Airtran cutting wages 10%

[vixin]

Fuel Costs Push AirTran to Cut Wages by 10%


By Paulo Prada
Word Count: 419 | Companies Featured in This Article: AirTran Holdings, UAL, Delta Air Lines, Continental Airlines, AMR, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue Airways
AirTran Holdings Inc. told employees it will cut salaries and wages by about 10% and warned that more cutbacks may be necessary as its namesake low-cost airline struggles to cope with high fuel prices.
The pay cuts, announced to workers Wednesday, illustrate how severely even the airline industry's most efficient operators are being squeezed by jet-fuel prices that have nearly doubled over the past year. Although nonfuel operating costs at AirTran Airways, based in Orlando, Fla., are roughly half those of most major airlines, ...

 

[maxblast72]

Airtran didn't tell pilots, flight attendants, and mechanics they are taking a 10% paycut. All three of our groups have CBA's, and thus must be asked for paycuts. I doubt the pilot group is in the mood for one, but we will see what the union board of directors presents to us over the next few weeks of how bad our financial position is or isn't.

 

[Flynfish]

Thanks for the Flash.... Gordon. Have you been reading any of the previous threads?

 

[bravodude]

Fuel Costs Push AirTran to Cut Wages by 10%


By Paulo Prada
Word Count: 419 | Companies Featured in This Article: AirTran Holdings, UAL, Delta Air Lines, Continental Airlines, AMR, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue Airways
AirTran Holdings Inc. told employees it will cut salaries and wages by about 10% and warned that more cutbacks may be necessary as its namesake low-cost airline struggles to cope with high fuel prices.
The pay cuts, announced to workers Wednesday, illustrate how severely even the airline industry's most efficient operators are being squeezed by jet-fuel prices that have nearly doubled over the past year. Although nonfuel operating costs at AirTran Airways, based in Orlando, Fla., are roughly half those of most major airlines, ...

Likethis is much better! I ma sure they are well aware of whats going on and they dont need you to tell them.
Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

 

[DonVerita]

Vixin...who do you work for? You just love to spread the bad news don't you.

As for AAI pilots, there won't be any pay cuts for them. Why? Because we have a union and a contract here. That means that any pay cuts would have to be approved by the rank and file in a vote.

AAI pilots despise management and are not willing to give them one red cent; especially after the way the pilot group has been treated over the last 3 years. Pilots are tired of hearing management's excuses for their piss-poor performance and their lack of respect.

Line in the sand time.

 

[Clyde Frog]

We gave concessions before. Didn't work out real well. Don't think we'll do it again.

 

[Pilot Knob]

Not when management is still taking bonuses! This pilot group is in no mood for wage concessions. 3 1/2 years past our ammendable date is concession enough. Find the money somewhere else.

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

As for AAI pilots, there won't be any pay cuts for them. Why? Because we have a union and a contract here. That means that any pay cuts would have to be approved by the rank and file in a vote.

Airtran pilots have membership ratification?

 

[Clyde Frog]

Yes, for this we do.

 

[PCL_128]

Airtran pilots have membership ratification?

For changes to our pay, yes. That's already in the C & BLs.

 

[XRMEFLYER]

Vixin...who do you work for? You just love to spread the bad news don't you.

As for AAI pilots, there won't be any pay cuts for them. Why? Because we have a union and a contract here. That means that any pay cuts would have to be approved by the rank and file in a vote.

AAI pilots despise management and are not willing to give them one red cent; especially after the way the pilot group has been treated over the last 3 years. Pilots are tired of hearing management's excuses for their piss-poor performance and their lack of respect.

Line in the sand time.

I hope you're right. I have my doubts about a lot of the captains though.

 

[fool737700]

Vixin...who do you work for? You just love to spread the bad news don't you.

As for AAI pilots, there won't be any pay cuts for them. Why? Because we have a union and a contract here. That means that any pay cuts would have to be approved by the rank and file in a vote.

