AA to drop Part of AmericanConnection

[Airline Pilot27]

Just a dumb eaglet

This is where he got his info from. Its from our ALPA website where our MEC answers questions. This question was answered 3/12. Those numbers where pre sept 11th and have undoubtedly decreased since and will continue to decrease. AE still has 300 + pilots on furlough.

Like most of the Eagle pilots around the system, I have been trying to think of that golden bullet idea to help save from more furloughs. The other day an idea came up when I found out that AA was going to take two trips a day from RDU-LGA away from Eagle and start flying them with a Fokker. I think most Eagle pilots will agree that this was what the "feeder" agreement with AA was all about. We fly the routes that a larger aircraft can not sustain and when it can, we move aside and AA picks it up. If the route will never support a large aircraft we maintain the route. Sounds pretty simple. Maybe we can approach APA and ask for a small waiver in the ASM Cap, but only under two conditions:

1. The new ASM's can ONLY be used on new routes. Routes like RDU-TPA, routes AMR doesn't already fly. This helps Eagle out right away and hopefully helps APA by opening up new routes when they can support a larger aircraft, bringing their guys and ours back from furlough.

2. ABSOLUTELY NO ASM INCREASE FOR ANY NON-AMR OWNED CARRIER UNTIL EVERY AMR PILOT IS RETURNED FROM FURLOUGH.

Just an idea...maybe not even a good one. Whatever the outcome, I think it is important to support APA and end the whipsawing. As flaky as pilot groups are, I would rather stand shoulder to shoulder with APA than to bend over in front of AMR again.

I agree that any ASM cap relief would have to be tied directly to Eagle, and not to any other feed partner (i.e. American Connection).

Ironically, the ASM cap is the only protection we have from the further proliferation of our Alter-Ego carriers. Their growth rates (132% for CHA and 15% for TSA versus -3% for Eagle) appear to have stopped due to the cap. However, you can see that given the growth rates at CHA and TSA versus our rate of shrinkage, just why AMR wants the ASM cap lifted. It is not because they want to grow Eagle.

I am simply amazed every day how our pilots are able to forge solutions and ideas that are much more productive and viable for AMR and its employees than what our own management contrives.

 

[publisher]

"Ironically, the ASM cap is the only protection we have from the further proliferation of our Alter-Ego carriers. Their growth rates (132% for CHA and 15% for TSA versus -3% for Eagle) appear to have stopped due to the cap. However, you can see that given the growth rates at CHA and TSA versus our rate of shrinkage, just why AMR wants the ASM cap lifted. It is not because they want to grow Eagle.

I am simply amazed every day how our pilots are able to forge solutions and ideas that are much more productive and viable for AMR and its employees than what our own management contrives."

The reason you think that these ideas are so much more productive is that they are not addressing the big picture. They are all going to be alter ego carriers. Continental and Northwest are the beginning, not the end.

 

[throttlejockey]

Although I cringe when I say this, I think publisher is right.

In the end, its all about costs, and frankly the CASM on RJ's is a lot higher than for mainline aircraft. (Fewer seats going shorter distances means higher CASM).

In order to keep the cost of RJ flying as low as possible, the majors may decide in the future that they will need to open up the flying opportunities to bidding by independent operators.

From managements prospective its cost control. From the pilots prospective its whipsawing.

If ALPA starts to speak with one voice it might be prevented. But given the fact that ALPA is an organization that is mired in its own conflicts of interest, I doubt anything can be done.

throttlejockey

 

[Uncle Don]

Throttlejockey, You are right!

ALPA has to get it's head out of the sand and get control of this matter. Oh, but wait that is now impossible. If ALPA helps the regionals they hurt the majors. If they help the majors they hurt the regionals. Conflict of interest plain and simple!!!

Obviously SCOPE dosen't fix the problem because EMB built the EMB140 smiply as an AA SCOPE Buster!! The only true way to recify this problem, is to pay fair and equitiable wages on the RJs and have mainline do all of the flying. However, the only way this will happen is if the Union's set SCOPE aside and force management into this matter. As APA is trying to do.

ASM cap is not a good solution either. Since AA furloughed pilots. Eagle has picked up DFW-DAY DFW-CMH ORD-ROC ORD-SYR ORD-YOW, and opened up RJ bases in LAX and more I am sure that I never mentioned. This is not good for anyone because in order to fly into these cities Eagle just pulled out of other cities. So the routes the AA pilots tried to protected are gone, Eagle gets smaller, and AMR losses cities, seats, and feed.

Every one route that the RJ's pick up that is one less job for all of us in the future.

I don't the know if anyone will ever see the light, or if we all will let low paying RJ jobs proliferate the domestic market place. ALPA will waiste time and money on SSCOPE. The regionals will gorify the RDJC (or whatever the heck it's letters are). As managment runs to the bank as they blind side everyone. Then one morning we will all wake up from what we think is a bad hangover, but it really turns out to be cheap wages flying RJs point to point all over the freck'n country. With no good airline jobs anywhere!

P.S. "With no good airline jobs anywhere!" In part also because FlexJet took all the Buisness travel away, by providing a much better service. ;-)

 

[3green]

APA

Anyone have a guess on what APA wants in there section 6? Do they wnat all flying, or some thing realy big in return for the ACM cap lift. Time will tell.

 

[surplus1]

The APA has already made public what they want. Didn't you read their recent proposal to AMR?

They want to take ALL the jets from American Eagle, place them at AA, fly them with AA and TWA pilots and dump the Eagle pilots. That is exactly what they want and they have put it in writing.

Basically, they and every other major airline in ALPA want to eliminate the regional jets (unless they are flown by mainline pilots). They also do not want the likes of you or me to come with our airplanes. If that should cost every regional pilot his job, they don't care. They will just tell you to "fill out an application and get a real job", as they have been doing for the last 9 years.

That's the way it is, whether we like it or not.

 

[Uncle Don]

"Easy Physco!!"

We got what they want with a binding contract. They can't just dumb that!!

The fence may reach the moon! Even if it doesn't, it is better to be furloughed for 5years with a number and still get 25years at a major, than to be stuck at a regional for even 3yrs!