DAL/Expressjet NO More

[JoeMerchant]

Let's not forget that XJT replaced ASA in LAX and Skywest in SLC....XJT underbid Skywest for the flying.....Welcome to RFPs and bidding...Hopefully some or all of this will come back to Skywest Inc.

 

[JoeMerchant]

Well, past and current events point towards each brand doing what is best for #1....which ain't the other guy. For the average American, is that right? Is that wrong? Depends on your beliefs.

For the pilot group, it's clearly a negative to have to fight other pilots for the award to do the cheapest flying. Unfortunatetly, I think the train has already left on brand scope. Not to absolve them from blame, but there is nothing that ALPA or any other union could do at this time to instill or force a unity amongst pilot groups. Without the ability to conduct an organized strike, there is no serious financial motivation for management to actually negotiate with pilot groups. Sure, we can 'work to rule' and 'fly safe', and these things have helped with ASA's negotiations, but not to the effect of an organized, specific work stoppage.

So, the average pilot asks him/herself, what good is ALPA (fill in the name of union here: Teamsters/SWAPA/girl scouts/etc...)? Sure, there are several things that ALPA does well. However, the main thing that pilots want and need a collective bargaining umbrella to do, i.e. increase wages and quality of life, ALPA can not do.

You may very well be right....If that is the case, then we all must do what is best for our individual companies....and in this environment any growth will come at someone elses expense....

 

[145BOSS]

Expressjet didn't have much of a choice. In the new capacity agreement with Continental, all the flying is to be done by the LR and XR models. To get the extra aircraft to comply with the agreement XJT had two options; end the agreement with Delta or end their own branded flying, which we all know is a cashcow...

 

[MJ42]

It should be acknowledged that it stinks that well-compensated pilots (XJT) will be harmed by this. I don't like the idea of another pilot out of work, and I certainly wouldn't (won't?) delight in doing work that was once done by someone else.

It's a harsh reality.

Like: 950 UAL pilots
180 Air Tran pilots
300 US Airways pilots
up to 500 CAL pilots

 

[JoeMerchant]

Like: 950 UAL pilots
180 Air Tran pilots
300 US Airways pilots
up to 500 CAL pilots

Actually you could say...

About 5,000 UAL
About 2,000 USAir
About 5,000 AMR
About 5,000 DAL

Look at the seniority lists of these companies in 2000....Looks like "scope" isn't working for either side of the fence....ALPA and the mainlines were warned.....

 

[TNPILOT]

Expressjet didn't have much of a choice. In the new capacity agreement with Continental, all the flying is to be done by the LR and XR models. To get the extra aircraft to comply with the agreement XJT had two options; end the agreement with Delta or end their own branded flying, which we all know is a cashcow...

I think you can count on the branded flying ending as well come January. Aircraft will be put into the CAL operation which is set at 205 aircraft for the next year and 190 after that. Some of the extra aircraft will go to the charter division which is growing. Furloughs will result from the parking of the 135s and perhaps the EPs.

 

[Texx]

Pick one...

1. The flying goes to Skywest Airlines BUT do they have enough airframes to cover the flying? If not, where would they come OR be transferred from?

2. JO puts all EMB pilots on RES for the month of July.
http://www.airlinepilotcentral.com/airlines/major-national-lcc/mesa.html
"Ornstein predicts an "amicable solution."
Could the solution be a backfill with Freedom?

There will not be a new airline added to the group as stated by DAL that they are going to trim the number.

Remember,
"ExpressJet Delta Connection, chiefly operating out of Los Angeles and Salt Lake City, will cease by Sept. 1, the airlines said."

Someone is going to have to move very, very fast to start an operation.

 

[JoeMerchant]

Pick one...

1. The flying goes to Skywest Airlines BUT do they have enough airframes to cover the flying? If not, where would they come OR be transferred from?

2. JO puts all EMB pilots on RES for the month of July.
http://www.airlinepilotcentral.com/airlines/major-national-lcc/mesa.html
"Ornstein predicts an "amicable solution."

There will not be a new airline added to the group as stated by DAL that they are going to trim the nuumber.

I'll take 1....but wouldn't be surprised at 2......

 

[cfi_greg]

It should be acknowledged that it stinks that well-compensated pilots (XJT) will be harmed by this. I don't like the idea of another pilot out of work, and I certainly wouldn't (won't?) delight in doing work that was once done by someone else.

It's a harsh reality.

This flying was already done by somebody else before XJT took it.

 

[WalterSobchak]

Pick one...

1. The flying goes to Skywest Airlines BUT do they have enough airframes to cover the flying? If not, where would they come OR be transferred from?

Last I checked, SkyWest's current DL operation is running at the minimum required flights per day as outlined in the contract...much, much fewer DLC flights per day than last summer with the same amount of airframes. Therefore, SKW has a bunch of under-utilized airdraft in the SLC system. As far as I can tell, a quick September sked re-work and SKW wouldn't have to find any planes...and might still have a spare or two.

