American Connection?

[Ravengirl]

I may be out of the loop here...but I was returning home from BDL last night on American...and while paging through the back of American Way magazine, I noticed that American now has something called American Connection. Is this supposed to be something like Eagle but with shorter flights? I hadn't heard this before, so I'm curious. Thanks for any replies.

Ravengirl

 

[cl-65link]

American Connection used to be known as Trans World Express(Trans States).

 

[Bluestreak]

American Connection jets are operated by Chautauqua out of STL and the t-props are TSA.This deal was cooked up by AMR and CHQ mgt.,old hands at ignoring contracts.AMR wants to use "force majeur" to void TSA's jet contract,but oddly enough,not CHQ's.Meanwhile,AE pilots are on the street.It's a dirty business.

 

[Ravengirl]

that explains a few things

Sounds sinister to say the least. Thanks for the enlightenment, guys.

Ravengirl

 

[eddie]

Bluestreak-

Are you suggesting that Eagle should take over all the flying done by TSA, CHQ, and Corporate to get their pilots off furlough?

It is too bad Eagle still has people on furlough, but so do the companies that were flying TWExpress and have now become American Connection.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I was under the impression that prior to the downturn, Eagle wanted out of the less than 50 seat market, especially turboprops. Maybe it is bending the rules to use 45 seat EMB aircraft to get around that agreement, but Eagle did make that decision.

 

[jetexas]

I can't speak for bluestreak, but I don't think any Eagle pilot wants another group out of work. What we do want is for the company to follow our contract. Before 1997, Eagle was four seperate carriers. The company would expand one group and furlough another group. Captain upgrades for some carriers were as long as 7 - 8 years, while another was less than a year. In 1997, Eagle signed a contract - I am sure you have all heard about it by now, as it is infamous - no strike, 16 years long, etc. Along with it was our flow through to AA and getting all four of those carriers on the same seniority list. The seperation of the four carriers, from talking to the old salts, was the main cause of most problems at Eagle, pre-1997. Also in that contract was a provision, though written poorly, that all feed for AA would be flown by pilots on the American Eagle seniority list. This is not happening now. The only solution to this, in my opinion, is another merge of airlines to AE. This puts Eagle pilots into another spin, as we just had a merge with Business Express in the last few years which put lots of pilots here 350 numbers behind and an extended turn in the right seat as Bizex got straight seniority merged.
Who knows what will happen as I am sure the company will try to seek relief under the premise of 9/11. This all started long before 9/11, however.
While no Eagle pilot (that I know of) holds any malice towards TSA or Chataqua, we are trying to keep the wicked whipsaw from reappearing. That will drive a stake through all our groups (and indeed, our carreers) and not help any of us. The only solution, morally, and legally to all of this that I can see is a merge. Then again I am just a lowly line puke.
I can only hope that all the pilots out there get off furlough soon and things begin to normalize. good luck to all.

 

[Bluestreak]

Ah,yes...Well,I'm somewhat of a expert on furloughed pilots-Myself and 124 others were terminated,not "furloughed" from CHQ October 1st.How would you feel as a furloughed Eagle pilot,seeing your own company farm out flying to another company,while you're on the street ? Just like my CHQ brethren that saw the Saab flying go to Shuttle America. Wexford owns CHQ and Shuttle America,and Bedford moaned we were losing money on the Saab flying,however,SA must have some magic that allows them to be profitable where we couldn't.Same airplanes,same paint job-so what is it ? Any reason CHQ couldn't fly those routes ? None,except our pay scales were higher.AMR now owns TWA,so who should those routes go to ? It's not like they have a shortage of crews at AE.I would love to return to CHQ,but not at the expense of the Eagle pilot group.

 

[TSA Pilot]

Just a clarification....because I know this is an old can of worms and we have fought this fight on the message boards for going on 4 months now.

Here is the press release.

Meanwhile, American has asserted its force majeure rights as a result of the September 11 terrorist attacks to void its regional jet agreement with St. Louis-based Trans States Airlines...........Trans States in June had signed a memorandum of understanding that called for the delivery of 10 ERJ-140s by the end of last year but, according to an American spokesman, the company sought to renegotiate its RJ deal with Trans States as a result of the industry recession since September 11. TSA will continue to fly turboprop connections for American, as will Corporate Airlines, according to the spokesman.

First It voided our ORIGINAL RJ contract (the one that started in JUNE, see above) because AMR wanted us to take a huge operational cost cut that would leave us basically operating at cost (at least this is what management tells us), Hulas thought the economics were bad and said NO and decided to wait it out and delay our jet program until the Industry gets better. It states that they are now seeking to renegotiate a new Jet contract (see above). CHQ took the hit by keeping the jets because they have deeper pockets and can sustain more losses than TSA.

That being said I understand why the Eagle guys are upset and I don't want anyone out of a job but these were OUR routes and have ALWAYS been our routes. By taking them away from us you put OUR pilots out of work for the sake of yours and that's just like wishing your brother was dead so you can collect his inheritance too.

TSA Pilot

 

[Draginass]

The salient point is that TSA and CHQ shouldn't be flying AA feed at all, unless their pilots are on the AE seniority list. This is a clear violation of the scope clause, even in AE's crap contract.

Once more . . . What's the most important part of a labor contract?

