CKN Taco selected for Continental Express

[SkyBoy1981]

Now hold on a second...

CHQ's contract was negotiated and signed in October of 2003 in a difficult post-9/11 (and post Mesa) environment, with the threat of a non-union alter ego taking their flying. It improved on every aspect of the previous contract, and included items such as no junior manning. XJT's contract was signed last year, with hourly payrates only a few percentage points higher than the 50 seat rates (I know about your better FO pay, workrules and trip rigs).

CHQ pilots took no concessions in order to sweeten this bid (that wasn't widely known of in pilot group) and yet you want to hold them "accountable to a certain extent" even though their contract is 2+ years older than your own?

Yup. Like I said, you're still doing our jobs for less than us. Our contract was signed in late 2004, not last year. If yours was signed in Oct of 2003 that would make it a year and a month or two older than ours...not 2+ years.

It really doesn't matter anyway, as I find it highly unlikely that you will fly any of those 69 airplanes.

 

[BoilerUP]

I don't work for RAH, so you're right that I won't fly any of those 69 airplanes.

I've got good friends at XJT and it sucks this happened; I'm sure come 1 Jan 07 everybody is gonna wish for today's status quo...

 

[wahoo250]

i wouldnt be so uptight about this at all. yes it may sound bad now, but it also opens up and frees 69 airplanes to diversify expressjet away from just continental. it may also open up lines of growth in other areas. they have the airplanes, now its a matter of finding a home for them. they also have the option of giving them back. well see where they go, but it may open up the company a little more. im happy that for now the pilots were not asked for concessions to outbid another carrier. makes you think that there may be another place for them....i dont think management would just roll over and play dead without trying to lower their cost structure first. wont really affect me much but the guys that just arrived i wouldnt go nuts thinking about it. its all about flying the airplanes at our current costs. hopefully someone will see that you get what you pay for. me...id rather be out of a job than to fly for less than what im making now.

 

[coolyokeluke]

i wouldnt be so uptight about this at all. yes it may sound bad now, but it also opens up and frees 69 airplanes to diversify expressjet away from just continental. it may also open up lines of growth in other areas. they have the airplanes, now its a matter of finding a home for them.

I'm going to keep drinking the coolaid at this point as the alternative, doom and gloom, doesn't look tasty right now.

Good thing we have a paint shop in Saltillo, won't cost too much to put new paint on the airplanes come 2007.

I think you're going to see us doing some stand-alone stuff, ala Independence Air. Just hopefully more successfully. Also this would involve Mexico since there's not as much competition, better yields, and we already have it (MX operations) on our certificate. Some ER's might get converted to executive aircraft/charter type operations. Maybe we'll get some flying from another carrier too.

After the dump our stock took after the December announcement, and now another 15% drop...how much might it go up if we announced some positive news? Some of you like to gamble. Well I bet XJET stock has at least better odds than the slot machines at the Indian casinos.

Yup tasty coolaid. Doom and gloom too bitter for my tastes. Maybe the bitterness is an aquired taste.

 

[SkyBoy1981]

Some ER's might get converted to executive aircraft/charter type operations..

Haha. ER's? I hope they don't use those old hoopty's for charter flights.

"Sorry coach, but we're going to have to leave at least two players behind due to weight restrictions."

 

[coolyokeluke]

Haha. ER's? I hope they don't use those old hoopty's for charter flights.

"Sorry coach, but we're going to have to leave at least two players behind due to weight restricions."

Uhh, charter women's gymnastics teams?..we could take that weight... I'm just speculating that they'd have a whole lot less seats than they do now and have some major interior renovation done. Emphasize "speculating".

 

[SkyBoy1981]

Uhh, charter women's gymnastics teams?..we could take that weight... I'm just speculating that they'd have a whole lot less seats than they do now and have some major interior renovation done. Emphasize "speculating".

None of the 69 airplanes are ER's.

 

[BankAccount=0$]

It seems to me that selecting CHQ is more of an insurance policy than anything else. If XJT decided to take all 69 aircraft (which I hope they do) and fly them for somebody else or themselves that leaves CAL some options.

CHQ has the same type of aircraft in their fleet as what CAL is currently operating with XJT, they also have a bigger airframe to offer if (in the unlikley event) their pilots vote in scope relief and allow bigger aircraft. CAL may not even want to replace the 69 aircraft in their system, but rather if they were returned by XJT they would need somebody to operate them so as not to lose out on the lease payments/revenue. It seems like a win/win situation for both CAL and RAH. Cal gets some flexibility in the number of aircraft used in the system, and RAH gets another customer that will supply them with the needed aircraft to do the flying if they are available. If XJT decides to keep all 69 aircraft, RAH is on the hook to come up with replacements for CAL up to 69 airframes freeing CAL of having to acquire more aircraft. In reality unless the Delta code for CHQ is terminated and the required number of ERJ's are freed up to do the CAL flying, I don't see RAH buying any ERJ's to support the CAL contract. I doubt RAH would have accepted the contract if there was any chance of having to purchase additional 50 seat aircraft, and I would guess that they took the deal more for the opportunity to have a shot at any future 70+ seat flying under the CO code. As Bedford said himself, RAH is not looking to grow in the 50 seat segment of the market. I think RAH looked at CAL as low hanging fruit, they'll eat it if it's easy to get to, but their not really looking to go too high up the tree unless CAL makes it worth their while a' la EMB-170's

For the XJT folks (myself included) it is going to be an interesting time these next couple of months. If things go well we may come out of this better off than we started in December. If it doesn't go well then some of the employees will lose their jobs (myself included).

If nothing else, I look to the future of XJT with optimisim, our management did not come to us with their hand out looking for concessions to "save" the CAL flying. They only ask that we continue to do the same job we have been all along, and wait and see what the future holds. I don't think the bulk of the XJT pilots hold any ill feeling towards the CHQ group, this is a business where none of us, or our companies have any ownership of the work we do. In the end we all need to work together to make the regionals a better place to work. As the dream of getting on at a major keeps getting further and further away, we are probably going to be at this rung of the career ladder a long time................

 

[another cfii]

Great post!

Finally someone who has the integrity and intelligence to see it through. Kudos to you, sir.

 

[punkpilot48]

None of the 69 airplanes are ER's.

How do you know if they are ER LR or XR's? Its just out curiosity. Hope ya'll stand strong.