ATA may sell off passenger ops..found on another site

[Whine Lover]

"March 14th"

InTheWind alluded to this date in his above post...and it sure seems to be flying around various quadrants of the Industry.

Anyone else have any scoop?

YKW

 

[CaptSeth]

CAESAR
Who is it in the press that calls on me?
I hear a tongue, shriller than all the music,
Cry 'Caesar!' Speak; Caesar is turn'd to hear.

Soothsayer
Beware the ides of March.

CAESAR
What man is that?

BRUTUS
A soothsayer bids you beware the ides of March.

CAESAR
Set him before me; let me see his face.

CASSIUS
Fellow, come from the throng; look upon Caesar.

CAESAR
What say'st thou to me now? speak once again.

Soothsayer
Beware the ides of March.

 

[apache]

Seth,

You've got to admit, getting stabbed in the back is an improvement over where you guys have been getting stabbed.

 

[In The Wind]

That was the first thing that I have ever read here that was true... Like they say at ATA.." We are going to have to get a job as a C$@K sucker at the state prision to get our self respect back.

 

[islandhopper]

Mgt. just passed on to us that we're losing money on our HI routes even with very high load factors.

I just bought tickets for my mom over Spring break (HNL-SAT) and guess who the cheapest price was? ATA by nearly $80.00 but she would have had to switch airlines in PHX.

I bought her a R/T on Continental, same airline all the way from HNL to SAT. $80 more (no offense guys, my airline was even more inconvenient, requiring two overnight stays on the West Coast uugghh)

So, I guess what I want to say is this... Things are not perfect out here in the land of sharks and coconuts but I wouldn't trade it for the world.

We might be bruised and beaten but Aloha's council 80 has shown exceptional intelligence and had gifted insight into airline politics and warfare. So far AQ Council 80 is the first and only MEC to practice what Prater has been preaching and we took (some of) it back.

Yes I am quite proud of them.

Things could be much worse for both of our airlines. I hope good comes out of this for ALL of us.

Aloha Malama

Just another Aloha Pilot.

 

[HalinTexas]

I just bought tickets for my mom over Spring break (HNL-SAT) and guess who the cheapest price was? ATA by nearly $80.00 but she would have had to switch airlines in PHX.

I bought her a R/T on Continental, same airline all the way from HNL to SAT. $80 more (no offense guys, my airline was even more inconvenient, requiring two overnight stays on the West Coast uugghh)

So, I guess what I want to say is this... Things are not perfect out here in the land of sharks and coconuts but I wouldn't trade it for the world.

We might be bruised and beaten but Aloha's council 80 has shown exceptional intelligence and had gifted insight into airline politics and warfare. So far AQ Council 80 is the first and only MEC to practice what Prater has been preaching and we took (some of) it back.

Yes I am quite proud of them.

Things could be much worse for both of our airlines. I hope good comes out of this for ALL of us.

Aloha Malama

Just another Aloha Pilot.

That's nice.

I respect AQ's managment far more than TZ's. Rather AQ buy TZ than the other way around, that's for sure.

However, Prater and his predecessor were too chicken sh!t to call mgt. bluff. Even so, they wouldn't fight an 1113c under any circumstances. They will be gladly give back what they've "taken back" at the first opportunity. Little too late to be puttin' the foot down.

 

[AQ PILOT]

Hailin' T-

Appreciate the respect for our management and all, but don't let that fool you... ATA and AQ are both in the same boat with management...

As for taking it back, yeah, we got a nice little bump in our contract but we still got 10% to go until we get back to what we were making 10 years ago. Granted that isn't EXACTLY true, but I still see 10% of my paycheck going to Banmiller's chauffer me around town fund...

Then again, I do feel mo' bettah after watching his pre-takeoff announcement while deadheadin' out of Maui the other day. Not only are we an airline of choice, we are a 'worldwide' airline of choice...

Didn't we get some new pins recently too ;0)

I must need my morning coffee.... or should I start on the 4% C-plan/10% C-plan for the age 65 rule rant now? No....coffee....

 

[islandhopper]

That's nice.

I respect AQ's managment far more than TZ's. Rather AQ buy TZ than the other way around, that's for sure.

However, Prater and his predecessor were too chicken sh!t to call mgt. bluff. Even so, they wouldn't fight an 1113c under any circumstances. They will be gladly give back what they've "taken back" at the first opportunity. Little too late to be puttin' the foot down.

I agree but we gotta start somewhere. It's up to us to cut the best deal possible with Matlin and Yucaipa. Prater will sign whatever we stick in front of his face.

 

[HalinTexas]

Well, I should be making about $184/hr, instead I'm making about $82. Won't see the left seat until........oh well, nevermind. I'll stop there.....I need a drink.

 

[AQ PILOT]

Well, I should be making about $184/hr, instead I'm making about $82. Won't see the left seat until........oh well, nevermind. I'll stop there.....I need a drink.

I'll buy... what is a left seat?

We were told, what 7 years ago, that everyone sitting in 'this' room would be a captain in less than three years.... I might be able to squeak into upgrade training, but holding the left seat? Not for many moons to come...

 

[HalinTexas]

That's interesting. According APC, AQ's most junior CA was hired in 2/2002.

Ours was hired in 2/1997, and there are 45 FO's senior to him!

 

[Freight Dog]

Don't let AQPILOT fool ya... he can hold interisland captain.

 

[AQ PILOT]

Well if you want to get technical, I could hold -200 Reserve captain making less money than I am now and it would be by the skin of my teeth....the guy one number senior to me just went to upgrade gs this month. We were both hired in April of '01.

