ATA interviews

[pilotpm]

Any more info?

I wish they were! That way maybe I'd be a 717 captain by now!uke:

 

[Full of LUV]

Company Plans For 2002:

After some retirements (remaining 727's and a few L10's) and deliveries (five 757-300's and a bunch of 737-800's) we will have a "net" gain on the fleet list of 9 airplanes by the end of 2002.

The base structure is being realligned as such:

L1011 - JFK, LAX, IND
757 - MDW, IND, SFO, LAX (SFO and LAX are for the Hawaii service with the -300's)
737 - MDW, IND

We are currently keeping eight 727's flying through Spring because of Charter flying picked up from Sun Country's demise.

Contract talks have entered the mediation stage. Expect that issue to come to a head sometime this year.

They will have to hire for the net gain of 9 aircraft (approximately 100 or so).

I'm sure ATA pilot could give more insight, but ATA seemed like a very well run CHARTER and MILITARY CONTRACT flying company that made money. Once they got visions of grandeur and tried to become a part-121 scheduled carrier, the reality of having to sell tickets and not having your costs pre-covered by a contract started to set in. Add that to a run up in fuel costs and ATA ultimately was a collection of gates that Airtran and SWA both wanted. Ironically, if SWA had just been a bit more patient, they would have gotten the gates at MDW anyway with their merger/purchase of Airtran.

 

[Whine Lover]

".. ATA seemed like a very well run CHARTER and MILITARY CONTRACT flying company that made money."

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha..ah-hahahahahahahahahahahaha...Ohoohohohohohohoh.Hahahahahahahah...

That was a GOOD one.

At best,they were a very poorly managed outfit that had always barely hung on by the skin of their pecker...Until April 3rd, 2008 that is.

"All stupid things must come to an end."

Charter or Scheduled service had nothing to do with it...They never really made ANY money at all, just marginal amounts above break even here and there, somehow managing to stay afloat.

Aircraft were always FULL, the product was well positioned and priced right, and the aircraft and people were great. But if you are handed 1.2 BILLION in revenues and can only manage a 2-6 million dollar profit...Something is rotten in Denmark. ( In comparison: Airtran that same year produced approx. 475 million in revenue and turned about a 45 million dollar profit. )

Cavemen shouldn't operate spaceships, and Indiana pig farmers shouldn't run airlines.

YKW

 

[HalinTexas]

".. ATA seemed like a very well run CHARTER and MILITARY CONTRACT flying company that made money."

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha..ah-hahahahahahahahahahahaha...Ohoohohohohohohoh.Hahahahahahahah...

That was a GOOD one.

At best,they were a very poorly managed outfit that had always barely hung on by the skin of their pecker...Until April 3rd, 2008 that is.

"All stupid things must come to an end."

Charter or Scheduled service had nothing to do with it...They never really made ANY money at all, just marginal amounts above break even here and there, somehow managing to stay afloat.

Aircraft were always FULL, the product was well positioned and priced right, and the aircraft and people were great. But if you are handed 1.2 BILLION in revenues and can only manage a 2-6 million dollar profit...Something is rotten in Denmark. ( In comparison: Airtran that same year produced approx. 475 million in revenue and turned about a 45 million dollar profit. )

Cavemen shouldn't operate spaceships, and Indiana pig farmers shouldn't run airlines.

YKW

You tell 'em, Ramz.

 

[HalinTexas]

So how did ALPA take care of the ATA pilots? Some things the ALPOphiles would love to burry and forget! JUST LIKE YOU

ALPA lied to us even before USAir left. ALPA was run by US, UA, and DL. They didn't care about us then. So, no, ALPA hasn't "taken care" of us. No union has, once you're not paying dues. No airline has, either. Not, FedEx that pulled the charter plug, not SWA after they scavenged our carcass, no one, not even our so-called GAL/GAH "partners."

We've scattered to the four corners of the earth. A few have passed, one just recently and two in training accidents for new jobs. The best we've got for any of us is that a few of the low-tier freight dogs have hired us and we're still a "preferential status" among others at CAL should they keep it after the merger is complete in 2020 and they start hiring in 2025. I turn 60 that year and will be hoping for a mandatory 70 retirement.

Everyone, and I mean everyone, in this business is a g0dd@mn liar and a cheat. I'm at peace with that now that I've accepted it.

So, don't turn this into an anti-ALPA thread, because USAPA ain't gonna do (nor would it have done) anything for us. Your easties could give a sh!t. I know a lot of the westies and they have always expressed regret that the ATA/AWA merger didn't go through. That would have been a piece of cake.

I'm on my fourth gig since the shutdown, and the first in the US.

D@mn, now you got me all riled up.

 

[propjob27]

So how did ALPA take care of the ATA pilots? Some things the ALPOphiles would love to burry and forget! JUST LIKE YOU

Got this ALPA negotiated bennie:

Pref interviews at CAL. Many of us (myself included) benefitted from those. Can't remember though, did one have to be on the 757 at ATA to get that perk?

SWA "gave" many of us furloughed ATA guys interviews (with an alarmingly low success rate...) though this was obviously un-ALPA related.

Looking back, ATA was the most fun flying job I've ever had (Lakes, Skywest, ATA, CAL, and FedEx). I agree with a previous poster, they were at their best being the "biggest airline you've never heard of", flying troops around for the government.

Once they tried to become a "real" airline they tanked. It was a case of not sticking to what they knew and were good at. World and Omni are still around doing the same thing, which they know and were/are good at.

Competing for ticket sales out of MDW with Southwest and AirTran + out of IND with Northwest, etc with ATA's bankroll was just stupid.

Maybe GM simply got tired of being the CEO of an airline no one (other than US troops and fat mid-west people bound for Hawaii) ever heard of.

He tried and failed. Is he still around? Wonder what he's up to?

ATA was a great run prior to that and hope everyone who wanted to keep flying still is.

 

[GuppyWN]

Didn't the Airtran offer include buying ATA assets and planes, but not take the pilots?

And no, I'm not hating. It's just a question.

Gup

 

[FO 4 Life]

Got this ALPA negotiated bennie:

Pref interviews at CAL. Many of us (myself included) benefitted from those. Can't remember though, did one have to be on the 757 at ATA to get that perk?

FWIW, my brother was on the 737 and never heard a peep from CAL. He did get his token interview at SWA along with the others.

 

[HalinTexas]

Didn't the Airtran offer include buying ATA assets and planes, but not take the pilots?

And no, I'm not hating. It's just a question.

Gup

No aircraft. No employees, directly. They wanted the MDW, LGA, and DCA slots/gates. We would have flown for them for a few months, then we would have downsized on our own cert. from 1150 to 300+ pilots, eventually, doing all charter work out of IND. We were to get preferential interviews with FL.

Not a stupid question.

 

[HalinTexas]

CAL did hire a couple of guys that were current on the B757. SWA in '05 interviewed about 50, hired about 10. Since then, they've hired more than 10. I know one in training right now.

I did hear that SWA interviewed every B737 check airmen, and didn't hire a single one. Could be wrong. I don't think SWA hired a single union member that held a position as an officer. Could also be wrong about that. I don't think Allegiant has hired a single ATA crew member since the shut down. Could be a former ATA management person is there.