AirTran Strike Vote...98 percent say YES!

[slick1]

I hope that management at ALL airlines see that the tide has turned.

They should no longer be content to hide behind the restrictions and confinements of the R.L.A. and an complicit N.L.R.B.

Go get 'em, AirTran pilots!

 

[radarlove]

Again... no... not really, no.

Again, Econ 101: costs associated with producing a product are passed on to the consumers of the product in the form of increases in said product's price over time.

Granted, one cannot simply raise fares overnight but, as I mentioned before, AAI has been slowly and quietly raising fares in very small increments over the last year and a half. That increase has shown up on the quarterly reports as increased net profit which, yes, does get passed onto the share holders, for a very brief time, but then that additional income is used to pay for the increased costs that come with a new contract, as well as fare increases in the future as well.

That's not "taking money from the shareholders"; it was never their money to begin with, they just happened to benefit from the fare increases that were eventually slated to cover increased costs of producing this product.

Everything goes up in cost, generally speaking, over time. The trick is to find that middle ground where costs go up a reasonable amount that's fair to the employee group concerned (in this case, the pilots), while simultaneously not requiring such a large increase in fare as to damage AirTran's market share of customers.

With as long as ALPA's been doing this, I trust them to find that "sweet spot" in this case. YMMV.

So, you got a "C" in econ?

 

[slaquer5]

Alaska afforded it. SWA afforded it. Jetblue afforded it. Even Delta guys got some money with the merger and they have been bleeding money. They can get the money for us by being more efficient with their operation. When reserve pilots are timing out 30/7 and they are delaying and even cancelling flights because of poor scheduling practices that equates to higher costs. They can afford to pay more but executive bonuses are in part calculated on money they do not spend that is why there hasnt been a contract. AAI stock has been stagnant for years as the rest of the industry has. If shareholders dont want to own stock they can sell it or not buy it. We have been making money for the most part for years and the stock hasnt really gone up. It was higher when they tried to buy Midwest and save that company from the scum that is Republic. Plus, a well compensated and fairly treated workforce creates profits. Motivation is powerful. SWA has a crappy product but they make money. It is like a damn cult over there. Spreadsheet management doesnt work. It never has. I would rather have some guy that keeps a small company profitable in this country than some idiot with an MBA.

Thanks for reassuring of how bad AT SWA merger would be. I wish you the best on your own and hope to never see you in a SWA uniform.

 

[Scope out RJ's]

And I hope what 400Ahole gets what he richly deserves . . . . a nice case of hemorrhoids. . . . . . and a new jailhouse hubby.

Now that's funny!:laugh:

 

[Ty Webb]

We'll do just fine, thanks, and I hope to never see me in a SWA uniform, either.

Thanks for reassuring of how bad AT SWA merger would be. I wish you the best on your own and hope to never see you in a SWA uniform.

 

[Lear70]

Well, I don't know about a "Crappy" product, although it's certainly "no-frills"... I fly Southwest as a revenue passenger 2-3 times a month on average and it's always a pleasant experience, cattle-call boarding aside...

Have to say, best product award goes to jetBlue domestically. Very rare to run into an unfriendly gate agent or crew, planes are nice, TV's are awesome if you have kids. Wish they would come back to BNA...

Worst product? Mesa/Freedom/Expressjet/insertRJcarriernamehere. I absolutely DETEST flying 2 1/2 hours in a 50- or 70- seat RJ elbow to elbow in that ridiculous seat pitch the RJ's have. The only way I'll do it is if there's NO other way to get where I need to go. I'd rather take two extra legs on a 737 or Airbus than have to ride in an RJ more than an hour...

All that aside, and even though I'd bet my next paycheck that no SWA/AT merger will happen, I don't think there'd be that big of a clash.

YMMV

 

[CoolSidePillow]

Thanks for reassuring of how bad AT SWA merger would be. I wish you the best on your own and hope to never see you in a SWA uniform.

Most mergers are bad. At least for many of the employees. I have flown on SWA many times as a revenue passenger and I do not like what they do. That is my opinion. I wasnt calling it a cult in a bad way. I was making an observation based on the motivation of the employees and using that as an analogy. I am a very good pilot and a very good employee no matter what the logo on the tail is and if I were a SWA employee I would be a good one. Unless you personally started the airline and it has your name on it you have no need to take offense. It is just a job. It doesnt define the person.

 

[ATLplt]

It is just a job. It doesnt define the person.

I wish more folks realized that. It's hard getting that point across to the chest thumpers on FI. We're all professional aviators. At some point you have to let this "my airline is better than yours" shizz go. But what the hell do I know...

I wonder what would happen if we all ACTUALLY supported each other...you know, for the profession, instead of our individual goals?

...what? I'm serious! Stop laughing out loud people!

 

[K-Mart]

Are you guys going to strike or not?

 

[GuppyWN]

And kill their golden ticket?

Gup