Geezzz, you guys are really something else. Entertaining to listen to if nothing else, but growing up a little should be posted on your ‘to do list’ for the future. Even here on FI there have been times in the past where you can have differing opinions without all the rhetoric.
While only my personal opinion, each of you has posted valid points at times. There is no doubt that ABX took a concessionary agreement, they had no where to go but down and, overall they (1224) did a decent job at limiting the amount of givebacks. It’s a new world for ABX/1224 operating solely in the ACMI market….there is a learning curve, just look at their management and staffing issues. A few years into the future and they may figure some of it out, but probably will not master ACMI’s with such a large percentage of the business with DHL (ATI’s BAX is much smaller).
Oddly, the 767 doesn’t really gain anything on the DC8 (70s) until you break about 5 hrs of flight time, which kills most of the domestic. As far as the other pro/con argument on a/c goes…767 has the cost/restrictions of ETOPS, extra crewmember (IRO..which is fairly expensive), but less engines. DC8 (DC10,74, L10, etc.) has more engines, no ETOPs, extra crewmember (typically less than IRO costs), and much larger range.
Lastly, comparing ATI to ABX is unrealistic. ATI is working from scales that are a decade old. IMO they will not match the ABX scale in the future, life just doesn’t work that way. Home-basing…it is a very nice thing, although hard to put a dollar figure on it. Nite’s figures are way off…just remember what ABX spent on tickets for Osaka. It’s individually specific to each crewmember as to the value and is difficult to put a dollar figure (in salary) to for calculations.