CAL-Skywest Code Share - Facts

[BluDevAv8r]

I posted this on the other CAL/SKYW thread...but I didn't want it to get lost amongst the 100ish other messages and the many rumors and unfounded information that was posted.

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Many rumors are floating around about the Continental codeshare with Skywest. Here are some facts.

- Continental Airlines is in active negotiations to utilize Skywest Airlines in Houston to serve small cities in the region with 30 seat turboprops

- Some of this flying is currently being conducted by ExpressJet Airlines dba Continental Express using 37 and 50 seat jets. All of this flying used to be conducted by Continental Express using turboprops, prior to the retirement of all props in December 2002.

- As per the CAL ALPA Turboprop MOU between Continental Airlines, ExpressJet Airlines, and CAL ALPA, CAL ALPA must agree to all terms and conditions related to any new turboprop flying above and beyond the Commutair flying in CLE. This "Meet and Agree" provision is above and beyond the Scope Section of the Continental Airlines Pilot's CBA.

- The Turboprop MOU for CLE (Commutair) required that Commutair hire (based on an informal "entry interview") ExpressJet pilots who are on furlough.

- The CLE MOU provided 3 benefits to CAL ALPA and its members.
1. Jobs for furloughed pilots at Commutair
2. Eliminated the 6 month waiting period for furloughed ExpressJet pilots to regain health and other benefits upon their recall to ExpressJet.
3. Provided for a "meet and agree" provision for any further prop flying by Continental or its affiliates.

- 33 of the pilots who selected to go to Commutair are being paid by Continental Airlines to not go to Commutair training due to the proximity of their recall date to ExpressJet. Unfortunately, some of those 33 were slated to start ExpressJet class in May and had their recall class cancelled. They are still being paid and not at Commutair.

- Active negotiations are ongoing at this time between CAL ALPA and Continental Airlines regarding turboprop flying in Houston. CAL ALPA retains the right to reject this deal outright if the terms and conditions are not satisfactory to CAL ALPA.

- If Skywest wants this deal and additional revenue, it will have to agree to the terms and conditions set forth in a future MOU/LOA by Continental Airlines and CAL ALPA.

- The terms and conditions are not finalized so any and all rumors that you are hear are simply false.

- CAL ALPA has temporarily allowed Continental Airlines to let Skywest conduct VCT service due to a time-critical EAS deadline. VCT is contingent upon the rest of the deal being finalized in the coming month.

It is critical that people do not get "wrapped around the axle" on this issue right now. Please rely on factual information from credible sources and not simply "crew room banter." Crew Room banter only serves to raise your blood pressure unnecessarily. Many people are working hard on this deal trying to find a solution that will benefit the 3 parties involved (Skywest Airlines corporation, Continental Airlines corporation, and the pilots of CAL ALPA - both CAL and CALEX pilots).

For those pilots who need more information about this deal (particularly furloughed and active ExpressJet pilots), please call down to the CAL ALPA office in Houston. For those XJT pilots reading this, if you are in the Houston area this week, you can also attend the IAH LEC 175 meeting on Thursday for more information.

 

[embdrvr]

- If Skywest wants this deal and additional revenue, it will have to agree to the terms and conditions set forth in a future MOU/LOA by Continental Airlines and CAL ALPA.

So here's a what-if scenario for you. Let's the say the MEC plays hardball and insists that their furloughed pilots be hired without formal interview ala Commutair? SkyWest says no we don't want to push our pilot group over the edge end end up with a union on the property. Both parties back away from the table. SkyWest regrets not being able to snag the additional revenue but still has a whole lot of Delta and UAL flying to do.
Continental still wants turboprops to fly those routes though. Perhaps they place a call to that gentleman in New Mexico, Mr. Ornstein. Turns out Mr. Ornstein could care less about pi$$ing off his pilot group and says sure we can work something out.
End result - Furloughed pilots go back to work at less desirable company for less money.
Be careful what you wish for.

 

[Bjet Driver]

Embdrvr-

Read the post again. IT SAYS..................

- As per the CAL ALPA Turboprop MOU between Continental Airlines, ExpressJet Airlines, and CAL ALPA, CAL ALPA must agree to all terms and conditions related to any new turboprop flying above and beyond the Commutair flying in CLE.

Doesn't matter if it's Skywest, Mesa, or Southwest- if our MEC doesn't agree to it, it won't happen.

