ACA told to close BOS Base?

[46Driver]

I still think the move is due to maintenance consolidation. It is easier for both Delta and ACA to have all 33 DoJets at CVG and run routes through Boston than it is to have 24 jets at CVG and 9 at BOS and thus have the maintenance and the crews split. We have a shortage of both engines and Dornier First Officers so having one big pool alleviates both problems.

Also, Delta is probable less likely concerned with Independence Air (it is directly targeted at USAir and UAL) than it is in assuming the DoJet leases, maintenance, crew training, and buying A LOT of Pratt & Whitney 306-B's.

Just my opinion.

 

[SaladShooter]

The cost plus system allows the DELTA to move ACA from domicle to domicle but DELTA must pay for the cost. To set up a base will cost little or no money on ACA's part. When we moved from LGA to CVG, DAL paid all the costs associated with the move. Now that said their is a hassle with moving bases that DAL does not pay for. We also have a min usage clause that states if the usage of the aircraft falls below a certain level ACA gets paid for the min usage number not the actual usage, thus ACA gets a gauarenteed profit on a certain usage of aircraft.

I would say the move has to do with MX reasons and usage issues. DAL has bigger things to worry about right now than ACA DC.


So if they move us to Guam we do not pay for the move, in addition we also get paid for a min usage of flight hours by DAL, if we fly or not.

The only way out is if DAL cancels and takes the airplanes per the contract or DAL files BNK and leaves us holding the bag!

 

[Guam360]

Hey leave Guam out of this....none of you would like it there anyway!

Guam360

 

[Diesel]

rumor was a couple of weeks ago that the chief pilot of aca in CVG said it was going to happen March 1st.

Frankly unless I see it in writing I don't believe it.

The Dojet out of BOS does a really good job filling btv, pwm, bgr all the routes the saaaaab used to do.

We shall see though.....

 

[NoName]

I still think the move is due to maintenance consolidation. It is easier for both Delta and ACA to have all 33 DoJets at CVG and run routes through Boston than it is to have 24 jets at CVG and 9 at BOS and thus have the maintenance and the crews split.

riiiiiight....open your eyes man. aca will be out as a delta conn carrier and uex carrier by fall of 04.

 

[46Driver]

riiiiiight....open your eyes man. aca will be out as a delta conn carrier and uex carrier by fall of 04.

On the Delta side, it will be best for ACA if we CAN unload the Dorniers on Delta. I personally don't think it is going to happen due to Delta's poor financial position. Feel free to justify your opinion....

As for the UEX side, the sooner we end flying for UAL, the better.

 

[NoName]

you guys are so ready to dump your major partners and your going to be left with nothing by independance air. How many upstarts actually make it? look at great plains. greats plains had a good idea also but couldnt make it. now indy is jumping in the market with 100 airplanes to fill right away. be careful what you wish for, you just mite get it.

 

[46Driver]

you guys are so ready to dump your major partners and your going to be left with nothing by independance air. How many upstarts actually make it? look at great plains. greats plains had a good idea also but couldnt make it. now indy is jumping in the market with 100 airplanes to fill right away. be careful what you wish for, you just mite get it.

Well, on the Delta side we are making minimal profit and the long term prognosis on the Dorniers is not good. It is better to get out from under a lemon aircraft while we can.

On the UAL side, we didn't have much choice with the offer UAL made us. Much better choice to go out on our own with the infrastructure of the IAD hub, the weakness of our two biggest competitors (USAir and UAL) and before JetBlue and AirTran can expand with their large aircraft orders (EMB-170's and 737's respectfully).

We "mite" make it, we "mite" not; either is preferable to the status quo.

 

[House_X]

you guys are so ready to dump your major partners and your going to be left with nothing by independance air. How many upstarts actually make it? look at great plains. greats plains had a good idea also but couldnt make it. now indy is jumping in the market with 100 airplanes to fill right away. be careful what you wish for, you just mite get it.

noname: I know I'm stating the obvious...this is FLAMEBAIT

FlyComAirJets - I agree on your analysis...the game is afoot!

 

[NoName]

its not flamebait, its common sense. what is indy air going to be able to offer on a crj from iad, that ual isnt going to be able to offer in a crj from iad. there is just all this talk of getting rid of the partners asap. going from a somewhat stable environment into one that could be the beginning of the end. do we need to start listing startup carriers with good ideas that didnt make it? proair, midway, national, airsouth, greatplains, etc. etc....etc.......etc....

 

[zkmayo]

its not flamebait, its common sense. what is indy air going to be able to offer on a crj from iad, that ual isnt going to be able to offer in a crj from iad. there is just all this talk of getting rid of the partners asap. going from a somewhat stable environment into one that could be the beginning of the end. do we need to start listing startup carriers with good ideas that didnt make it? proair, midway, national, airsouth, greatplains, etc. etc....etc.......etc....

