Comair News Hits!!!!!!

[RichO]

we just had air time on CNBC.........I should have shorted Delta stock a couple of months ago.....I would have made up for the pay cut

 

[fugghedabowdit]

How big is the backorder now on the E jets? I heard 4 years. That ship sailed already.

 

[RichO]

Are the E170's/190's cheeper to operate than the RJ's?

 

[CRJ puppy]

:bawling:

Well since no one here was at a meeting, here's the latest:

Block hrs. for CMR now reduced 26% instead of 14% starting Dec. 1st.

11 aircraft parked on Dec. 1st. Will contniue to use them as spares until picked up by lessors.

A/C utilization going from about 11 hrs/day to about 8.5 hrs/day never to return to previous utilization for forseeable future.

Renegotiating leases to get more favorable rates. Actual negotiated lease costs will determine how many a/c leave the fleet. Worst case scenario for now is 30 a/c leaving the fleet...all 50 seat planes.

Starting Dec. 1, GSO base decreases by about 15 crews or 25%; JFK increases by 10%, MCO was supposed to close but now going to keep it open, just in case...

Pilot furloughs: 220 - 440
Flight attendants: 110 - 220
Field Agents: 130 - 160
Managers/Support: 90 - 130
Mechanics: 40 - 50

Above ranges are based upon exactly how many a/c leave the fleet and how many people take voluntary separations, voluntary furloughs and leaves of absences. Incentives for the voluntaries is pending bankruptcy court approval but includes enhanced medical and travel bennies.

Timing. Voluntary separations & furloughs: Dec. 1st; Involuntary furloughs after the holidays. Bid for voluntary separations, furloughs, etc is to open up Oct. 19th.

In negotiations with unions for pay and work rule changes to achieve cost savings of $17.3 million from pilots, $8.9 million from Flight attendants and $1 million from mechanics. Looking for things like min. line reductions to lessen the furloughs and other benefit changes.

Fred takes a 15% pay cut, other officers and directors take 10%. Salaried take a 7%, hourly take a 4% cut.

Defined retirement contribution at high risk, 401(k) match ok. Changing precription drug plan (no cost changes to employee) and no plans to change health care provider for 2006.

Working on preferential hiring for furloughed CMR pilots at other DCI carriers.

That's about it.

Life sucks, then u die.

 

[Lance501]

Then all the little puppies run over to another DCI carrier. Which happens to be the places that under cut thier current employment. Management must just laugh at stupid pilots. No balls to say no and more that willing to work for less as long as they can fly a jet.

 

[logolight]

Be careful of those furlough dates. Independence Air announced furlough dates and later moved them up to expidite the cost cuts. I'd say get your resumes out NOW.

 

[logolight]

Working on preferential hiring for furloughed CMR pilots at other DCI carriers.

I would say Air Wisconsin. They can't find enough pilots. They gave us pref hiring at Independence and the interview was totaly informal (no sim). Class was only 3 1/2 weeks long because we were current and qualified in the CRJ.

 

[RichO]

:bawling:


Above ranges are based upon exactly how many a/c leave the fleet and how many people take voluntary separations, voluntary furloughs and leaves of absences. Incentives for the voluntaries is pending bankruptcy court approval but includes enhanced medical and travel bennies.

Timing. Voluntary separations & furloughs: Dec. 1st; Involuntary furloughs after the holidays. Bid for voluntary separations, furloughs, etc is to open up Oct. 19th.

When will the incentives for voluntaries be out??? Any more specifics on this?? Enhanced medical and travel bens?? How much more enhanced??

 

[CRJ puppy]

deleted...

 

[bvt1151]

Are the E170's/190's cheeper to operate than the RJ's?

No.

CRJ-700's are cheaper and cost less to operate than a 170. The CRJ-900/E190 difference is even greater.

The difference is in the revenue premium the Embraer jets can generate.

 

[Otto]

Freedom started flying 30 RJs for Delta starting this month. That was announced sometime back in the early Spring or so, I believe.

True, but the previous post by KingAirer implied Mesa had added aircraft when it was simply a reallocation of their fleet from (I believe) US Air to Delta. Delta, desperate for cash, was looking to shed debt (eg. leases on CRJ's) and Mesa had cash to buy their way into DCI. What are you going to do? No amount of concessions from the pilots of Comair could stop that transaction.

 

[DrewBlows]

When will the incentives for voluntaries be out??? Any more specifics on this?? Enhanced medical and travel bens?? How much more enhanced??

Don't know the answer to your first question. A good source said that if you took the voluntary furlough the plan was that you would get three months of health care (vs. COBRA, apx. $300/ month if you are single) and continued pass privleges for the duration of the furlough (vs. 30 days per the contract). That said, my source was not a bankruptcy judge so I would take it with a grain of salt until you see something official.

 

[Well-hung Start]

Comair is going to suffer here for a while, but I think in a year or two, they will come out smelling like a rose. This may be the key to start flying numerous 70+ - 99 seat aircraft.

Yeah....great!

Flying 70-99 seat A/C....

......FOR 50-SEAT PAY!


...some fugin' rose!

 

[AutoBus]

They are talking about larger than 70 seat aircraft in the future.....maybe E170's and E190's.....what do you think????

I think mainline pilots need to fly the E170's and E190's.


Seriously, with these subcontracted lift providers (not an airline) under bidding each other and stealing contracts from each other every couple of years it is a race to the bottom for the employee's. This year Mesa wins, next year?

A properly structured mainline carrier should be able operate the E170 or E190 for less than a subcontacted lift provider. Why? Economies of scale and the elimination of the 3-4% profit margin most fee-per-departure contracts provide to the subcontracted lift provider (still not an airline)

With payrates and benefits at mainline carriers being what they are these days, there is not reason why they can't do it.

Jblu and the New US Airways are just the Beginning.

 

[Superpilot92]

not to mention if they would just combine the regional providers to the mainline the elimination of a double management and mgmt staffing. I think this should have happened a long time ago.

 

[scarlet]

Yeah exactly--why have to different companies--Delta Comair , and before ASA---What a waste of money paying all these people when one mgnmt. team can do it....

 

[jetfo]

Yeah exactly--why have to different companies--Delta Comair , and before ASA---What a waste of money paying all these people when one mgnmt. team can do it....

How would you play them off against each other?!?