Asa - 22 Crj900

[Going2Baja]

SkyWest is the Borg (sp?) from Star Trek - they assimilate anyone in their path!!! Look out DAL and UAL - SW just might have the purchase power to do it!

If I had stayed #170 of 2200 would be kinda nice right about now - come to think of it naw. Schedules have only gotten worse in the last 6 years.

 

[Erlanger]

ASA won't get any bigger airplanes unless Skywest Holdings can get them to fly them for the same rate as the 700 or even less. They almost got the Skywest pilots to do it for the 50 seat pay. Eventually, the Skywest pilots will agree and while we'll get a pay raise, it will be alot less them the ASA pilots would of done it for. Our pilot group, is weak. The last contract as you all know was voted down. It was the first time in Skywest history that the pilots voted down a contract and that was because it was ridiculously low, like 50 to 80 cent raises for everyone so it wasn't hard to vote no. But if Skywests offers $2 or $3 more, you can bet the pilots will take it. Expect Skywest pilots to fly the 900s for 50 pay out of ATL eventually.

 

[Dave Benjamin]

SkyWest is the Borg (sp?) from Star Trek - they assimilate anyone in their path!!! Look out DAL and UAL - SW just might have the purchase power to do it!

If I had stayed #170 of 2200 would be kinda nice right about now - come to think of it naw. Schedules have only gotten worse in the last 6 years.

If I'm reading your profile correctly you left SkyWest for a 727 job. Are you saying that being furloughed is better than being a senior captain at SKYW? That's an interesting perspective.

 

[Dave Benjamin]

Dave,

My bet is on the -700 series.


Bye Bye--General Lee

That would make sense. Hopefully your MEC will be able to negotiate to get anything over 70 seats on the property and get your furloughs back in the cockpit. I just hope the DAL mainline pay rates don't lower the bar for the regional industry.

 

[Bluto]

Ooh! Ouch!

 

[ohplease!]

I, for one, hope we get as many new planes as possible. The bigger, the better for me. Someone is going to get them and it isn't going to be mainline. Might as well be me.

 

[General Lee]

That would make sense. Hopefully your MEC will be able to negotiate to get anything over 70 seats on the property and get your furloughs back in the cockpit. I just hope the DAL mainline pay rates don't lower the bar for the regional industry.

Dave,

That is the CR7. Dalpa just offered the company a new deal with 200 TOTAL 70 seaters involved. No 79 seaters etc. And, as far as the rates go, the new benchmark for 100 seaters was set by Jetblue. The new rates proposed by Delta are almost exactly the Jetblue rates, without the 1 1/2 pay over 70 hours that Jetblue has. We are working on that. Thank you for supporting the idea to get our guys back in the cockpit. Many on this board do not care about that.

Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[General Lee]

I, for one, hope we get as many new planes as possible. The bigger, the better for me. Someone is going to get them and it isn't going to be mainline. Might as well be me.

Are you sure we won't get them? Really? We'll see there chief. You may get some more CR7s, but I don't think anything bigger than that. Time will tell, but Dalpa just offered some CR7s, nothing bigger, and the judge noticed that Delta's 79 seat proposal "outsourced" Delta pilots. She figured it out, and she may be the one who decides this whole thing.


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[michael707767]

Who knows how serious ALPA is about 70 seat scope. They said they would trade it for pension gurantees, .

For the record DALPA never said they would trade scope for the pensions. They said if Delta would ensure the pensions, they would negotiate a deal right now. The position of the MEC is currently that scope stays at 70 seats.

By the way, DALPA knows the pension is history, they just want to get Delta to admit it so we get credit for that savings before we negotiate any deal.

 

[~~~^~~~]

General:

The Judge has made it obvious she wants ALPA and Delta to work something out so she will not have to rule on this complex issue. From the bizzare comments she has made to suggestions that she is favoring one side or another, it is all created to generate uncertainty in both parties and force them to a negotiated resolution.

I do not expect ALPA to cross the arbitrary 70 seat line in the sand. So again, I think ALPA is going to force Delta into ordering an airplane that is not best for the Company as a whole. Delta is not going to start an RJ program at mainline for a small fleet of aircraft.

