ATA Scheduled Service Changes

[capt. megadeth]

I just heard all but 12 FOs got their furlough notices today. My honey is going to be one of them....I don't have the heart to tell him.

I am so pissed/upset/sad/filled with emotion...etc.

 

[JaX2Mdw4ASaab]

Can someone check my Vfile.... Did i get one???


It may be a blessing in disguise

CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCcccya
bye

 

[TriStar_drvr]

I'm flying with an FO who got the furlough call yesterday while we on the way to New York. We just pulled into Minneapolis, and I plan on buying him (and me) all the beers we can drink as we watch football games this afternoon.

It's just a sad situation, and no I didn't expect SWA to prop us up so we can compete against them. To all you SWA guys, you can expect to see me asking for a JS from LAX to MDW very soon as ATA is suspending service to Chicago from there. Well, at least for as long as I'm based at MDW and am still employed.

 

[Ty Webb]

OK, here we go . . . . . I have quite a few friends at SWA, and I have always liked the company, but in the past year or two, it seems to me some things have definitely changed, and not necessarily for the better.

In my opinion, SWA used to be the underdog people rooted for. They hired good people, had something special, made money, generally worked well with others . . .

Now, as the 800-lb gorilla, some of their tactics aren't looking quite as right. PHL really comes to mind as an overly-aggressive maneuver, now with PIT announced, and CLT likely to follow, they are certainly going for the jugular. Do they need to? Nope. Now, I understand this is a cut-throat business, but they are taking off the gloves and working these guys at USAirways over with their bare fists. . . . . not really necessary, IMHO.

As for the pilots- when you had 300 airplanes that would pretend to miss a call from ground so they could gain the right-of-way, it wasn't so noticeable. Now that you have 600 airplanes out there doing it, it becomes obvious and obnoxious. And, is it me only, or have others noticed that some of the guys making it through the door over there aren't quite made of the same stuff as the rest?

Now we have this ATA thing . . . . AirTran was very upfront about its plans, while SWA pretends to be the "savior" of ATA. In the weeks and months ahead, I think it will become very obvious what they intend to do with ATA, and with MDW.


Good luck to all concerned.

 

[sayagain?]

This is going to be interesting.


sayagain?

 

[737tanker]

Ty Webb

Chill out & relax. To begin with SWA doesn't have 600 airplanes, they have 419. It seems that by your way of thinking a company shouldn't expand if it may hurt the competition. If that was the case SWA would never have started at all, let alone expand out of Texas. After a year of SWA being in BWI while USAir had a dramatic drop in market share their passenger load had tripled. It wasn't a lack of passengers that drove USAir out of BWI, nor will SWA drive USAir out of PHL due to a lack of passengers. As for the ATA contraction in MDW they were going to do that with or without SWA's money. Remember if AirTran had gotten the bankruptcy court approval then ATA would have nothing in MDW. George has said that he wants to pull ATA back to primarily charter & domestic out of IND. The contraction out of MDW is part of that plan. Before youy say that I don't have compassion for someone who gets furloughed I've been through furloughs & 5 bankruptcies in my aviation career.

 

[scoreboard]

Not really Ty

"Now, I understand this is a cut-throat business, but they are taking off the gloves and working these guys at USAirways over with their bare fists. . . . . not really necessary, IMHO." Ty

Could not disagree more, we usually fill voids at locations that have been abandoned or unserviced, example: US Air left Pitsburgh, we did not drive them out. Now SWA is the big bully? Scoff. Come on, it's business.

No, I don't wish any ill will on any US Air folks, it's tough times for all.

 

[Ty Webb]

Not sure how you figure that USAirways is doing more business out of BWI, unless you are not counting Metrojet, which represented over 70 flights a day at BWI. If you have a source for those numbers, or a link, I would sure like to see it.

And, while I may have been off on the number of aircraft you have planned for 2005, the point remains- the signature tactics of playing chicken on the ramps and ignoring ground control instructions to give way are getting obnoxious.

 

[ATA For Now!]

And, while I may have been off on the number of aircraft you have planned for 2005, the point remains- the signature tactics of playing chicken on the ramps and ignoring ground control instructions to give way are getting obnoxious.

I have been flying out of MDW for 6 years and always found WN's pilots to be completely professional. Maybe it's just you Ty!

 

[flyhard]

Ty,

Come on dude. One guy ignores ground and now you think they are doing it on purpose. GMAFB. And now you are saying that the airlines are a cut-throat business and you can't believe it. Wow, you have a lot to learn my friend.