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Comair to furlough an additional 150 pilots.

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DX Rick

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 6, 2004
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1,622
On Epic.

Delta hub staying, shrinking: Airline to cut flights; Comair to cut jobs
Cincinnati Enquirer
November 12, 2008
Delta Air Lines plans to cut 12 percent of its flying outof the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport in January,but says it is restructuring the hub here to make it more profitableand therefore sustainable though at least next year.
Glen Hauenstein, Delta's executive vice president chargedwith meshing Delta's network with that of its new merger acquisitionNorthwest Airlines, said in an interview that the airline is committedto keeping a hub here through at least 2009.
"We really wanted to keep the hub there because of itslocation, layout and the great facilities, but it took us awhile tofigure out how to do it," Hauenstein said. "So Delta is now reaffirmingits commitment to the Cincinnati hub through the summer season of nextyear and then we'll take another barometer reading on how the economyis doing.
"This is the foundation to build upon, and I think thebiggest (profit) improvement in all of Delta next year is going to beCincinnati."
The new plan calls for ending service to only one city andtrimming about 40 flights a day at CVG. The 263 flights remainingflights, however, will be bunched more closely together as the airlinesynchronizes its schedules among its other six hubs nationally.
Hauenstein would not commit on what the new structurecould mean for employment at the airport as airlines nationally areexpected to pare back after the holidays to cope with the economicdownturn. But he said that the new schedule will be even more laborintensive, possibly protecting existing jobs. Still, Delta'sErlanger-based regional subsidiary Comair will see layoffs due to theflight cuts even though regional flying will make up more of the localoperation.
Delta currently employs about 2,500 locally and Comair has3,100 local workers. The local regional airline, which does themajority of the Cincinnati flying for Delta, is laying off anadditional 150 pilot layoffs early next year due to the latest flightreductions, a company official said Wednesday.
That's on top of 330 previously announced layoffs ofpilots and flight attendants that started last month as overall flyingin Cincinnati will be down 33 percent in January as compared withJanuary 2008. Comair employs about 5,800 total, including 1,300 pilotsand 800 flight attendants.
All told, Delta's regional carriers, including Comair,will fly about 85 percent of the 263 departures at Cincinnati plannedfor January, which will be down from the current 300 flights.
Delta officials declined comment on system-wide reductionsfor Delta, which is merging its operations with that ofMinneapolis-based Northwest. The merger, which was completed lastmonth, creates the world's largest airline. Delta, which now has sevenhubs after the merger, has planned a news conference for later today toannounce its overall scheduling plans for January when its winterschedule begins.
Overall, most U.S. airlines are reducing capacity afterthe holidays, with even normally profitable low-cost carrier Southwestcutting 5 percent out of its schedule in January.
When Delta's new schedule goes into effect locally, theairport will keep all of its current destinations except Austin, Texas,making the new total 91.
However, the summertime flight to Rome could be injeopardy due to the economic slowdown, while daily frequencies to suchcities as Asheville, N.C, Columbus, and Seattle will be reduced. Deltaofficials declined to provide more specifics about frequency cutbackselsewhere.
"This is good news in that it keeps things pretty much asthey are, but I would not say it is wonderful news," said Lawson WalkerII, chairman of the Kenton County Airport Board, which oversees CVG'soperations. "Wonderful news would be adding more planes. Still, this isgood for the business traveler and we can still say we have the hub."
Walker said he and other board members are trying toschedule a meeting later this month with top Delta brass to discuss notonly current local levels of air service, but also the issue of localair fares. The Transportation Department recently ranked Cincinnati ashaving the highest air fares in the nation for the second quarter 2008,a distinction the local airport has owned for most of the last decadedue in part to Delta's dominance here.
The new structure at Cincinnati will shrink the number of"banks" - or sets of incoming and outgoing flights that aresynchronized to maximize connections - from nine to five. Hauensteinsaid that the new schedule will be coordinated with that of theNorthwest hub in Detroit to avoid competition and complement each hub'sstrengths.
"That way we can offer two medium-sized hubs with betterconnectivity and efficiency to compete with one mega-hub (for rivalsAmerican and United) in Chicago," Hauenstein said. "This is all aboutconnections and making those more plentiful. Now we can offer atraveler in say, Albany, connections through Atlanta, JFK, Detroit,Minneapolis and yes, Cincinnati - you get something nobody has beenable to offer you before. And Cincinnati is a part of all of that."
http://nky.cincinnati.com/article/AB/20081112/BIZ01/311120021
 
ON EPIC

05 NOVEMBER, 2008



President John Selvaggio provided the Comair team with an update on our fleet and staffing for 2008 and into early 2009.
"Most recently, Delta has notified us that they have re-assigned the 14th CRJ 900 originally awarded to Comair in April 2007," according to the memo. "You will recall that we have already taken delivery of the first 13 aircraft... Delta has said the plane will be assigned to Mesaba next year."
Click here to read the complete memo, including Comair's ongoing efforts to ensure that we are appropriately staffed to support the operation.
In addition, Dave Soaper, Senior Vice President of Aircraft Operations, sent a memo regarding our initial staffing outlook for 2009 to Comair's crews. We expect the following:
  • Up to 120 pilot furloughs: Downgrades and furloughs will begin in January and wrap up during the first quarter of 2009; and
  • Flight attendant part-time bid for January now open: The number of furloughs will be directly tied to how many flight attendants opt for part-time status. (For example, we currently have 150 part-time flight attendants. If the current bid nets similar numbers, we anticipate up to 40 flight attendant furloughs in February. More part-time flight attendants would mean fewer furloughs, and vice versa.)
Additional Information: An article in The Wall Street Journal (11-6-08) takes a look at how mainline cost-cutting, high oil prices and the weak economy are impacting regional airlines. While the article doesn't mention Comair, it does provide good perspective on our situation.
"The industry has too many 50-seaters," Delta Connection Senior Vice President Don Bornhorst is quoted in the article. "We've hit the saturation point."
 
Lots more to come! Job scene is not to good right now for a furloughed pilot. Kind of like back in 2002! No one was hiring! Good Luck!
 
Lots more to come! Job scene is not to good right now for a furloughed pilot. Kind of like back in 2002! No one was hiring! Good Luck!
Queefgarpe. Did you mean to say "...job scene is not too good ...?" Windcheck
 
You need to get onto those unemployment forms. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
I find it interesting that there are no other Delta guys trolling the regional threads, to bash the Comair guys. Out of all the DAL guys on this forum, you're the only one that is upset.
Says a lot about your character....or the lack there of.
 
I find it interesting that there are no other Delta guys trolling the regional threads, to bash the Comair guys. Out of all the DAL guys on this forum, you're the only one that is upset.
Says a lot about your character....or the lack there of.

Lots more to come! Job scene is not to good right now for a furloughed pilot. Kind of like back in 2002! No one was hiring! Good Luck!

How does this post offend you? DX your character must be in question also seeing how you chose to respond!
 

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