, who would ever want to pursue this as a career field today. Well, thats the very reason we will see a pilot shortage within the next ten years and why we will once again be paid what we really do deserve.

 

[pipejockey]

Wake up Focus! Wake up...it's alright, wake up now. You were just dreaming. It's ok now. It sure sounded like a nice dream you were having. I hope I can have a dream like that as well.

 

[Dumbluck]

the place to be is freight hauler's where else can you fly a MD-11 into sub-shaharan africa and then spend weeks there. seriously vote democrate, its the only thing that really matters. union=democrats vs. company,managment = republicns.

'nough said

 

[TexaSWA]

This doesn't apply to you box flyers, just the cattle herders.

Think again. What they should worry about is how the DHL pilots went from flying their own freight, to ACMI contractors (Astar) no different than Kittyhawk, Express.net or Kalitta, with the stroke of a pen. If this goes well for DHL, UPS and FedEx mgmt will probably notice. If they get FedUp (no pun intended) with the pilot group they just sell them off and contract back to them or any other trashhauling non-sked supplemental who cares to submit a bid.

 

[ptarmigan]

Seems to me that DHL is just doing now what it's always done. In fact, I would say that DHL has more of it's "own" pilots now than they have in the past. Their "command and control" of their product has always been a lot looser than the others.

 

[FN FAL]

Within 10 years Pilot Pay and pensions will be back to respectable levels where they belong as one of the top paying jobs in the country; otherwise there will be no competent pilots left to fill the seats at Mesa Wages. With all the furloughs and the doomsday predicted by everyone for this industry, who would ever want to pursue this as a career field today. Well, thats the very reason we will see a pilot shortage within the next ten years and why we will once again be paid what we really do deserve.

Actually, 10 years from now, your average college graduate will have a choice of slapping meat on sub sandwiches, stocking shelves at Wal-Mart or making the top sales slot at the tele-marketers. Don't worry, they'll find plenty of dopes that want to sit in air conditioned comfort and flip switches to impress the ladies who are boarding the plane, while wearing a spiffy uniform, spiked hair and a back pack.

 

[GogglesPisano]

Focus:

I'm going to have to agree with FN FAL on this one. This profession is toast.