AAI pilots despise management and are not willing to give them one red cent; especially after the way the pilot group has been treated over the last 3 years. Pilots are tired of hearing management's excuses for their piss-poor performance and their lack of respect.

Line in the sand time.

You guys will take the pay cuts just like every other airline did. You would rather take the cut than have the airline go under. Put up or shutup. Talk is cheap!!

 

[Lear70]

What warms my heart is to see the same sentiment from such a large MIX of seniority levels.

From the lowly FNG who is bound to lose his job in the first round of furloughs, we hear "NO CONCESSIONS, NO LOA'S!"

From the senior CA's who recall the bonuses management took last time after crying poor and being believe, we hear "NO CONCESSIONS, NO LOA'S"!

From the first officers, we see the forming petitions for Member Ratification for ALL side letters and LOA's, requiring ALL changes to the contract or CBA's be put to a FULL membership vote.

They all, in one voice, cry out 'NO CONCESSIONS, NO LOA'S"!

THIS is unity, my brothers and sisters. Don't use it as a stick (unless you have to), but as a tool to point towards the obvious reasons of support for what you are doing. Other people just need to be lead a little in the right direction, and they will get on board themselves.

It'll be interesting to see what happens when the pilots have DIRECT control of their negotiating machine. Couldn't be much worse than T.A.2, and might REALLY get a lot of people engaged, which is the whole point.

The more people who shape the direction going forward, the more people who will take ownership in it and make sure it is successful.

With all this in progress, unless there's some new bomb that supposed to drop, you can kiss pilot concessions goodbye without serious give-backs from management.

No deals on ALL of our non-monetary items, PLUS scheduling, PLUS hotels, PLUS recovering our wrongfully-lost grievances? Then you can put your concession in a warm non-sun-friendly place and rot.

What are they going to do about it? There's no need to fear them.

 

[Wesb737fo]

You guys will take the pay cuts just like every other airline did. You would rather take the cut than have the airline go under. Put up or shutup. Talk is cheap!!

Your name says alot about you. Please take your own advice and shut up. We don't need any motivation from you.

 

[freightdogfred]

I don't see Airtran pilots taking a paycut. Hell, they couldn't vote in a pay RAISE, how ya gonna get em to vote for a pay cut?

 

[Draginass]

Paycuts aren't going to save the airline. It only puts more money into the senior execs pockets for a few more months.

 

[Kharma Police]

I don't see Airtran pilots taking a paycut. Hell, they couldn't vote in a pay RAISE, how ya gonna get em to vote for a pay cut?

Nice try, we were smart enough to know that it wasn't a pay raise but a continued erosion of our work rules and QOL.

 

[hockeypilot44]

Airtran will file bankruptcy. Then your pilots will take paycuts. You guys will accept it and live with it. This cycle has been played out before. Your only other option will be to shut the airline down. I've got news for you. A lot of your senior pilots would rather work for reduced wages than start over again. This is a vicious cycle that has happened many times before especially in the last 7 years.

 

[Freight Dog]

Hate to say it, but I agree with hockeypilot. Way too many airlines shut down already, and they'll come and scare the bejeezus outta you with threats of shutting down.

 

[WSurf]

Hate to say it, but I agree with hockeypilot. Way too many airlines shut down already, and they'll come and scare the bejeezus outta you with threats of shutting down.

What sucks is that they will get the pay cuts from the employees. Once they get the pay cuts to help with managements golden chutes they will still turn around and shut the airline down and run away with millions.

FUBAR

 

[Freight Dog]

Yep. Ain't that the truth?

Now, people need to ask themselves... why are pilots voting for paycuts, and how do you address that so you won't have to vote for paycuts.

Time to do some radical thinking...

 

[tubelcane]

The only way this pilot group will take any cut is if it is imposed on us by a judge. I would guess most guys would rather this place shut down than take any cuts. I flew with an 11 year captain this last week. He is looking to get out. This is it for me. Im 35 and should be loving life. But Im not in the mood to start over anywhere. I think a bunch of our guys feel the same way. We may go down if flames but we will go down swinging. PAY CUTS my azz. "Strength and Honor, at my signal unleash Hell!"

