By Amy Joyce
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, November 17, 2003; Page E02
Mesa Air Group Inc.'s hostile takeover bid of Atlantic Coast Airlines Holdings Inc. has made Atlantic's employees hostile.
A cheeky Web site, created by Atlantic Coast pilots, according to company insiders, was set up recently to show support for Atlantic's new independent, as-yet unnamed airline. But even more so to bash Jonathan Ornstein, Mesa chief executive.
The site, www.aero2003.org, which stands for "ACA Employees Repelling Ornstein," tauntingly greets Ornstein on its home page, should he visit the site: "Oh, and hello, Johnny. Glad you stopped by. You're going to lose."
The site asks for donations to help employees pay for anti-Mesa buttons and other expenses, and explains that the employees' mission is to help the company resist Mesa's bid. The site's manifesto declares "our desire to satirize Mesa and everything about it."
Ornstein, an outspoken airline executive who has garnered animosity from organized labor, has created turmoil among employees at Dulles-based Atlantic Coast. Pilots hope to fly larger jets for a new low-fare airline; larger jets mean more advancement and career opportunities. But Atlantic's plans to launch the new airline -- it is to unveil a new name and logo Wednesday -- were put in jeopardy with Ornstein's plan to swallow the company. In response, Atlantic's pilots are standing up for their company's new idea, albeit anonymously.
A longtime Atlantic pilot spoke on the condition of anonymity because he and his co-workers are afraid for their salaries, benefits and jobs if Mesa takes over.
Ornstein "bought CCAir and pretty much disassembled that," said the pilot, who has worked for Atlantic for about eight years. "There's nothing left of it. And that's what we anticipate are his intentions of ACA."
Mesa's bid to take over Atlantic came after Atlantic announced it would start a new airline and drop its longtime contract with United Airlines to run the United Express commuter service on the East Coast. Atlantic pilots are excited by the prospect of flying for an independent airline, said Doug Abbey, president of Washington-based AvStat, an airline consultancy. "It's the nature of pilots to want to fly bigger and newer and more complex or sophisticated airplanes," he said.
Mesa's pilots are paid less than Atlantic's, who are paid more than pilots at most regional airlines. Benefits at Mesa are also inferior to those at Atlantic Coast, according to the Atlantic pilot and industry experts.
"Jonathan's reputation among pilots is fairly well-known," Abbey said. "His acquisition of CCAir put a lot of people out of work."
Rick DeLisi, an Atlantic Coast spokesman, said he had no comment about the new Web site. The pilot, and a disclaimer on the site, state that Atlantic Coast management has no hand in creating the Web site. A Mesa spokesman did not return several calls seeking comments on the site.
"While we mock Mister Ornstein and his shady ways, we stand in solidarity with the hardworking employees of Mesa. They are honest, dedicated aviation professionals. Our fight is not with them."
So why so many people willing to jump on anyone thinking about taking a position with Mesa?
I was discussing some of the things
that J(L)o has said about labor with
a retired airline CA...he said "this guy
is not as smart as he thinks he is".
I had to laugh when I told him that
was the nicest thing anyone has ever
said about JO!
I made a donation...put your money
where your mouth is if yall really want
to stop the orinator!
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