ACA TA Passed

[House_X]

46,

Check the financial news programs on cable, check the wall street journal, talk to friends outside the airline industry, the economy is showing solid signs of bouncing back. It's already happening on the west coast.

We really screwed ourselves. The thing I'm really concerned about is how little we are doing to please our Delta side. Delta is strong and we had opportunites to expand if we changed aircraft. We need to diversify and expand with other carriers.
We can all agree to that!

 

[acaTerry]

1. Don't compare regionals to these guys. It's apples to oranges. We are talking about regional airlines, let's stick to regional concessions. It's easier for a DAL pilot to accept a DAL paycut than a $21,000 /yr regional FO to take a 30% cut.

2. The same customer will also spend 50 bucks on a baseball game ticket. If the prices are high and he has to pay it, he will pay it. He does not decide major league baseball is too expensive and go to a bowling game to save money.

3. Again, if the price is set and can't be dashed around, they have to pat it.

4. Sure they are, maybe not so much as before. But what is being overlooked is the PLEASURE traveller. Look at who makes up the crowds on JB, SWA, AirTran----THIS is why they are thriving.

5. Yes it is, but it can be compared in that certain markets in air travel is also a closed market. Sure, people bellyached baseball, but the end result was in players favor.

6. Tell me that the public does not need air travel. Then look up in the sky at the planes. People can not live without it these days.

 

[ArcticFlier]

I'm still waiting for United to give us some good news. It took less than 24 hrs for Skywest to get crj-700 when they signed their TA. Not to mention our management giving a victory speech...I guess cell phones coverage doesn't work on the vacation beaches of Barbados.

So here we are with a big fat paycut, no news from our pimp and were still standing on the street corner hustling for "johns".

5 years ehh...the economy is already heading for a recovery and we're stuck with a 5 year contract. They can still get rid of the 41's, they can still furlough, and they can still make those dollars when they economy recovers.

bad contract + economic recovery = we are 5 year beooooothces

Being on vacation, maybe I missed something. We have -700's?

AF

 

[realitycheck]

Pareto

Pareto effect- why are people surprised when "crummy" TAs pass with 70%? It's the 80-20 rule; 80% of the posters speak for 20% of the population.

And if a TA passes well (ACA, SkyWest), maybe you nay-sayers should leave room for the possibility that other people from time-to-time are smarter than you.

 

[RJPilott]

Re: Pareto

other people from time-to-time are smarter than you.

or, perhaps, they just scare a bit easier. Not 2 days have past and our company is already trying to pull a fast one with FRJ FO vacancies without recalling furloughs while blatently violating our contract. Business as usual at ACA.

 

[buttercup]

RJPilott,

Are you from Long Island?

 

[RJPilott]

maybe....Hows EJA "AS214"???


you still working in the X??

 

[buttercup]

Yeah.. Did my PIC checkride last August.. Hope all is well with you. Did you get the boat in the water thiis summer?

 

[RJPilott]

I PMed ya...

 

[uncle]

FRJ FO

RJPilot

I'm one of the fuloughed FRJ FOs. I'm not pleased about what the Co is doing. I hope we hold strong and no one bids for the position. If the Co recalls just 10 pilots, two of us are FRJ FOs.

To all the ACA FOs: We (the 96) need your help

 

[RJPilott]

Hang in there bro. The MEC is working on it. It will be interesting how this unfolds. Keep in touch with the Furlough Administrator of our MEC. Also you may want to try calling your domicile Chief. If you need numbers, let me know...

 

[zkmayo]

One thing about the baseball/airline analogy. there is a big difference: airlines provide a commodity service ie there is little brand loyalty bc, for the most part, there is little differentiation between services provided by the airlines particularly among the majors and regionals. Look at it as reserving a rental car. Do you care who you rent from? No, you go to the one that is cheapest and most convienent. Baseball, however, has hometown teams, loyal support, etc and therefore people are willing to spend $50/ticket to see Mark McGuire. Its only airlines that differientiate themselves from the pack like JB (new airbus offering cheap fares and upbeat service), Midwest (premium onboard meals and service, chinaware, cookies, etc), and Airtran and SWA (rock-bottom prices/no-frills service) that stand away from being a commodity. Is it a shock that these are the airlines that are doing well (ok, Midwest isnt doing so well bc of there dependence on business travelers)?

The regionals are also a commodity. They all mainly fly the same type airplanes and could be substituted for each other with relatively little fanfare (repaint airplanes, change domiciles). That was held over our heads at ACA. "Mesa could replace us in 2-3 years as UAL phases us out and ramps up MESA." Therefore, as pilots, although we are highly skilled and trained labor, we are also expendable and interchangeable, and therefore a commodity too. Doctors and lawyers arent so easily interchangeable. Ask a cardiologist to do brain surgery. Ask a real estate lawyer to be defense counsel in a murder case. Ask a CRJ Capt to become a Airbus FO, thats doable. Do you see my point?

best wishes, fly safe

 

[acaTerry]

zk,

There is some validity to your point, however, I think there is at least some loyalty in the airline industry. True, not as much as in ball, but look at all the mile-earning credit cards that work with certain airlines (to name just one of the outside ways of making money). The airlines are not going to give seats away to credit card companies for nothing. And if people know that by flying X airline enough that there is something to be gaines, they will stick with it.

Rental cars are too dependant on the individual. You mention that nobody cares who they rent from so long as it is cheap. Not true. I, for example, will rent from nobody but Avis. This is because I know I never get a smokey, trashed up old beater that has ashes on the seats, smells like 5-day old McDonalds and has mud on the floor. Avis costs more, but I knoww I'm getting that extra buck worth. It is the same way in air travel. The one who does not care will go to the cheapest one. But the passengers who want a better product will stay where they know it will be the way they want it, even if the airline pays pilots more than $22,000/ year.

Your style makes you appear to be around the same age range as me so you may be able to relate to this: I miss the days when air travel cost more and people dressed up for it. The passengers had class and flight was fun. Now, in this age of the spoiled customer, it's just another d*mned thing to complain about. I guess the improvements in safety do not account for anything. They'd be happier crashing, as long as it was cheap. And for the way it's going now in terms of professional treatment, lower caliber pilots are going to apppear. So the travelling public may yet get what they want.....the cheap crash.

 

[neflyguy]

PROUD TO HAVE VOTED NO.
IT'S BEEN VERY QUIET THE LAST 72 HOURS. NO NEWS FROM MGTMT OR CHIEF PILOT. A SPECIAL BID FOR THE FRJ???
YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME, WHILE WE STILL HAVE PEOPLE ON THE STREET.

TO MY FELLOW MINORITY PILOTS WHO VOTED "NO" THANK YOU, AS FOR THE REST OF YOU I DO NOT WANT TO HEAR YOU BEEETCH FOR THE NEXT 7 YEARS!! YOU LOST THAT RIGHT!!!



Report this

 

[walkthasky]

.

Dont want to hear your sh*t either dude. Stop whining. The TA passed and thats that. What do you have to gain by being angry. Lifes too short to be pissed off all the time. Who did you fly 1900's for ? Who promised that there would be news within 72 hours? I admit the FRJ thing sucks. People really need to grow up these days.

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