 

[auspac]

Last week I flew on Express Jet for the first time. Also flew on the E145 for the first time and had very low expectations but was pleasantly surprised. Quality operation. Best of luck to everyone affected by this announcement.

 

[wmuflyguy]

Pick one...

1. The flying goes to Skywest Airlines BUT do they have enough airframes to cover the flying? If not, where would they come OR be transferred from?

2. JO puts all EMB pilots on RES for the month of July.
http://www.airlinepilotcentral.com/airlines/major-national-lcc/mesa.html
"Ornstein predicts an "amicable solution."
Could the solution be a backfill with Freedom?

There will not be a new airline added to the group as stated by DAL that they are going to trim the number.

Remember,
"ExpressJet Delta Connection, chiefly operating out of Los Angeles and Salt Lake City, will cease by Sept. 1, the airlines said."

Someone is going to have to move very, very fast to start an operation.

Since Delta is cutting capacity, I would guess not all the flying will be replaced. Delta may cut some of the current SkyWest flying and replace it with some of this LAX flying, to keep them above the minimum stated on the contract. So nno or very little net gain.

 

[MYFpilot]

In September SkyWest will close ATL base and move the Airframes out west to SLC and LAX. ASA will gain a few 90's to replace the airplanes that move out. Expect the announcement near the end of July... Opening SkyWest LAX domicile (other than the reserve base), and about 150 furloughs ( Maybe more if Midwest augers in before that.), plus a bunch of transitions back down to the Brasilia. Anybody "in the pool" can pretty much forget about working for SkyWest in the near future. Oh and those who commute on United better be doing it incognito come august. It sucks, but that's what we get for being United's biatch.

 

[Mel Sharples]

Notice a trend?

Mesa -- GONE
Pinnacle -- GONE
ExpressJet -- GONE

Delta is thinning the herd. The game of musical chairs just lost three participants. This merger gets more interesting by the day.

The sad thing is we are all going to lose in this. Those who survive will just get beaten that much more.

 

[sweptback]

In September SkyWest will close ATL base and move the Airframes out west to SLC and LAX. ASA will gain a few 90's to replace the airplanes that move out. Expect the announcement near the end of July...

Thanks for making my night. You had me until the ASA getting 90s part, then I knew you were just full of it!

Seriously though, to the XJT people, hopefully nobody tied down roots too much in LAX and maybe the airplanes will find home with United or whoever else has RFPs out currently.

 

[JoeMerchant]

In September SkyWest will close ATL base and move the Airframes out west to SLC and LAX. ASA will gain a few 90's to replace the airplanes that move out. Expect the announcement near the end of July... Opening SkyWest LAX domicile (other than the reserve base), and about 150 furloughs ( Maybe more if Midwest augers in before that.), plus a bunch of transitions back down to the Brasilia. Anybody "in the pool" can pretty much forget about working for SkyWest in the near future. Oh and those who commute on United better be doing it incognito come august. It sucks, but that's what we get for being United's biatch.

If Skywest were to furlough while shifting airplanes to ASA....Those pilots need to be put on the ASA list....There is absolutely no reason to furlough at one while expanding the other....ALPA or no ALPA...that isn't right....

We have a chance to do what ALPA can't seem to do.....A single list at Skywest Inc....and this could be the start of it.....

 

[JoeMerchant]

Notice a trend?

Mesa -- GONE
Pinnacle -- GONE
ExpressJet -- GONE

Delta is thinning the herd. The game of musical chairs just lost three participants. This merger gets more interesting by the day.

The sad thing is we are all going to lose in this. Those who survive will just get beaten that much more.

Actually management is doing what we wanted.....Thinning the "portfolio" is a GREAT thing....The fewer players, the less whipsaw.....Delta and Skywest have done more to protect ASA jobs than ALPA has.....

 

[outtahere]

Unfortunatly that is true. Delta and Skywest are helping us more than our own union. However, I am not ready to throw out this union untill another comes along offering more. We need protection in this industry.

 

[JoeMerchant]

Unfortunatly that is true. Delta and Skywest are helping us more than our own union. However, I am not ready to throw out this union untill another comes along offering more. We need protection in this industry.

Yes we do....Has ALPA protected anyone on either side of the fence?

 

[johnsonrod]

That seriously sucks for the Expressjet pilots who actually want to live and stay on the West Coast. Moving back to (or commuting to) IAH or EWR would not be fun. For those who want to stay on the West Coast and have the mimimum requirements, Jetsuite:

http://www.jetsuite.com/index2.html

might be a good alternative. It's a start-up with start-up risks but it might actually work - you never know... The Phenom 100 looks like a fun airplane to fly. I don't work for Jetsuite but I thought it looked interesting - it's aiming to have 100 Phenom 100s flying around the West Coast. Again, it's a start-up started by one of the Jet Blue founders...

Here's info about pilot openings and requirements:

http://www.jetsuite.com/PilotOpenings.html

It won't start until early 2009 I think, but it might provide a way to return to the LEFT COAST if that's what you want.