My point was that according to the instructors I talked to, we can't finish our 900 program until we get an airplane to do the required proving runs, etc.
1. The airplanes are coming in the first quarter after the merger is approved.
2. Although your previous post is somewhat factual regarding Senior pilots, if that was really a factor, the 700's would be disappearing. Moreover, aside of Skywest's growth over the last couple of years, their seniority list largely mirrors ASA as far as pilot seniority. Skywest has not lost a single airplane because of their Senior pilots--and ASA's costs are nearly the same!
3. If ASA was awarded airplanes in this seat range, it would not be Senior pilots getting the vacancies. For the majority of the Captain positions, it would be pilots with 5-6 years of Seniority--just look at the last vacancy bids back in March! New positions would be paid at 5-6 year pay scales for Captain, and new hire pilots would come in at some level at regional industy standard, starting pay. This would bring average costs down. Southwest has benefitted in that concept for years.
4. If there was no plan for the future, ASA would be furloughing pilots today--instead of carrying extra staffing. Ultimately, through the flow-through costs component of the DCI contract, Delta pays Pilot salaries. Do you think that they would condone incurring extra expenses if there was not a plan in the near term to utilize those pilots?
5. Atlanta will grow after the merger for mainline, as will DCI--ASA inclusive!
6. Don't buy into the "got to be the lowest or 2nd lowest" costs in the portfolio. After the last Comair concessions, and even with our new working agreement, most of the DCI carriers have cost structures that are pretty much in line--with variances here and there. Of course, Mesa would be the exception, and they appear to be on the way out and they have the lowest costs of any DCI carrier. So the low cost argument goes out the window.
7. With costs being mostly in line with DCI, it is really about Performance, Performance, and Performance!
8. Brand Scope is a fairy tale. It would be more constructive to talk about how to find the gold at the end of the rainbow. It will never happen because no mainline pilot group will pay the price--and why should they? On a regional level, even AE, which negotiated a long-term contract to get a form of brand scope, could not achieve brand scope.(TSA) What did it cost them?
9. One of the reasons Skywest bought ASA was because of the attractive pricing of orders and options that were negotiated under the Skip Barnette/Brian LeBreque era. Skywest, Inc. could distribute them anywhere they wanted, and yes, they played the game with the carrot on the stick and influenced the eventual vote.
10. Finally, ASA, not by default, but by strategic design, was protected in ATL in the DCI agreement that Skywest, Inc. signed with Delta. It appears that this agreement protected both Skywest, Inc. and Delta! ASA was the pawn. The agreement guaranteed ASA a percentage of the ATL, DCI flying for the term of the contract. This protected Skywest's investment, but also protected Delta by ultimately keeping ASA as a separate entity from Skywest Airlines. There are numeroust reasons that ASA and Skywest will always remain separate--unless an admendment is negotiated. It protects Delta's interest to keep ASA separate--and this is largely dictated by the DCI agreement and the way it was structured with Skywest, Inc.
