APA and the Jetblue pilot committee!

[Rez O. Lewshun]

It is all about market share... Airlines like Reno, Midway v2.0 and jetblue create a market... big AA comes in and buys them out. Jetblue did all the leg work... but one of the reasons you get a star player is so the other team doesn't have them.....

So what happens to the pilots? Representation yesterday is an understatement...

 

[Dizel8]

If AA truly wants to have a presence in NY and not just be an also ran behind Conited and Delta, they need to expand in JFK. If I ran AA, I would certainly consider acquiring jetblue.

The fleet mix could be an issue, but certainly no more so than Delta/NWA and 190 might just fit the plan rather well, now that small RJ's are going out of style.

AA has already thought about the logistics, shuttling people by bus between the blue terminal an the AA terminal, staying inside the secure area.

Will it happen, who knows, however AA found TWA desirable enough they purchased it, maybe they view jetblue presence in some of their big markets the same way!

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

Nothing stopping AA from getting rid of the jb airbuses and putting its own fleet type on the jb routes combined with Eagle.....

Lots of options....

 

[Flyby1206]

If AA truly wants to have a presence in NY and not just be an also ran behind Conited and Delta, they need to expand in JFK. If I ran AA, I would certainly consider acquiring jetblue.

I know in the previous post I was playing devil's advocate and giving reasons AA would want to buy JB, but in reality I dont think it would be in the best interest for AA to buy JB.

If AA buys JB tomorrow you can guar-an-tee that the DOT will require AA/JB to divest a huge number of JFK slots, since they would control upwards of 60% of the JFK slots. Those slots would have to be given to another LCC like Virgin America, SWA, Airtran, etc. This is exactly what happened in DCA with the USAir/DAL slot swap. The DOT said it wouldnt be fair, and they had to give up slots to LCCs. Ultimately, US/DAL said F-it and didnt do the deal.

So, if AA DID buy JB, they would wind up giving 20-40+ slots to LCC competition, which would put them right back in the situation they are in today. Another LCC nipping at their market share. Yes, AA would also gain traction in the rest of the northeast and Caribbean markets, but those were all old AA routes they gave up anyways. I can't see them that desperate for the BOS-SJU monopoly.

Better plan for AMR would be a codeshare with jetblue, oneworld membership, then eventually turn that into anti-trust immunity which would allow the two companies to cooperate in setting schedules, prices, share revenue etc. Unfortunately, that would be the end of AA Domestic on the East Coast (which is arguably already happened when you look at current AA East coast routes).

Domestic codeshares are a touchy subject with APA, and rightly so. The company has to notify APA of any future domestic codeshare agreement and I believe APA has a 60 day period to appeal the proposal which would send the whole thing to arbitration for a decision.

If there could be a way for the pilots at both companies(AA/JB) to benefit from job increases without having to be owned by the same company there might be a chance. Maybe if jetblue votes in APA as representation and APA creates a master APA seniority list between the companies, which could allow transfers between the two? It would be like a National Seniority list, but only for APA pilots. Could be interesting if you ask me...