Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Friendliest aviation Ccmmunity on the web
  • Modern site for PC's, Phones, Tablets - no 3rd party apps required
  • Ask questions, help others, promote aviation
  • Share the passion for aviation
  • Invite everyone to Flightinfo.com and let's have fun

Another bid to buy Midwest Airlines?

Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Modern secure site, no 3rd party apps required
  • Invite your friends
  • Share the passion of aviation
  • Friendliest aviation community on the web
You're right about the MKE growth but, then again, MKE can't handle 50 or 60 737's and there might not be a cost-savings reason to put them up there.

Fences:

If they fence all the Midwest pilots into their existing seats for 5 years, then only AAI pilots would be elligible to upgrade.

Similarly, if they fence the Midwest pilots just to equipment only for 5 years, all the 737 upgrades would go to existing AAI pilots. HOWEVER, as AirTran 717 CA's left for the 737, it would open up 717 CA slots and theoretically the Midwest pilots would continue to have some upgrade flow, probably much greater than they already have which is attrition only (this is with some type of 1:4 or 1:5 seniority integration with this kind of seat lock, not DOH which wouldn't be fair any way you cut it).

This option might be the "most" fair, but I doubt the MEH MEC would agree to it, simply because it allows AAI pilots to upgrade at a much higher rate (which is the whole POINT, protecting what we had pre-acquisition without actually harming the MEH pilots' expected career path).

All that said, no one knows what the unions would work out or even if they COULD work anything out without it going to arbitration. The following is pure speculation, I don't have a crystal ball.

At the rate we're going, we might not see an acquisition actually happen until mid-summer, then the vote for NPA/ALPA (which will probably be NPA, simply because the Midwest ALPA CA pay rates are quite a bit lower than AirTran and we're almost 3 years into contract negotiations for higher rates), not to mention I don't know of a precedent that allows for a switch to another bargaining unit while retaining your original contract and all the work that's gone into negotiations...?

That would take us through the fall and, if the two groups can't come to an agreement on seniority integration and if UAir/AWA are any indication, it will take another year or two (or longer) to go to arbitration and come up with a final seniority award.

In the meantime, growth would continue at AirTran, and upgrades would go to existing AAI pilots. There would be no incentive to place the airplanes at Midwest because their senior pilots, being a lot higher on the longevity scale, cost a LOT more than a 3-year F/O upgrading, even on their existing contract, and it's all about the money.

Only time will tell... but the first part is the way fences can protect upgrades.
 
Last edited:
Ahh... the ATL boys will never want to venture up to the great white north.... No grits and country ham... If a deal is cut.. the fences will be so high nobody could jump over em for years....fact is... very few would be senior enough to head up ice fishin anyway. I seem to recall a certain red tail - green tail merger in MSP back in 87..... Dont worry folks.... nothin to fret about.. Get ready....

NWA's management over at bldg A is probably drumin up the stock with idle talk.. they are a bunch of pussies.. always been too conservative.. fu'd the Continental deal.. let Midway slip away.. cant hook up with Delta.. fighting with employees.. cant get new jets to remove themselves from the aging fleet...so the story goes on and on.... bla bla bla.... nothing different.. NWA builds up MKE then tears it down...its all been done before.

The only real winners here are Timmy and the Goldman boys !! Big dough bulging out of their pockets after its all said and done. The employees of MidEx and AirTran get to work at the salt mine a few more years... lord I hope age 60 doesnt get extended.. 18 yrs till 60.. thats plenty.

Now... how bout that Ol swill ? Actually.. I prefer Leinies 7.49 a 12 pak...
 
Lear... dont fret man.. did you call the NPA office with your ideas ?... get involved... They could use your energy over at the union hall. Hopefully the BOD meeting is going well. I hope AP bought em some beers and offered up some cheese curds.... Maybe the MidEx fellas brought down some of them good chocolate chip cookies !
 
Lear... dont fret man.. did you call the NPA office with your ideas ?... get involved... They could use your energy over at the union hall. Hopefully the BOD meeting is going well. I hope AP bought em some beers and offered up some cheese curds.... Maybe the MidEx fellas brought down some of them good chocolate chip cookies !
LOL - they might have, if not I'd bake 'em some.

Yes, I actually called and left a message with the girl that runs the office and on AP's voicemail offering a few quick thoughts and volunteering my time for the M&A committee that would be formed.

Haven't heard back.

I emailed our P2P Chair and the F/O rep as well, at least our P2P Chair got back with me and basically agreed with me that it wasn't going to be anything that happened overnight and affirmed that they were meeting yesterday in ATL with the MEH boys.

I'm recovering from a nasty sinus infection I've been battling since the week after Thanksgiving with little success, doc grounded me for at least a week so I couldn't get down for the BoD meeting (which sucks, would like to have been there), but hopefully we'll get a P2P update on it shortly.

Maybe I'll get personally invited to the next one with my warm cookie offer... ;)
 
I flew their MEC and one other from ATL to DCA. (report in with ALPA?). Of course I pranged the ldg. Nice guys, did not say much about it (not that I expected them to). I told why I was not hip on it, and he laughed and said it seems 90% of the AAI fos are in the same boat.
 
Something must be going on that we the public don't know, MEH stock is at $13 now.

I see AAI stock up, does that mean the deal is dead and the investors not worried about the shares getting diluted by the merger anymore?
 

Latest resources

Back
Top