Amazing.......

[BlueBusDriver]

Get ready gang.....

Here comes another exciting anouncement from B6.

Cheers....
BBD

 

[tkr-toad]

New City maybe?

Fare info?
Inflight Entertainment?
Airframes?

No specifics, just a hint if you will...

 

[lowecur]

LGA

Wonder where they will get the gate space? More pressure on Song. These slots will be used to FLL, PBI, and MCO. And the vice tightens.



Reuters
JetBlue requests 10 slots for LaGuardia Airport
Wednesday January 21, 5:26 pm ET


NEW YORK, Jan 21 (Reuters) - JetBlue Airways Corp. (NasdaqNM:JBLU - News) has filed with the U.S. Department of Transportation for 10 slots to begin service from New York's LaGuardia Airport in spring 2004, the low-fare carrier said on Wednesday.
The four-year-old carrier, which already operates from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, said it expects to announce cities and schedules served from LaGuardia later this winter.

 

[tkr-toad]

lowecur

Where is your avatar from? I can't quite place it. Looks a little like Judge Reinhold...

 

[lowecur]

tkr

It's from Caddyshack. That's Carl(Bill Murray) holding the pitchfork and explaining his round with the Dali Lama. Funny stuff.

 

[General Lee]

Lowecur,

The fares from B6 are higher than Song's fares. Why would that hurt us? We are installing more IFE to the Song fleet each week (most should be done by end of FEB), and I don't think 10 flights or whatever is going to swamp the people near LGA. We have a good product too in Song, and we still go to all 3 NYC airports... The vice grip does what???? You grip your what?? I thought so. We had full flights over the holidays, and we expect the same in the Spring and Summer. We just need to contain our costs better, and hopefully we will do that. You sure do get dramatic. Maybe they did that because they saw how well we were doing at LGA. Also, now they have to compete with another LCC at LGA--Spirit. Enjoy.

Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[IB6 UB9]

Getting a little defensive aren't we?

 

[a320drivr]

Here we go again. Another interesting move from mgmt. that seems to get away from the business plan again. I will say this about Song though. In the latest issue of Time, Song has not lived up to the predictions of DAL Mgmt. and is not forecast too. I think DAL would be better off concentrating on mainline instead of robbing it with Song.

 

[Dieterly]

The name of the game is....fuel hedging

 

[lowecur]

Heneral (like my spanish?)

Lowecur,

The vice grip does what???? You grip your what?? I thought so.

It's just the beginning. They see UAIR may have to sell some gates, and more than likely will cutback on their regional service at some point. B6 sees LGA as a 190 base and will start out with a few point to point flights from BUF, ROC, SYR, and Burlington. Anyone wanting a connection out West will go through JFK. I also see the 190's being used direct from these cities to MCO, FLL, PBI, Fort Myers, and Tampa. 320 service from these upstate locations will be reduced to JFK, also freeing up slots at JFK for more CASM friendly Transcons.

Will this hurt Song? You're nieve if you think it won't. For every 2 flights they add from LGA they can cut 1 from JFK, and free up the slot for more Transcons.

 

[lowecur]

Originally posted by General Lee Lowecur, We just need to contain our costs better, and hopefully we will do that. You sure do get dramatic. Maybe they did that because they saw how well we were doing at LGA. Also, now they have to compete with another LCC at LGA--Spirit.

By the time you guys renegotiate a contract, you'll be stepping on your beard as you climb into the cockpit. It's all about testosterone, and who's going to show who. In the meantime, the rest of the industry will pass you by.

 

[General Lee]

Lowecur,

We are adding back capacity too, and you don't know that USAir will sell anything at LGA, they might sell just PIT. A lot of what you are coming up with is speculation. (Especially the EMB-190 orders at other airlines.....) You and I both don't know exactly what will happen, and you also think nobody will compete with Jetblue. How about AA and their lower costs now? They are huge at LGA and BOS----did you forget that? Are they not a factor too for Jetblue? I guess not. You forgot about Southwest's presence in PHL and maybe other places, and then there wil be Spirit, etc...Whatever dude.

As far as employee costs cuts at Delta, yeah--I don't know if Delta wants to negotiate--we do, but not for their amount. You forget something, we only have one union. They already have the flexibility---they can go for more. We have assets we can still mortgage, and we have cash to last us for a long time---the economy is getting better, and we still have more RJs than anyone else, and our INTL flying is bigger than anyone else to Europe. (And the service is great---you haven't tried it in awhile I guess) You are right about getting our costs in order, and we are willing. We shall see.

Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[lowecur]

Lowecur,

We are adding back capacity too, and you don't know that USAir will sell anything at LGA, they might sell just PIT. A lot of what you are coming up with is speculation. (Especially the EMB-190 orders at other airlines.....) You and I both don't know exactly what will happen, and you also think nobody will compete with Jetblue. How about AA and their lower costs now? They are huge at LGA and BOS----did you forget that? Are they not a factor too for Jetblue? I guess not.

I can't predict the future, but it's fun to speculate. One thing that isn't speculation and I can guarantee you is that UAIR will never get anything for PIT. They just signed a lease there for 10 gates, and it's the least attractive of all their assets.

