CAL cancelling CHQ flying

[Edge540]

For whatever it is worth XJT is an outstanding airline to work for with better work rules and better employee/mgt relations than most/any legacy carriers. This is a company that many are choosing to make a career with, and it's obviously not about the size of the planes we fly.

This is true. Great company. great contract, great pilot group..... But, can you honestly say that your company is stable? If you think about it, you probably can't.

There are millions of theories out there about the future of ExpressJet. With CO deciding not to have all of their express rj "eggs" in one basket. With this new branded flying venture you guys are starting up... The possibilities for success and failure are endless.

I truly wish you guys the best with the branded flying, but I am worried about the repercussions you will face if successful. What happens when you guys are kicking so much ass that people pick your airline to ride on instead of continental? What do you think continental will do when this happens? I have heard that there is a "no competition" clause in the deal between CO and ExpressJet... but how is it that your branded flying is going to be doing a COS turn out of IAH, when CHQ is doing it under Continental Express? If you guys loose most or all of your CoEx flying, there probably won't be an ExpressJet to work for. One theory.....food for thought.

My point is, there is no such thing as a stable regional. Remember when Comair was viewed as one of the best regionals to work for? Now they are swirling down the toilet. Our views and financial statements change dramatically every quarter. Who the hell knows where your company, or my company, or their company will be in ten years. Every regional is therefore, in my opinion, crappy.

 

[Popeye0537]

THIS will, but with Eagle on our junk in RDU and now Horizon in BOI and GEG we'll see these threads morph into something new.

Horizon pilot: We serve the finest micro-brews the Pacific Nothwest produces...for free.

Expressjet pilot: Yeah, we'll our Coors only costs a buck and you get ther whole can!

____________

Eagle pilot: Our passengers are earing valueable miles on American.

ExpressJet pilot: Well we don't charge for a pillow or a blanket!

Let the fun begin uke:

Ha ha, good one Shakey.....but come on, you guys are banging on our paint jobs?? What is so much "better" about your paint....o wait I know you don't use lead based paint

 

[BrkDkPlt]

This is true. Great company. great contract, great pilot group..... But, can you honestly say that your company is stable? If you think about it, you probably can't.

There are millions of theories out there about the future of ExpressJet. With CO deciding not to have all of their express rj "eggs" in one basket. With this new branded flying venture you guys are starting up... The possibilities for success and failure are endless.

I truly wish you guys the best with the branded flying, but I am worried about the repercussions you will face if successful. What happens when you guys are kicking so much ass that people pick your airline to ride on instead of continental? What do you think continental will do when this happens? I have heard that there is a "no competition" clause in the deal between CO and ExpressJet... but how is it that your branded flying is going to be doing a COS turn out of IAH, when CHQ is doing it under Continental Express? If you guys loose most or all of your CoEx flying, there probably won't be an ExpressJet to work for. One theory.....food for thought.

My point is, there is no such thing as a stable regional. Remember when Comair was viewed as one of the best regionals to work for? Now they are swirling down the toilet. Our views and financial statements change dramatically every quarter. Who the hell knows where your company, or my company, or their company will be in ten years. Every regional is therefore, in my opinion, crappy.

The branded flying is not going to be out of IAH you DUMB A$$, hence the "NO COMPETITION" clause.....Educate yourself before you come here babling garbage.

 

[Edge540]

The branded flying is not going to be out of IAH you DUMB A$$, hence the "NO COMPETITION" clause.....Educate yourself before you come here babling garbage.

After this many beers, I tend to babble garbage =)

Where will the branded flying be based? How do they plan on not competing with Continental? It seems it would be a hard thing to accomplish.

 

[EMBPILOT1]

It's so funny how some guy gets on at regional A instead of regional B for whatever reason, then bashes regional B fully knowing that he or she would be just as happy working there. I don't work for a regional anymore but I do travel on them quite a bit. I take Exjet and CHQ quite often and all I can say is that both companys are late most of the time. In fact, all airlines seem to run late these days. Hell, I was sitting in CLE the other day and EXjet couldn't get a half full aircraft out on time with a 45 min. turn. But you know what, it wasn't the pilots fault. It's called slow lazy ground crew, which accounts for probably half the delays out there.

 

[cwebster2]

After this many beers, I tend to babble garbage =)

Where will the branded flying be based? How do they plan on not competing with Continental? It seems it would be a hard thing to accomplish.

what my co-worker (i assume) was trying to say (and failing horribly at) is that the non-compete clause just means we cant fly revenue into IAH, CLE or EWR. We can do whatever we want outside of that. The branded stuff is going to serve 24 cities and you can see the routes at xjet.com.

 

[8HourPilot]

Mmmmm what kind of Kool-aid was that?

You are too cost-effective????? What are you smoking?!?! CAL has supposedly spend over $40 million EXTRA on Chautauqua so far...in 2.5 months! Meanwhile, XJT has many benefits which actually probably make us more cost-effective - excellent maintenance department, our own paint shop, modifying our aircraft to increase max. weights, XR's, etc. The differences between the two companies are night and day...

 

[EMB170Pilot]

I know this is FI but just wanted to say I had a XJT jumpseater last week and he was very professional and extremely polite. Classy pilot!

 

[XJohXJ]

It's called slow lazy ground crew, which accounts for probably half the delays out there.

For what it's worth, any ground problems also are entirely due to horrible management and company policies, combined with truly awful wages.

It's easy to say "slow and lazy", but for sub $10/hr wages for ramp work, which can be very hard work and risky too, you do not get "yes sir, right away sir" style service.

Anyone working in extreme temperatures under poor, driving managers, without the staffing to do the job correctly and safely, can be expected to work as slow as possible, and this is just amplified by ultra-sh!tty low pay. What do you expect from the rampies? For the work/pay/conditions/safety situation they are in, I expect them to hide in luggage bins and work as little as possible.

If you want better performance, bring up their pay and job safety, then lead them properly. Of course, airlines have very few, if any, leaders in their mgt. ranks.

And please, spare us the lame "if they don't like it, they should quit and get a better job" crap. The rampies do quit, at staggering rates. That's a big part of the problem. If you want good workers, pay them well and treat them right. It really is that simple.

Don't blame the rampies, blame their crappy management. Otherwise, you're just helping management win by using their effective divide-and-conquer anti-labor warfare.

 

[JetLinkin Park]

It's so funny how some guy gets on at regional A instead of regional B for whatever reason, then bashes regional B fully knowing that he or she would be just as happy working there. I don't work for a regional anymore but I do travel on them quite a bit. I take Exjet and CHQ quite often and all I can say is that both companys are late most of the time. In fact, all airlines seem to run late these days. Hell, I was sitting in CLE the other day and EXjet couldn't get a half full aircraft out on time with a 45 min. turn. But you know what, it wasn't the pilots fault. It's called slow lazy ground crew, which accounts for probably half the delays out there.

I am a CLE FO and could not honestly tell you the last time I departed CLE or any outstation officially late. It has been months. Sure, I've had to wait for an airplane in LEX that is coming from EWR that snowballs the entire day, but even then we are well within the 25 minute turn times and make up as much time as possible.

I am really posting to say the ground crews in CLE are top notch and it's known throughout the CAL system. Again, I don't doubt you were on a late flight, but ground crew delays in CLE are at a minimum. FWIW.

Maybe I'm just an on-time machine.