AQ has some weird bidding systems. It is possible for a guy junior to you to hold the left seat for a few months at a time if you're an FO in a different base. That is what has happened for awhile to guys of my seniority.

But yeah, Freight dog is right, I could move into the -200 left seat and be the last guy on the captain's list. No thank you!

 

[Trash8Mofo]

The 14 ATA airplanes and west-pac (west of PHX) becoming part of Aloha rumor just wont die. What just strikes me is this: DAL and NW is finishing up talks. At that time, UAL and CAL will have to merge (and CAL cannot merge any earlier because of NW's stake). CAL might want to spin of Air Mike if UAL+CAL happen. Which brings us to why ATA+AQ is waiting, perhaps ATA+AQ+Air Mike??? Or perhaps nothing!! But I think everybody is waiting for the floodgate to open. Whoo-hoo, now where did I put my Costco size KY??

 

[HalinTexas]

Why would CAL want to spin off AirMike? Cash? Regulatory?

 

[islandhopper]

Why would CAL want to spin off AirMike? Cash? Regulatory?

Well the way the rumor goes, UAL & CO would be the worlds largest airline so they would need to load shed some routes.

 

[Freight Dog]

The big announcement thing again?

Let me guess... Someone heard from someone who heard it from the bartender at the Restaurant Row who heard it from the secretary who overheard some discussion and told her bartender who is unknown to the secretary in fact a probationary Aloha pilot trying to make ends meet by working 2 jobs.

 

[islandhopper]

The big announcement thing again?

Let me guess... Someone heard from someone who heard it from the bartender at the Restaurant Row who heard it from the secretary who overheard some discussion and told her bartender who is unknown to the secretary in fact a probationary Aloha pilot trying to make ends meet by working 2 jobs.

The bartender at Restaurant Row actually knows a lot.

 

[islandhopper]

The big announcement thing again?

Let me guess... Someone heard from someone who heard it from the bartender at the Restaurant Row who heard it from the secretary who overheard some discussion and told her bartender who is unknown to the secretary in fact a probationary Aloha pilot trying to make ends meet by working 2 jobs.

The bartender at Restaurant Row actually knows a lot. She is a good source.

 

[Freight Dog]

See, I guessed it correctly, didn't I?

 

[islandhopper]

See, I guessed it correctly, didn't I?

Guess? I thought you were serious, she really is a cool chick and knows many of da boys over here and also at go!

 

[The Victors]

You guys really think swa is gonna stay out of this mess? They make $80-$100 million a year on the codeshare. You think Gary is just going to walk away from that cash?

 

[Freight Dog]

The more appropriate question would be how much money is ATA losing on Hawaii routes undercutting every other airline by hundreds of bucks per seat?

SWA can easily codeshare with another airline. To them, it's all pure profit.

 

[HalinTexas]

The more appropriate question would be how much money is ATA losing on Hawaii routes undercutting every other airline by hundreds of bucks per seat?

SWA can easily codeshare with another airline. To them, it's all pure profit.

That's a d@mn good question we've asking our own managment. The only answer that I can come up with is market share to sell to someone else!

 

[fly4surf]

Oh boy, here we go.
Air mike too?

 

[jmt]

New hire class starts at Aloha MArch 3.

 

[HalinTexas]

SWA can easily codeshare with another airline. To them, it's all pure profit

Not that easily. TZ has HI and near-international rights with WN until 2014. They'd have to buy TZ out, or we'd have to fail to deliver. As to the first issue, our managment could very well sell out. They're that incompetent. As to the second, we're where near "failing to deliver."

 

[atafan]

Any airline that did codeshare with SWA would have to agree to bow down and serve their master. SWA has already stated that the only reason they did codeshare with ATA was that ATA was a willing participant, meaning bow down and do as I say, vaseline optional. I don't see any viable airline not in bankruptcy doing that.

I know many of the SWA guys on here say, "SWA saved your bacon, without the codeshare you'd be out of business". Just look at the facts. The codeshare has provided only losing routes for ATA. We have lost money on every codeshare route while SWA is raking in the dough. Only our charter business has kept us alive not SWA.

SWA easily outmatched our not so brilliant management team, touche. This is business and I don't hold any bad feelings about any of this, just venting my frustrations over ATA's history of having the gold ring and letting it slip from their fingers, once again.

 

[Freight Dog]

Who sets your prices on Hawaii flights? Is it your guys, or SWA? You guys are ALWAYS the cheapest by a few hundred bucks.

 

[HalinTexas]

Any airline that did codeshare with SWA would have to agree to bow down and serve their master. SWA has already stated that the only reason they did codeshare with ATA was that ATA was a willing participant, meaning bow down and do as I say, vaseline optional. I don't see any viable airline not in bankruptcy doing that.

I know many of the SWA guys on here say, "SWA saved your bacon, without the codeshare you'd be out of business". Just look at the facts. The codeshare has provided only losing routes for ATA. We have lost money on every codeshare route while SWA is raking in the dough. Only our charter business has kept us alive not SWA.

SWA easily outmatched our not so brilliant management team, touche. This is business and I don't hold any bad feelings about any of this, just venting my frustrations over ATA's history of having the gold ring and letting it slip from their fingers, once again.

This is matter of perception. Gotta remember who came in to run the show in Jan. of 2005: John Denison, former CFO of SWA. He cut to the bone, then started using a drill. We were that screwed up. We were "the willing" because J.D. and the creditors made sure we were.

Our charter did help keep us in business, so did the codeshare for a while, but we're doing everything we can to screw up the charter end, now.