AirTran Net Income of $134.7 Million for 2009

[Wesb737fo]

I wholeheartedly agree! I was merely trying to make clear how horribly underpaid you AirTran Pilots are, especially the 737 pilots. I am quite certain that many of you would be shocked at just how little fares would need to increase to get back 2001 pay rates, adjusted for inflation of course.

On a side note. Management makes it abundantly clear why they believe pilots should not be paid what they were in the 1970's, and even worse, they don't even think we deserve the pay we had in 2001. But I have not heard one reasonable justification for the kind of pay and bonuses upper management and the executives get. The average Executive was paid about 40 times that of average labor in the 1970's, now they are paid 400 times that of their average labor! It seems to me that the ratio should have stayed the same throughout. It seems as if the financial blow in corporate america is always landed on the chin of labor and never shared equally by management.

True, since I have began looking " under the hood " recently, I can definitely say that AAI and RAH people are underpaid for what we do. However, I think most airline pilots with the exception of a well known few are vastly underpaid.

I would encourage anyone who has an airline job to look closely at the sec filings for his or her company and KNOW what he/she is really worth, DEMAND it, and ACCEPT nothing less. (Sorry to steal KDA from some former colleagues)

 

[Dooker]

Sounds like now is the time to get on at AirTran. Increasing capacity, new contract just around the corner, very few grayhairs on the payroll.

What's not to like?

 

[Secret Squirrel]

Those are the reasons I got on here. Has not worked out like I thought. I would be careful If lots of upgrades and a good contract right around the corner are your prerequisites.

 

[maxblast72]

With very few retirements over the next 10 years and over 700 First Officers at Airtran, it will take 130-140 aircraft deliveries (we have 5 bidding captains per airplane) to get new hires into the left seat. It will take a long time for new hires to get to the left seat (of course same could be said about any other airline - Southwest has almost 3,000 First Officers although they have more old guys than us).

 

[Colonel Savage]

AAI would have to average 12% per annum growth over 6 years, or 6% growth over 12 years to double in size, and provide a new hire at year one of the cycle an upgrade.

Feel free to interpolate between the numbers to estimate for the duration of your choice, but they are not linear, as compounding is involved.

 

[maxblast72]

AAI would have to average 12% per annum growth over 6 years, or 6% growth over 12 years to double in size, and provide a new hire at year one of the cycle an upgrade.

Ah, the old rule of 72 for investment doubling timeline (can be substituted for upgrade projections obviously).

 

[Colonel Savage]

Yes, can be used as a rule of thumb for many things.

 

[maxblast72]

Except using the published aircraft delivery schedule through 2016, the average growth is probably going to be closer to 6% cause a timeline of 12 years to double in size. The bottom 400 FOs at Airtran (currently) need to plan on still being in the right seat at the end of 2016 (after our remaining 55 737s deliveries) and vote on the next TA based on those projections. That means some guys hired in 2006 at Airtran will still be in the right seat (10th year FOs).

 

[Colonel Savage]

Regardless of what happens to the economy/industry, IMO AAI will outperform virtually every other major airline in the US in terms of growth, including SWA, so long as you protect your scope.

 

[relief tube]

Nice work fellas.

I haven't jumped on you guys in a while. How are things coming with contract and pay increases?

uhhhh....not good- thus the large profit management made.