Of course, the other issue is whether or not SkyWest wants to fly a 70 seater when better airplanes are available that they might use in a post Delta World. SkyWest might still get the 90 seaters and put 70 seats in them. I think the operational costs are very close, within 5% (same wing and engines, slightly more weight, less range)

Michael, I hope the pensions, or some part of them, will remain in effect.

 

[ohplease!]

Are you sure we won't get them? Really? We'll see there chief. You may get some more CR7s, but I don't think anything bigger than that. Time will tell, but Dalpa just offered some CR7s, nothing bigger, and the judge noticed that Delta's 79 seat proposal "outsourced" Delta pilots. She figured it out, and she may be the one who decides this whole thing.


Bye Bye--General Lee

Am I sure? Hell no I'm not sure. I'm not sure I'll have a job to go to next week. I'm not sure what the industry is going to look like tomorrow, next week, next year or 20 years from now when I retire. Its just an opinion. I don't think mainline wants to fly our "light twins" that you guys seem to think are so far beneath you. I don't think your "heavy" ego's will allow you to stoop to our level. Its too bad you guy's blew us off before when we tried to get some kind of flow through and put all this under one house.

I don't wish anything bad on ANYONE but, you guys are trying to limit my future and the truth is you don't give a dang what happens to me as long as you get what you want. You think I'm going to fall on a sword for you? Not going to happen. Not when I know (because you've proven to me more than once) you would NEVER do it for me.

I don't get to make any of the decisions about what direction this company goes or what we fly. You can rest assured though that I'll welcome any new planes that come to us and the bigger the better.

Will you get everything over 70 or 100 seats? Maybe. I doubt it though. I still believe you guys are going to do International, long haul domestic and very high volume domestic with really big birds. We'll do the rest.

Just my opinion.

 

[General Lee]

General:

The Judge has made it obvious she wants ALPA and Delta to work something out so she will not have to rule on this complex issue. From the bizzare comments she has made to suggestions that she is favoring one side or another, it is all created to generate uncertainty in both parties and force them to a negotiated resolution.

I do not expect ALPA to cross the arbitrary 70 seat line in the sand. So again, I think ALPA is going to force Delta into ordering an airplane that is not best for the Company as a whole. Delta is not going to start an RJ program at mainline for a small fleet of aircraft.

Of course, the other issue is whether or not SkyWest wants to fly a 70 seater when better airplanes are available that they might use in a post Delta World. SkyWest might still get the 90 seaters and put 70 seats in them. I think the operational costs are very close, within 5% (same wing and engines, slightly more weight, less range)

Michael, I hope the pensions, or some part of them, will remain in effect.

Fins,

First of all, I saw on the news tonight that Verizon Wireless, a healthy company, is dropping their defined benefit plan in favor of a Difined Contribution plan. The days of "knowing your pensions checks will come every month" may soon be over for everyone. We have $10.6 Billion in obligations, and it doesn't sound like the company wants to pay for any of it.


As far as the 70 or 79 seat deal, I think there are some planes out there that could help us out in that arena. Are you familiar with the Air Canada situation? They went through bankruptcy and then came out ordering 15 777s and 18 787s, and also got Emb175s and Emb 190s, and all flown by mainline. The Brazilian manufacturer is supposedly looking for buyers, and the EMB product is a lot better than the Canadair version. The EMB is also cheaper than the 737-600 or -700, and probably just as comfortable. I believe our furloughs and junior folks would LOVE to fly them(I'll fly it left seat for sure), and as far as the rates go, we would try to get a fair rate (like AWA/USAir did--a bit better than the Jetblue rates), and would work on better rates for the next round. We'll see how it goes.


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[General Lee]

Am I sure? Hell no I'm not sure. I'm not sure I'll have a job to go to next week. I'm not sure what the industry is going to look like tomorrow, next week, next year or 20 years from now when I retire. Its just an opinion. I don't think mainline wants to fly our "light twins" that you guys seem to think are so far beneath you. I don't think your "heavy" ego's will allow you to stoop to our level. Its too bad you guy's blew us off before when we tried to get some kind of flow through and put all this under one house.