 

[SF3CAP]

The salient point is that TSA and CHQ shouldn't be flying AA feed at all, unless their pilots are on the AE seniority list. This is a clear violation of the scope clause, even in AE's crap contract.

Thank you, DA. You nailed it. End of string.

 

[racerX]

You Eagle folks seem to have aggression towards TSA and CHQ for doing a job that they have been doing for years. Your assertion that they have no business flying AA feed is based on YOUR contract with YOUR code share. Your beef is with AMR not the struggling pilots of TSA and CHQ. As stated before, they have had those routes for a very long time. The idea that AA should chop away two good sized portions of the regional industry, leaving their pilots in the cold to suit your needs, is unfair and just plain mean.

(string reopened)

 

[FlyinBrian]

I am a furloughed Eagle pilot, and I honestly have no beef with the pilots of CHQ or TSA. You are right, our beef is with AMR. We are their regional airline. You guys had an agreement with TWA, an airline that no longer exists. It is unfortunate that you were flying feed for a dying airline. If you want to fly feed for AA, as the previous posters have indicated, you have to be on our list. This is per our contract which existed long before the TWA merger, and was constructed to avoid precisely this kind of thing from happnening. (Eagle pilots on the street while AA feed was being farmed out.) Keep in mind that this was the biggest issue that convinced our union to accept a 16 year no strike agreement. We made the sacrifice for that scope clause, and now our company should honor it.

 

[racerX]

Sorry to give the wrong impression. I don't fly for either TSA or CHQ and I DON'T want to fly feed for AA. I just recognize when someone is tryin' to do it to someone else.

 

[Av8trxx]

".....these were OUR routes and have ALWAYS been our routes. By taking them away from us you put OUR pilots out of work for the sake of yours..."

This may have 'always' been so in the past, but that doesn't mean you have the sole right to them in the future.

The same can be said of some former TWA routes now being flown by American. It's just a fortunate situation for TSA & CHQ that TWA did not go under before being bought out! In that situation, what carrier would TSA & CHQ feed in STL? In such a scenario, AA theoretically could have moved in and you'd be flying against AE instead of feeding AA in STL. It's also fortunate for TSA & CHQ that AMR is so cheap they are willing to screw their own employees. You can bet as soon as it's better for AMR, they will find a legal back door out of that contract. That's they way they do business- it's all about them and no one else.

I have no ill will towards any AA Connection pilots. It sucks to be furloughed and I don't wish it on anyone, but the present situation is just not right. Eventually it will all be resolved but until that time, operating as AA Connection could possibly be called "flying on borrowed time" for TSA & CHQ.

Just a thought....

 

[racerX]

How many times has an "in-moving" airline used the words "you guys are lucky to have jobs. We could have just cut you loose". The acquisition of TWA would have been far too costly if TSA and CHQ were cut immediately and AA tried to operate TWA LLC without a connection until AE could spool up enough pilots and aircraft to do the job. The same goes for AA. They tell TWA pilots that they are lucky to have jobs but the reality is they had neither the pilots or aircraft to just move in and fill the gates and routes that TWA was flying the next day. Don't you think that AA would have used AE if they could? Who want's the headache of AE whining about contract violations. As to who would TSA and CHQ feed if TWA went under, they would have fed anyone who moved in. And someone would have moved in. And they would have needed a connection. And unless they were AA, they would have been grateful for the ready made help.

 

[skydiverdriver]

You guys should all be joining us at rjdefense.com, to force ALPA to keep this kind of stuff from happening to ANYBODY!

 

[XJAVRO]

To those CHQ guys that got fired, welcome to Bedford's world!!! I talked to a bunch of CHQ guys before Sept11 who just loved bedford. Now they see the light. Bedford is scum he'll screw everyone to make his money. So you AE guys watch out to he'll take as much AA flying as he can get.

 

[MartinFierro]

American Connection

Just wanted to say one thing about the TSA/CHQ problem at Eagle.

I myself am currently on furlough from Eagle. The American Connection problem is deeper than merely TSA/CHQ continuing to fly their routes. It is also a problem in terms of our scope with AA.

While AA has any pilot on furlough, Eagle is not allowed to increase system capacity that it had when those furloughes took place. So at the moment Eagle is locked into the capacity it had as of Oct. 1. While currently Eagle is not flying to that capacity, it cannot expand past it until AA recalls everyone.

The problem is that all of the flying that TSA/CHQ does as American Connection counts towards that limit. So, even if Eagle is making money and is in a position to recall pilots to fly our old routes (not having ANYTHING to do with TSA/CHQ routes), Eagle will not be able to recall all of our pilots until AA has all its pilots back, simply because of American Connection. That, my friends, is not just.

 

[FlyinBrian]

I didnt' want to get to into the extremely complex situation Eagle is in, but Martin is right. Even if TSA/CHQ kept all of their current routes, they are would still be stealing routes from AE pilots since we have to stay under the ASM cap.

 

[FL370]

Taken from Aviation International News :

http://www.ainonline.com/issues/01_02/01_02_eaglepilotspg62.html

Since Eagle does not currently operate out of St. Louis, the company would have to establish a new base there in the unlikely event arbitrators rule that Chautauqua and Trans States cannot operate as American Connection. Of course, ALPA will attempt to use the scope provisions in its contract as leverage in its scheduled negotiations for better pay and work rules.

It will be interesting to see how things turn out....

FL370