As far as B6, I expect them to have plenty of competition. They will win more than they lose. Because their fundamental infrastructure is so strong, they will be able to turn on a dime as they hyper-grow in the next 5 years. B6 is the darling of NY, and all the airlines are going to find it tough to compete with them.

Arpey has done a great job in bringing back a sense of purpose to the employees at AMR. They are smart enough to understand the opportunity is now, not in 18 to 24 months. Your MEC must be living in the past. The future winners in this industry will be decided in the next 12 months. I don't see DL in that group unless they do something in the next 6 months.

 

[General Lee]

Lowecur,


Our MEC has seen the books and has hired a very well known NY Investment bank and several highly touted Airline Economists that have looked over everything Delta had, and came up with the conclusion that we should give them 9% plus the 4.5% raise due in May. Most of us on the line would even go for 15% plus the 4.5% raise just to be nice. Are those investment guys wrong? Are you the only one who is right? This is an important fact: "never listen to what the company tells it's employees, listen to what they tell Wall Street. They cannot lie to investors." Can you come up with a better one? We know we should give up some pay, and we are willing to Negotiate-------not given a number and expecting to accept it. What are we, idiots? Nope. The company also can get extra wage cuts from any other of the 80% of non-union employees right now, but they have not. Hmmmmmmm. Do you still think our MEC has no idea what they are doing? Ok, right......You would not make a good negotiator. Look at the info and make a logical conclusion----look at the books. They have done just that, with experts helping them for a price. You don't know what you are talking about----and neither do the analysts. They don't have time to research like the guys we have hired. I personally hope they all negotiate and we get something done, but it has to be done the correct way.


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[MedFlyer]

Lowecur,


Our MEC has seen the books and has hired a very well known NY Investment bank and several highly touted Airline Economists that have looked over everything Delta had, and came up with the conclusion that we should give them 9% plus the 4.5% raise due in May. Most of us on the line would even go for 15% plus the 4.5% raise just to be nice. Are those investment guys wrong? Are you the only one who is right? This is an important fact: "never listen to what the company tells it's employees, listen to what they tell Wall Street. They cannot lie to investors." Can you come up with a better one? We know we should give up some pay, and we are willing to Negotiate-------not given a number and expecting to accept it. What are we, idiots? Nope. The company also can get extra wage cuts from any other of the 80% of non-union employees right now, but they have not. Hmmmmmmm. Do you still think our MEC has no idea what they are doing? Ok, right......You would not make a good negotiator. Look at the info and make a logical conclusion----look at the books. They have done just that, with experts helping them for a price. You don't know what you are talking about----and neither do the analysts. They don't have time to research like the guys we have hired. I personally hope they all negotiate and we get something done, but it has to be done the correct way.


Bye Bye--General Lee

It's funny General, you say the analysts have no idea what they are talking about and you might very well be right. However, some of those analysts work for the same investment bank that is doing the financial analysis for DALPA. What makes you think they are any better? The reality is that the investment bank will tell DALPA whatever DALPA wants to hear. I remember many a UAL pilot who swore they'd never go BK and that they had brought financial experts in who told them UAL would not go BK. We all know how that story turned out.

I'm not saying DALPA should roll over and give cuts. However, the bottomline is that most of DL's competitors are recovering and getting stronger while DL is floundering. So while DL management and DALPA are busy playing games, DL's competitors are busy stealing DL's customers which is exactly what JBLU is doing with their LGA move. JBLU knows that Song isn't doing very well, so now is the time to strike and deliver a real knockout blow.

 

[Intruder One]

Everyone seems to be jumping ahead alitte..........applying for gates and getting them are two different things.

 

[jetblue320]

Everyone seems to be jumping ahead alitte..........applying for gates and getting them are two different things.

Yes you are right. But they said the same negative things about JFK when we started up.

See ya

 

[Newjetjockey]

The name of the game is....fuel hedgingThe name of the game is....fuel hedging

I thought it was all about ball bearings these days.

 

[spanky2]

Just curious...how many jets and pilots does JB have ? How long has the most senior JB captain been on board ?

 

[G4G5]

Everyone seems to be jumping ahead alitte..........applying for gates and getting them are two different things.

They are applying for slots NOT gates, very big difference.

Currently their are NO gates available at LGA. They are a commodity that airlines hold onto to dearly. They are bought, sold, leased and mortaged. BUT not available.

IF B6 were to get 10 slots first their would have to be 10 slots available. then they would have to hope that they were the only ones applying for them. Then they would then have to find a current LGA gate holder who would be willing to lease them space for 10 flights. At the prescribed times that the slots were for.

Slots become available if the current user does not meet the requirements set forth by the PANYNJ. This may also be a way to put pressure on DAL and AA to start using their unused slots. B6 may have little intension of operating them and would rather see the competition be forced to use them. Similar to what AA did to B6 in LGB.

Airlines don't just give back LGA slots. One of the reasons AA purchased Business Express and TWA was for their LGA slots and gates.

The other possibility could be that, they have already worked a deal out with USAir. The last time I checked they were the only ones at LGA who had any free space.