Any truth to Mesaba merging into NWA?

[saabservant]

There may be something to that...if nwa mgmt and alpa can get together and fight swa, which is slowly seeing higher labor and fuel costs. If we can cut the fat (rampies making 40-60,000 for a job requiring H.S. and one week training, and too many officer positions in mgmt) we could go head to head with those pay-for-training whores (yes, I said that) AND offer International connections. This operation and it's people could kick Mr. Kellehers arse right out of that Elvis costume....is there no one out there with a vision?
Need to offer early retirement to those 30-year fa's, though....

 

[screwed_again]

Contrary to what you may think, there are some pilots trying to save this profession for the younger generation. I could name them, but I don't think they want to be the subject of ridicule on an internet forum.

I know a lot of people who think they would give up their jobs to save the profession, whether or not they do when the moment presents itself is another issue. I have felt the same way at times. But anyone who thinks ALPA will beat the corporate bigs shots is this game of diluting the good-paying flying jobs is mistaken. They will ALWAYS have the upper hand in the fight. Unless all ALPA pilots can walk at the same time and shut down air travel in the US, we will never have any leverage.

So, in the end, we will accept what scraps are left for us and make the best of it. We will talk big about screwing the company and standing together to fight, but at best we stave off the inevitable.

 

[YourPilotFriend]

SWA business model is not immune from what is going on in the industry right now. If you think otherwise you are foolish. Their paying fuel prices from years ago. Cost is their biggest advantage right now, but the playing field is being leveled. SWA does not have the resources the legacys have to compete with low cost legacy carriers. If a low cost legacy carrier emerges from this SWA and jetblue's business model isn't so good anymore.
Besides, I could restructure NWA into a company that could blow SWA or any other carrier out of the water by far and keep all current employed at fair wages. However, they won't hire me to do that because i'm not incompetent.

 

[fly4ever]

Don't you guys know flamebait when you read it?!

YPF is full of it.

 

[KaptainKarl]

I really think my engineer friend is serious. Just look at his past. He could fix everything. Has all the answers. Sounds like a typical pilot to me.
Its those "resources" that are killing the legacies. Trim operations make money.

 

[captpetefam]

SWA will not fall that far.

SWA has one thing that NWA will take 10-20 years to accomplish (if they started right now). This one thing can and will help them through ANYTHING the Legacy's or anyone else tries to throw at them. It's called HAPPY EMPLOYEES WHO TRUST THEIR MGMT AND FEEL RESPECTED BY THEM. Mr. Herb's philosophy all along has been that if the employees are happy, then the passengers will be happy.

If you don't believe me, just look at them. People are inconvenienced in sooooo many ways but they still have the highest costumer satisfaction ratings of all airlines. People don't just like them because they are cheap, they like them because they are fun. They don't get their $3 box lunches thrown at them by crusty, old hags and don't have gate agents giving them stare downs like they're the devil.

SWA will last because at the first sign of trouble, the CEO's will actually step up and take the first step to turn the company around, then ask the employee groups. Employees there actually feel like mgmt respects them and will help them out.

This is something that NWA will NEVER understand. To think so is like a battered wife. We call all say, "Someday he'll change and REALLY love me." But at the end of the day, mgmt slaps us around, tells us to give them their money and ask the judge to keep their bonuses.

Rant over - Cya,

CP

 

[tripacer]

TP,

Better check your facts there. Call your MEC Chairman and ask him what really happened to the flowthrough.

Fact: The NWA MEC secured an agreement in the 1998 contract that required NWA management to negotiate a flow through for XJ and Express (as they were then)

Fact: A flow through agreement was almost complete, except for one thing...NWA management wanted to be able to screen who flowed up. So you number comes up, and oops, sorry, NWA says you have BO, so you're not allowed to flow up. No appeal, no 2nd chance, do not pass go, do not collect $200.

They absolutely would not budge off of this. So the whole thing tanked. Why were they so wrapped up on this? Who knows, after all, XJ and PCL guys fly NWA passengers every day, right?

In the end, it came down to a bad agreement or no agreement. Which one would you pick?

Nu

We only hear what our "Duane Woerthless wannabe" MEC Chair feels we need to know, the rest is just spin. So dont sit there and keep saying "Hey, mainline is always looking out for airlink pilots".

Please explain why you feel that a furloughed DC9 F/O is entitled to a Saab Captain position? It's ok, we already know the answer, I just wanna hear one of you guys finally admit it.

 

[tripacer]

I'm Glad to see we have a trooper here who is willing to fight to keep the $25000 jobs alive. Thank you Mr. Helper for fighting the good fight.

Your mainline friends at US Airways are keeping the $25k job alive by accepting said jobs at MidAtlantic - flying the EMB170.

Don't try and make yourself out to be a saviour of the industry, you're not.

We're getting squeezed from the top by mainline and squeezed from the bottom by Johnny CFI willing to work for FREE to "build JET TIME", and ALPA on the left and company management on the right.

F.U.

 

[FlyingFerris]

We're getting squeezed from the top by mainline and squeezed from the bottom by Johnny CFI willing to work for paying Gulfstream 35K to "build JET TIME", and ALPA on the left and company management on the right.

Fixed.

As to those (CFI's) of us who came to Mesaba or other reputable regionals I don't see you coming up with any suggestions as to how to better our career. It's not like Turbine PIC or even SIC grows on trees.