?!?!?Big News at Shuttle America?!?!?

[CHQ Pilot]

Think about all the ramifications of a J4J agreement before voting, especially with an airframe that is on its way out. SA would have to double in size from what you already are in order to keep everyone on the property that is there now. For example if one SAAB goes away then say four SA crews are displaced, yet a J4J carrier is only entitled to two crews on the new aircraft (50% of the CPT and FO positions to the mainline pilots), so SA would end up with a net of minus two crews. I don't know how many SAABs you have now, but I'm guessing it may end up requiring quite a few RJs just to break even for the SA crews on property now. Then again, this may be the only survival option for any SA pilots. My logic of staffing may be off, but that is the way I understand how J4Js works.

 

[blzr]

M.E.P. Any of you SA pilots heard of that? For you Riddle guys, it's not the missed approach point. It means Mainline Entitlement Program. The PDT pilots were the first to sign the MEP (j4j) and still flying the dash. psa was the last of the WO to sign, they get jets... go figure. Just because you sign your life away, don't expect shiny new jungle jets to majically appear in place of the saab.

 

[I.P. Freley]

Don't worry, none of us expect any "Jungle Jets" to "majically appear" to replace the Saab.

What I also didn't expect was for you to continue to bug out about contract carriers, since you claim on another thread to have LEFT Piedmont for a great corporate job.

Let it go, man.

 

[blzr]

Ahhhh, yes, fresh air at last. But I will continue to speak with distain and Vitriol regarding contract carriers, especially any of those that went to Potomac to fly our airplanes, use our manuals and Instructors to take our routs.

Just because I am out of the regional side of aviation, i still have many friends at PDT & ALG that I will stand up for on this thread. Airways favors you now not because you are good employees, but rather because you are cheeeeep ones, mesa included. We took the pay cuts, and still got the shaft... Or I would still be there with 3+ years of senority... instead, all the flying goes to contract labor... except psa which is a whole 'nother can of prop wash.

 

[tindriver72]

Think about all the ramifications of a J4J agreement before voting, especially with an airframe that is on its way out. SA would have to double in size from what you already are in order to keep everyone on the property that is there now. For example if one SAAB goes away then say four SA crews are displaced, yet a J4J carrier is only entitled to two crews on the new aircraft (50% of the CPT and FO positions to the mainline pilots), so SA would end up with a net of minus two crews. I don't know how many SAABs you have now, but I'm guessing it may end up requiring quite a few RJs just to break even for the SA crews on property now. Then again, this may be the only survival option for any SA pilots. My logic of staffing may be off, but that is the way I understand how J4Js works.

Remember,

This does not mean that we will start J4J, it just means that we can.

As far as your crew requirement math...
We operate 16 lines of flying right now. Crewed at 3 crews a piece (2.75 crews for a few months). The saabs aren't going back in one big package. It is dipersed through 2006. If this does come to pass, and we finally get a break, no saab crewmember should be furloughed, Calculating attrition, and the fact that it'll be a graduated flow into any jet we may get, even at 50 percent mainline.

Ahhhh, yes, fresh air at last. But I will continue to speak with distain and Vitriol regarding contract carriers, especially any of those that went to Potomac to fly our airplanes, use our manuals and Instructors to take our routs.

Blzr, Wasn't Potomic a w/o, not a contract carrier?

 

[C150Heavy]

Congrads SA, the better news is no USAir Pilots want to be FOs. They have all turned down the FO positions at other companies.

 

[TWA Dude]

j4j is really cashing in for other carriers. Just look at how many j4j jets theyre are at TSA and CHQ now! I mean, wow, you may get 2 jets!!!!.

Just for the record, to my knowledge Trans States has exactly one J4J airplane, with four J4J pilots.

Dude

 

[poorpropdriver]

Couple of corrections...

PSA was the first carrier to sign J4J when the MEC ratified it without a vote.

Also there are a whole bunch of mainline guys occupying the right seat at PSA. I know I was bypassed for a training class so one of them could take my spot.

 

[I.P. Freley]

>>>Airways favors you now not because you are good employees, but rather because you are cheeeeep ones, mesa included.<<<

Ah, yes, I remember you now. You were the one who had no comeback when I pointed out how interesting it was that we are "not...good employees" to the point that we regularly beat two of three, and usually the third, as well, of the WO's in performance (on-time dep, on-time arr, completion factor)... Somehow we did this with all used-up, 20+ year-old Saabs and limited resources.

I guess the REASON you had no comeback to that is that you can't refute the numbers. What you CAN do is come in here and blaspheme the pilot group because you and your friends were or are getting shafted by Big U and their decision to place so many airplanes with PSA and not with ALG/PDT.

Yep, it must be OUR fault... You know, the contract carriers that U has been using seemingly forever in some cases. Strange how PDT/ALG survived so long and did so well with nearly a dozen contract carriers running at some points. It couldn't be USAirways' fault, it couldn't be the fault of your MEC, PSA's MEC, your contract, market factors, basic economics, 9/11, the parent company's bankruptcy, or anything else that actually makes SENSE.

Must be Shuttle America PILOTS' fault.

I'm sorry you had such trouble at PDT, really I am. I would have loved to have worked there back in the day... Before Shuttle America ruined it for you, I guess. Speak with disdain and vitriolic fervor until you're blue in the face (fingers?), but blaming US doesn't make us guilty... It just makes you look petty, misguided, and bitter. At the very least you are guilty of poor aim in your jabs, except maybe for the last part where you briefly mention the only WO that appears to be doing very, very well indeed (or at least has a seemingly bright future) at the expense of the other two.

 

[Weasel Keeper]

Hmmm, reading the SA intranet (SD letter) I didn't see anything that's been mentioned above...but great news none the less.

 

[whiskytangofoxt]

Well congrats to my buds, and budetts at SA maybe I bailed too soon, well maybe not only tried to bail for 2 years. But you know that weakness of needing food. One thing I can say is that the SA crews have been some of the best I ever worked with.