Independence Air could offer that UAL currently does not:

1. affordable air fares out of IAD (no more $600 tickets IAD-SYR on a CRJ)

2. more frequent svc (more efficient usage of a/c, helping to further decrease costs and benefit customer); ACA's CRJs since UAL chap 11 avg 8.5 hrs a day; under Indy theyll avg. 11.5; Airbus upwards of 14.

3. much better customer service that is poor at IAD UAL (this has hamstrung ACA for years and yes, ACA does have some bad apples here too). You cant tell me honestly that UAX will have better customer svc with Mesa at IAD. There is a big push at ACA to flush the old culture and bring in a new attitude with a sense of purpose. Not an easy thing to do but it will be essential to the success of Iair.


I predict ACA will exit the DALConn program within a year. As long as it doesnt cost 400 jobs, it could be a good thing in the long run. Eliminate conflict of interest with DAL, allow ACA to concentrate on LCC, get rid of Dojets, etc.

You say alot of LCCs fail. I wont debate that. But know other carrier will start from Day 1 with as much on the table to start as Independence. BTW, even if we fail, at least we failed on our terms not someone elses.

Good luck to all.

 

[FlyComAirJets]

NoName, the previous airlines that you cite just goes to show that you do not understand what is going on here. Independance Air is not merely another rehashed upstart from the primordial ooze, they are a revolutionary product the likes of which has not been seen in the deregulated era. This is the gutsiest move I have ever seen.

These guys are rewriting the book. You don't think they have been paying attention to where all those pax they have been carrying are going or how they bought their tickets? Travel agents are history and so are big centralized reservation centers. Wake up!

Now, alas, I fear a wheezing DAL along with a bit of help from a staggering UAL might use us as the instrument to teach this and any future upstarts a lesson. Go get 'em, guys.

 

[w4mch]

Re: Figure this one out?

Maybe the Ryan busses won't count as they won't be on ACA's certificate. Could be a year or so before ACA starts flying theirs which could keep them in the DCI family a little longer. Or maybe Delta has found a way to bypass DALPA's scope using a grandfather clause. Guess we just have to wait and see.

Delta has been fairly quiet lately with the negotiations concerning DALPA. Something is brewing.

Independence Air has delivery schedule (as of now) for the first Airbus to be delivered in Sept 04 and flying the line in Nov 04. I don't know if we will be using Ryan at all, there has been little talk of them lately.

Our agreement with DL allows them the right to cancel for convienence with a six month notice and our right to "put" the do-jets over to DL. Listen to the Tom Moore hotline at 866-465-9309 to hear it directly from the boss man.

Certainly you realize that the DO jet issue is a pawn in the DL to DL mec talks over pay at DL mainline.

Whats going to happen? Your guess is as good as mine. Either DL is forced to call the contract and eats the DO jets, the DL pilots are somehow convinced to "allow" the DO jets to continue as is or -shudder- DL goes the CH 11 route and spanks their mainline pilots as well as ACA by using the bankruptcy process.

Never flew the plane, don't know much about it, but it is sad that the engines are wearing out so quickly and it has had some sort of electrical problem. Our guys flying it say it was a kick to be leveling off at 11K halfway through the left turn doing the whitestone climb off of LGA.

 

[WhiteCloud]

its not flamebait, its common sense. what is indy air going to be able to offer on a crj from iad, that ual isnt going to be able to offer in a crj from iad. there is just all this talk of getting rid of the partners asap. going from a somewhat stable environment into one that could be the beginning of the end. do we need to start listing startup carriers with good ideas that didnt make it? proair, midway, national, airsouth, greatplains, etc. etc....etc.......etc....

The difference is that ACA/I air is not really a "startup" carrier. They already have airplanes that air flying and making money. It's really just a change in focus and type of operation. UAL is a bankrupt company who wasn't willing to honor their agreement with ACA even though it was making both money. All you can do with "partners" like that is say goodbye. ACA/I air IS moving on.

 

[zkmayo]

The 328Jet is a great airplane when everything is working on it. Saying it has great climb performance is an understatement. It is perfect for most of the flights we do with it (short haul, high freq).

That being said, I have never, ever, ever seen a plane that is as tempermental as this SOB. Gen Fails bc its first flight cold am, strange erroneous CAS messages, switch/solenoid/proxi problems...usually Cntrl/Alt/Del fixes 95%, but not always. The engine problems are something the avg line pilot doesnt deal with. I only know of one time where a crew shut down an engine in flight. Most of the times if there are FADEC problems, its known even before we leave the gate. As a rule, if you get it started, its going to run til you get to where youre going. The problems that are plaguing the engine are a result of a cooling problem that has resulted in early overhauls.

In general, its a fun airplane to fly; however, calling it a hangar queen/mx pig would not be an insult or off base.