 

[maddog805]

Hey Bjet, before you go firing off with the attitude maybe YOU should read embdrvr's post again. All he is saying is if SkyWest doesn't agree to the terms, you guys MIGHT be stuck with some bottom-feeding carrier doing the service instead. If that sounds apealing to you, I hear mesa is accepting applications.

 

[captjim]

Hey Bjet, before you go firing off with the attitude maybe YOU should read embdrvr's post again. All he is saying is if SkyWest doesn't agree to the terms, you guys MIGHT be stuck with some bottom-feeding carrier doing the service instead. If that sounds apealing to you, I hear mesa is accepting applications.

maddog805, you might want to reread Bjet's quote again. The Calalpa MEC has the final says as to the conditions. If the MEC doesn't want Mesa, they just say no.

 

[EMBATP]

other airlines

as a coex pilot, i want to see our guys back flying as soon as possible, whether at skywest or wherever, but i'm worried that letting these guys get their foot in the door with CAL will end up like a Delta Connection Inc. type deal. expressjet should do all flying for CAL, turboprop or not. doesn't this come under ALPA's " career expectations and enhancements/protection?"

 

[Bjet Driver]

Maddog,

It was not my intention to sound arrogant in my response. If that's how it was percieved- I apologize. However, you still seem confused about the MOU agreement between CAL, XJT, and our union. It simply says that we (XJT pilots, represented by our MEC) must agree to ALL TERMS OF THE FLYING. It also says we have the right to reject the deal outright, if we don't agree with the terms. We have protected ourselves from the scenario mentioned here. We won't get stuck with a bottom feeding carrier unless we open the door and welcome them in ourselves and that won't happen. What will happen remains to be seen.

 

[George Jetson]

There's 2 questions and issues here:

Will CAL ALPA agree to a deal involving turboprops in Houston?

How badly does Skywest Airlines, Inc. want this additional revenue?

Clearly CAL ALPA has a price in mind and that price will most likely include (as told to me by ALPA representatives) not only jobs for CALEX furloughed pilots but probably the Captain seats as well. It will also include some sort of seat limitations as well as limitations on the cities and amount of aircraft hulls, etc.

Granted, Skywest Airlines will have to take into account the welfare and feelings of its own pilot group on this issue, but being that SKYW is non-union, the pilot group does not have an official say on this manner.

At the end of the day, Continental Airlines just wants the incremental revenue of these small towns. Skywest needs to figure out what its price is and CAL ALPA needs to figure out what its bottomline is. Make no mistake about it, CAL ALPA has been under a lot of pressure from the CALEX pilot membership about the Commutair prop MOU and other representational issues. CALEX pilots are feeling pretty militant right now and are NOT happy about current cities going to another airline, especially with pilots on the street. This deal better be pretty sweet or else the CALEX pilots on the MEC won't sign off on it...and maybe even the CAL pilots.

This deal could very easily blow up, whether it involves Skywest or another airline. I suggest that some of the Skywest pilots read this very seriously because the hiring situation (poolies, etc) is out of their hands at the moment. It is in the hands of their management, CAL ALPA, and Continental Airlines, inc.

 

[JBcrjca]

If the deal involves CAL Ex guys getting captain seats at SkyWest, then I'm 99% sure that SkyWest won't go along with the deal. The SKW pilots would revolt, and SKW mgmt tries hard to keep the pilots happy in situations like this. It's their way of trying to keep a union off the property. The same thing happened when USAir approached SKW about the J4J program. After putting it to a vote by the pilot group, mgmt politely rejected the offer. I'm pretty sure the same thing will happen in this situation. Even with SKW being non-union, the company has a pretty good working relationship with the crews.

This is my humble opinion of course, and I've been known to be wrong from time to time.

 

[MONKEY]

HELP ME UNDERSTAND

I would like to know why SKW pilots would be offended if SkyWest Airlines decided to go through with this deal, even if every seat where to be filled by coex pilots. SkyWest pilots would not get the flying if SkyWest Airlines declined the offer. Would they really want the flying to go to someone like mesa?

It seams to me that if SKW where to fly these routes, eventually the COEX guys would go back to work flying for COEX, and then the seats would be filled by SKW guys.

It sounds like a good deal to me. You get the COEX guys back to work right away and then in a year or two all the seats would eventually be filled by SKW. That sounds like a win win to me.