AirTran Town hall meeting?

[maxblast72]

Got there in time to join Bob and the group of 5 or 6 pilots talking to him after the town hall meeting. Zero growth was our maximum for late 2008 and 2009 with some downsizing possible depending on market conditions.

30 to 60 day out bookings (ie cheap seats) were strong all the way through summer. Close in booking (ie business travelers) he said were weaker. Got the impression that were getting some resistance from travelers at the some of the higher prices/fees. He said something about $5 per seat for advance seat assignment brought in more money than $7.50 since less people did it at the higher amount. It looks like they are still tweaking everything from fares to add ons to see how much money the consumer is willing to cough up. I also asked him how long it takes to catch fares up to latest spike in fuel costs and was surprised when he said it could be up to a year if the fuel prices stay this high.

Other than that, basically what was said above: hunker down as cash is king to ride this through.

 

[SpauldingSmails]

The present history of America if you read between the lines is the older generation using their political clout to take everything they can from the younger generation.

Dead on Max, the boomers have parked themselves betwixt our butt-cheeks for their own gratification. Years from now we'll look back and recount the ways they were such a-holes.

 

[Lear70]

Are you serious????? They should be the first to go!!! Did the TA2 actually address them?

Yes, it did, and was also part of the Rebuttal we published.

The training Dept retirees have to go first ??

Yes. If the company furloughs pilots, the training dept retirees are first on the chopping block, Current contract, Section 17.B.1.b

T.A. 1 and 2 both had provisions that non-seniority list instructors were protected by removing Sec 17.B.1.b and adding some language.

I don't wish ill on any of the instructors and it's really not that many positions when taken into the grand scheme of things, but that's a fall-back position for seniority list pilots to remain employed and I thought it very odd to be addressed in a T.A. change and no one ever really did address my questions to why it was changed and what we got back for it for the rest of the group.

Like your line Lear, "This is chess, not checkers"

It's actually not my line, I think I picked it up a few years ago from Glenn Bruckno, an ALPA rep with Pinnacle, but it's a good one.

Like I said on the NPA board, I'm all for helping the company when there's need, but I don't think it's been demonstrated yet. The company is doing very well in a nasty environment, making good moves, and I think a "wait and see" position is the best policy for the NPA and the pilot group at the moment.