 

[Ty Webb]

Pay cuts aren't going to "save the airline". The amount they would get from employees is a drop in the bucket. Either Oil proces will come down, or Congress will intervene (it is an Election Year, afterall) or we go to bankruptcy. Regardless, there is no way we are voting for paycuts. And what's a judge going to do? We already have the lowest non-fuel CASM out there. Lower it much more, and you're gonna have a hard time getting people to show up.

Most pilots here have come to the conclusion that, if the airline continues down its present path, this will not be a job worth having. So, let the chips fall where they may. I am not interested in doing this job for any less than I already am . . . I can only imagine what the FO's feel like.

TW

 

[OldManPilot]

If oil continues on its current rampage, I wonder who if any will have a chance at survival. I agree we need to take ownership of our profession and stand strong against further erosion in pay and work rules. But this stance needs to be taken industry wide.

We as pilots need to accept responsibility that airlines have been able to get concessions at will,and realize that until we ALL stand up and take control of our profession this treatment wil continue.

I am proud to be a pilot, I am not proud of how we have allowed time after time to be run over and then watch the same result. We lose money and the exec's walk away millionaires.

Take a stand.... NO MORE PAYCUTS!!!!

btw... I am within the numbers that Airtran is forcasting to furlough.

My $.02

 

[BSkin]

My $.02

We've all heard about hydrogen cars. How about developing a hydrogen jet engine. All you'd have to do is serve free drinks to everyone, connect the lav to the engines (of course some high pressure pump/ filter involved to root out the terds), and have a backup supply of H2O in case you're flying a bunch of Mormons. Hmmmmm!

Seriously, from a 5 year captain that will probably go back to reserve or right seat, NO will be my vote! However, I agree with HP44 -- Once it IS voted down, soon (?) afterward we will see bankruptcy. Then the cuts will be forced on us! I haven't talked to anyone in the last week that will vote yes!

Better to go down (pay) swinging than gimping!

 

[9rj9]

well...yes

I think the last one was called the Hindenberg.

Didn't work out so well.

 

[Just thinking]

Google before you type

"I think the last one was called the Hindenberg."

OPEN YOUR MIND TO THE POSSIBILITIES!

"The first public hydrogen station in California with integrated hydrogen and gasoline refueling opened Thursday in Los Angeles, as part of the U.S. government's program to test and promote vehicles using alternative energies.

The west Los Angeles station, operated by Shell Hydrogen, is the company's third vehicle refueling stations in the United States, after one located in Washington, D.C. and another in New York. The station could give consumers a taste of the future, with refueling services for hydrogen powered fuel cell vehicles becoming just as convenient as conventional gasoline motors, said Shell Hydrogen in a statement."

Nuclear power plants are a good things as well.

 

[Turtlesfly]

every thread digresses into how pilots think they can solve all the world's problems.

News flash: you can't.

 

[Britpilot]

Pay cuts aren't going to "save the airline". The amount they would get from employees is a drop in the bucket. Either Oil prices will come down, or Congress will intervene (it is an Election Year, afterall) or we go to bankruptcy. Regardless, there is no way we are voting for paycuts. And what's a judge going to do? We already have the lowest non-fuel CASM out there. Lower it much more, and you're gonna have a hard time getting people to show up.

Most pilots here have come to the conclusion that, if the airline continues down its present path, this will not be a job worth having. So, let the chips fall where they may. I am not interested in doing this job for any less than I already am . . . I can only imagine what the FO's feel like.

TW

Completely correct. There is a line in the sand that has now been reached.
70 hour lines, 8% pay cut, furloughs, anything else they want to throw into the package? Most of us cannot afford a pay cut on the FO side, makes the vote simple.

 

[§kyye Candy]

That just can't be so...

Because Forbes.com says airline pilots are one of the highest paid professions. (STILL!) :laugh:

http://www.forbes.com/2008/05/15/jo...pm_0515bestjobs_slide_12.html?thisSpeed=15000