"ASA's parent company's difficulties"

[doh]

Last night I flew my (Comair) flight from BOS to DCA with no pax both ways! I had to wait for paper work so I called ops. The Delta manager was pissed that we were wasting money and tried to have the flights cancelled. ATL ops got involved and they agreed with CMR that the flight should operate. We "account" for our revenue by fee for departure, as if we weren't wholly owned, but the truth is that we wasted about $4,000 in Delta money so some manager could get a performance bonus for completion. This is why the parent company is having some of their "difficulties". General, should I send a copy of the letter I am writing to the MEC chair at Comair to Capt. Malone? I really think this needs to be widely publicised. It is outrageous for a wholly owned to account for revenue this way. It does nothing for the share holders but waste their money! ASA guys need to tell their negotiators about this, although they probably are already aware of the waste, fraud, and abuse!

 

[79%N1]

What, you need to ask the friggin General what you should do???? Get real, when did this guy become the Dahli Lama for Delta or any facet of aviation? Gimme a break.

As far as how Comair reaps payment from Delta, thats how it is! Oh well.

 

[Palerider957]

Last night I flew my (Comair) flight from BOS to DCA with no pax both ways! I had to wait for paper work so I called ops. The Delta manager was pissed that we were wasting money and tried to have the flights cancelled. ATL ops got involved and they agreed with CMR that the flight should operate. We "account" for our revenue by fee for departure, as if we weren't wholly owned, but the truth is that we wasted about $4,000 in Delta money so some manager could get a performance bonus for completion. This is why the parent company is having some of their "difficulties". General, should I send a copy of the letter I am writing to the MEC chair at Comair to Capt. Malone? I really think this needs to be widely publicised. It is outrageous for a wholly owned to account for revenue this way. It does nothing for the share holders but waste their money! ASA guys need to tell their negotiators about this, although they probably are already aware of the waste, fraud, and abuse!

How long have you been in this industry? All of this is nothing new.

 

[dkwid]

How long have you been in this industry? All of this is nothing new.

I don't disagree that this sort of activity is nothing new. Still, it can very well be said that this sort of 'mismanagement' is systemic of the problems with 'the good old boy' airlines. Flying unprofitable routes just for the sake of presence. Outsourcing flying merely to simplify where your losses lay. It is not at all surprising that a company who is gaurenteed a profit just for getting the wheels off the ground will take full advantage of the company who is paying their bills. When there is very little financial risk involved in your operation you really can't lose, you just optimize profits. But, now for the crunching reality, with many of the majors that depend on outsourcing bleeding enormous amounts of cash it can be said that the outcource companies such as Mesa, Skywest, Comair, etc. really do have enormous risks assuming that their well of endless cash (the mothership) dries up. Servicing the source airline so as both find positive gains is good for everybody. Of course I can see some in management may miss this fine point but it is refreshing to hear a pilot concerned for the finacial viabilty of Delta even when they directly are paid by someone else.

 

[atrdriver]

I have flown at least 5 round trips in the past few years that were empty both ways. Not running late or anything, booked empty both ways. I was told that it was because the airline can only cancel so many flights a day and not have to explain it to the feds. Thus, they run all the ones that they can and save the cancellations for the ones that are really necessary. May not be true, but that's what I was told when I brought it up.

I have also been told that our POI won't allow a flight to be cancelled simply because there aren't enough passengers.

 

[91100 100 set]

Empty legs can be a real hoot though...

 

[doh]

Palerider and dkwid,

I know we are seperate airlines, but in the money sense! CHQ and Skywest pilots would do the flight because they are enhancing their companies' revenue. Comair and ASA are for accounting purposes only. The parent is the same, the stock is the same. Management needs to be held accountable for poor choices in this case. I said the General because he posts a lot and just took it on the chin for 32.5%! He has to be frustrated when he hears about this stuff!

 

[doh]

Oh, I have been flying 18 years, and just because it's been going on that long don't make it right or mean it don't need ta change! Ya dig?

 

[Palerider957]

Oh, I have been flying 18 years, and just because it's been going on that long don't make it right or mean it don't need ta change! Ya dig?

I hear ya, bro. As a previous poster said, I don't think we can randomly cancel flights due to loads (or lack there of). Even down grades are supposed to be due to a lack of availability, or mechanical problem with the original plane---not to right size the load to the aircraft.

When you commit to a schedule under part 121, your stuck with it.

Besides, until we get a new contract, I don't care how much money we pi$$ away......

 

[~~~^~~~]

Yes for the line employees, it always seems so wasteful to fly around empty airplanes and during the odd ball hours that these empty flights happen, there is no one with sufficient authority to cancel the flight for economic reasons - so off it goes - empty.

I've only flown one empty round trip in 5 years. Most of the time, there are some mis connecting passengers, bags, mail, parts, or the airplane has to be in another location for the next day's operations. Usually a non rev, or jumpseater, is happy to see us and hops on board.

Before ASA was bought by Delta, they would cancel flights a the drop of a hat. Now days things are much better and the passengers who got caught in the cancellations like it the way it is now....

 

[701EV]

doh.

I'm surprised DALPA didn't jump up and down to put ASA and Comair together before they gave up their 32.5%. I would bet big D could save close to a billion dollars a year if they didn't have all the duplicate and triplicate deparments. I wonder if the ceditors knew how much money could be saved if they put the companies together. It seems like everyone has to take cuts except Delta MGMT. They want consessions from Comair, a zero net gain contract for ASA and still laying off Delta employees. Two years ago I started a small business that has turned into something, after I heard how many pilots had a second gig of some sort. My wife is a CRNA who works a couple of days a week. So if Delta tanks I can still live without them. I'm not sure if the morons running Delta and ASA have a clue how to get us out of this. Getting back to your piont about saving money. They selectively save money where they want too.

Just my 2 cents,

701EV

 

[~~~^~~~]

I hear ya, bro. As a previous poster said, I don't think we can randomly cancel flights due to loads (or lack there of). Even down grades are supposed to be due to a lack of availability, or mechanical problem with the original plane---not to right size the load to the aircraft.

Yep - and Delta gets creative there. I've flown 737-200 downgrades with an ATR to cities where they have never seen an ATR before.

 

[bailout]

We had a maint. issue in IAH a few weeks back and had to deplane all the passengers. Thay all got rerouted and they flew in 2 A&Ps from ATL. 5 hours later we were fixed and guess what? Our original flight had not been cancelled. We flew an empty airplane with the same flight number as the original instead of using a ferry or other flight number. Hows that for a completion factor?

 

[~~~^~~~]

Hows that for a completion factor?

Great for completion factor, lousy for load factor. One figure is "our" problem, the others is "their" problem.

Ours is truly a disfunctional family.

I fully expect Delta to disappear and it is preventable if management was less focused on undermining labor by running a portfolio of airlines. None of the "portfolio" is responsible as the brand "Delta."

 

[CarjCapt]

run it anyway!!!

Back a couple years ago we were haveing a maintenance moment (2+hours) the dispatcher told us we were to fly as much as five hours late before they would cancel.

 

[Medeco]

empty legs

I have only had one empty flight at ASA and it was on labor day.

Wouldnt yah know, we had to declare an emergency and shut the #2 engine down.

Hows that for timing?

Medeco

 

[doh]

Squiggly line guy,

You hit it, "our problem/ their problem". That works for them right up to liquidation. Actually beyond, because they all bail with millions and leave us and the share holders with the shyte!