I don't wish anything bad on ANYONE but, you guys are trying to limit my future and the truth is you don't give a dang what happens to me as long as you get what you want. You think I'm going to fall on a sword for you? Not going to happen. Not when I know (because you've proven to me more than once) you would NEVER do it for me.

I don't get to make any of the decisions about what direction this company goes or what we fly. You can rest assured though that I'll welcome any new planes that come to us and the bigger the better.

Will you get everything over 70 or 100 seats? Maybe. I doubt it though. I still believe you guys are going to do International, long haul domestic and very high volume domestic with really big birds. We'll do the rest.

Just my opinion.

You're right, there is a lot of confusion out there for both of us. But, we will NOT accept your strategy of flying only long haul or high volume stuff, along with INTL. It would BEHOOVE you to want us to fly more, since it could allow you an avenue out of DCI. More jobs with better benefits and pay is GOOD for the industry. It is guys like you with your shortsightedness that plauge this industry. It is time for you to FOCUS. Come on, try it, FOCUS. I don't want you to fall on a sword for me, but you better hope we don't fall on a sword ourselves---because you will come along with us. Sounds like you have SJS. Bigger is better-----that is something you should say to your wife, not your company when your pay is the same. And, who says the CR9 or E175 is "beneath us?" We never said that. The E190 and even the E175 is as big as a 737-200, and that is the airplane type that would be replaced. We won't lose that shorthaul domestic flying if we don't have to, and the judge seems to agree about the "outsourcing of Delta pilots." We will see.....


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[ohplease!]

You're right, there is a lot of confusion out there for both of us. But, we will NOT accept your strategy of flying only long haul or high volume stuff, along with INTL. It would BEHOOVE you to want us to fly more, since it could allow you an avenue out of DCI. More jobs with better benefits and pay is GOOD for the industry. It is guys like you with your shortsightedness that plauge this industry. It is time for you to FOCUS. Come on, try it, FOCUS. I don't want you to fall on a sword for me, but you better hope we don't fall on a sword ourselves---because you will come along with us. Sounds like you have SJS. Bigger is better-----that is something you should say to your wife, not your company when your pay is the same. And, who says the CR9 or E175 is "beneath us?" We never said that. The E190 and even the E175 is as big as a 737-200, and that is the airplane type that would be replaced. We won't lose that shorthaul domestic flying if we don't have to, and the judge seems to agree about the "outsourcing of Delta pilots." We will see.....


Bye Bye--General Lee

SJS? cute phrase. Yeah thats me.
Bigger is better for me because the guys above me will think they are so much cooler because they fly the newest or the biggest thing we have. That'll make my QOL continue to go up. I'll stay right here on my 50 as long as QOL stays good. Hell, I'd gladly go back to ATR if their lines were better. I really don't care what I'm flying.

More jobs and better pay/benefits are always better. I agree. My avenue out of DCI isn't there. Not going to happen for me. No 4 yr. degree and I'd rather spend time with my children while they're growing up than go back to school and chase mainline. By the time they're gone, I'll be 50+. Even after crossing all the t's and dotting all the i's, the odds of getting the job are just too slim for me to bet that much on. If Airtran calls, I'll gladly go there but, thats about it for me.

You may not have said it but, your actions SCREAM it.

 

[Going2Baja]

If I'm reading your profile correctly you left SkyWest for a 727 job. Are you saying that being furloughed is better than being a senior captain at SKYW? That's an interesting perspective.

For the most part you are correct. One thing I have learned is that things happen for a reason. Staying at SW would have been a very complacent for me. Bouncing from f/a to another. Same routes and $55k a year if I had stayed. Now even with the growth of SW I still wouldn't have left Diego. So it would have been the same old thing - four on three off, no pension, and no upward movement. The top 10 senior guys still have over 10 years with the CO and are going NOWHERE fast. Don't get me wrong - it was the most fun job I have ever had - great people, owners.

Once furloughed I was able to really live and do things that I would have never been able to do or would not have done: 4month trip to Baja Mex, get married with three month honeymoon in Asia, have a daughter and stay home to help raise her and watch her grow. And devote all the time I want to for the family business. Enough of that - SKyWest is a great Co but not a career for me.