Airtran shifting the role of some of their RJs

[maxblast72]

Airtran has a special merger agreement with ALPA that allows ALPA national to impose whatever contract they want on the Airtran pilots without a vote. ALPA also negotiated a section in the merger agreement that allows them to shut Airtran down for a month or two if it benefits another airline they represent.

 

[DonVerita]

Nobody have a heart attack. He's just kidding!

As for Alaska buying AirTran. Doubtful. I actually heard it was the other way around.

But how could any of this happen given that AirTran is going to buy Frontier and then merge the whole thing with JetBlue.

Ahhh the rumors you hear standing around the Pepsi machine (or Coke machine for you ATL guys).

 

[Citrus531]

A 717 captain on the bus said Allegiant is looking like a dance partner for us

Ahhh starting rumors....kinda like the SW rumor I've heard for the last 5 years.

 

[realmanofgenius]

are ya'll gonna do the waltz? or the bump and grind? or the gator? (ya'll have a lot of frat boys at the tran?)

 

[dooork]

Good points all, Max. Just keep an eye on ALPA, they like to homogenize pilot contracts.

Shouldn't pilot contracts within the same "union" be homogeneous?

 

[Eagle757shark]

Nobody have a heart attack. He's just kidding!

As for Alaska buying AirTran. Doubtful. I actually heard it was the other way around.

But how could any of this happen given that AirTran is going to buy Frontier and then merge the whole thing with JetBlue.

Ahhh the rumors you hear standing around the Pepsi machine (or Coke machine for you ATL guys).

AirTran buy Alaska, with what? Do you know how much Alaska is worth? Midwest, ATA gates and slots how did that turn out? Why do so many assume AirTran is buying anyone? Mergers and acquiring other airline assets, hmmm...this management team has not a good track record.

With the amount of money in the bank, Alaska would probable be doing the buying if they wanted. Southwest is not interested in the corporate culture at AirTran. With AirTran's debt load and low unrestricted cash level, I doubt there will be a purchase of Alaska.

 

[Colonel Savage]

Shouldn't pilot contracts within the same "union" be homogeneous?

Therein lies the debate on whether a company that's losing money should pay its employees the same wage/benifits as a company that's making money (or losing significantly less money).

What if one group has industry leading duty rigs, or ironclad Scope? Should they give them up for "industry standard? (As has happened in the past)

 

[gt1900]

Alaska could right a check right now for AAI if they wanted. And they wouldn't even have to get outside financing, even though they would. AAI can not buy Alaska, but Alaska could buy AAI...

 

[Colonel Savage]

...Mergers and acquiring other airline assets, hmmm...this management team has not a good track record...

I thought ValueJet bought AirTran back in the late 90's and kept the AirTran name? Seems to have worked out OK from a growth and profitability angle.

 

[Eagle757shark]

Alaska could right a check right now for AAI if they wanted. And they wouldn't even have to get outside financing, even though they would. AAI can not buy Alaska, but Alaska could buy AAI...

I agree with you bud. Alaska is smaller than AirTran and Alaska has almost 4 times the amount of cash in the bank. If anyone will be doing the buying, they will be doing the buying from Seattle!

 

[Eagle757shark]

I thought ValueJet bought AirTran back in the late 90's and kept the AirTran name? Seems to have worked out OK from a growth and profitability angle.

That management team is now running Allegient. This management teams record speaks for itself. It is not speculation, but facts. Did they succeed at getting the 14 Chicago Midway gates and New York Laguadia slots from ATA? Did they, after installing three of their own board members, succeed at acquiring Midwest? The answer, NO!
Didn't say anything about profits and growth over the last 10 years. That has nothing to do with the fact that Alaska has 4 times the cash in the bank than AirTran and the purchase would probable be the other way around if Alaska were interested. Furthermore, the corporate culture is so different, Southwest would probable take a pass as well.

 

[Fubijaakr]

Alaska could right a check right now for AAI if they wanted. And they wouldn't even have to get outside financing, even though they would. AAI can not buy Alaska, but Alaska could buy AAI...

Yep. That $1.1B in the bank does a lot of talking.

 

[relief tube]

Best of luck to you, but our regular fares for the month you start TYS are already $20 lower than your introductory fares.

Of course they are. Have you seen your paycheck? Have you seen your own payrates? F-ing regional pilots make more. You'll always have lower fares. It's pretty easy math.

We all just hope you don't grow to national size so there's more pressure to make this career officially that of a 21st century truck driver.

 

[Ameriagle]

Of course they are. Have you seen your paycheck? Have you seen your own payrates? F-ing regional pilots make more. You'll always have lower fares. It's pretty easy math.

We all just hope you don't grow to national size so there's more pressure to make this career officially that of a 21st century truck driver.

Who's WE......the 12,000 pilot's with resumes on file at Allegiant? It will be interesting to see how the point to point works out for AAI, in Allegiant markets. NW tried to compete directly with AAY in the midwest and could not make it work. My guess is aircraft utilization at Air Tran is twice what it is at Allegiant and it probably has to be to have any hope of generating a profit (new airplanes vs. owned airplanes....It's pretty easy math). As I understand it this is what killed the NW experiment, the inability to deploy airframes the way Allegiant does and make it financially viable. That and pilot compensation!

 

[maxblast72]

You better hope fuel stays low or our Next Gen 737s will have a lower total CASM than your MD-80s even with your $70K year Captains. It is one thing for you guys to run legacies out of leisure travel markets, it is another thing for you to compete with Southwest, Airtran, or Jetblue. Why did you guys pack up and run so fast in SWF when Jetblue and Airtran started service there a few years ago?