Dear Mr. Skywest CEO Jerry:

[Tyler Durden]

Kgarthur....I think you need to SHUT IT! Talk about someone with NO experience! What, you have about 1700hrs of PROP time? You are weighing in on something you know NOTHING about! Shut the H3LL UP and go back to SLEEP!!
Jack @ss!

Tru-Dat!!

 

[Caveman]

Man, talk about Karma. SkyWest's one rate policy is coming back to bite them in the a$$. If it wasn't for them paying one rate for 50-99 seats everybody else's 70 seat rates wouldn't be under fire right now.

BTW, it's gonna get worse. First you are being whipsawed by DAL to compete for DCI flying against CHQ, Mesa, Freedom and CMR. Then you'll have to compete in house with ASA for what DCI flying SkyWest Inc does get.

Welcome to the club boys. You reap what you sow.

 

[viper548]

I think he even made reference that even he had to make sacrifices by saying that he couldn't buy the new snowmobiles he was going to get.

GP

I thought Bombardier hooked them up with free snowmobiles and ATVs every now and then.

 

[EMBpilot]

Brad.....isn't he the same guy who greeted the newhire class in Feb/'03 by telling them that SkyWest was cancelling their class and future classes? Then, after everyone's gut dropped, he said that instead they wouldn't be paid a dime during initial groundschool..."makes you feel good just to have a job, doesn't it?", BH - early Feb. '03.
GP

No, he just said: "there is no pay in training from now on and if you wish to go home I'll write you a check for $500 to cover your expenses getting here." No one took him up on that.

He also made a comment about turning off lights at his home more often - nothing about the snowmobiles.

 

[hmmurdock]

To: All SkyWest Airlines Pilots
From: Brad Holt
Subject: Update
Date: 11/14/05


In light of the “no” vote on the proposed pay package I believe it is important that we review the process we’ve gone through and the reality of the situation our airline and industry are in.

SkyWest Airlines is one of the few profitable airlines in our industry today. SkyWest Airlines pilots are some of the most highly compensated pilots in our industry and one of the few pilot groups in our industry that are not facing pay concessions. SkyWest management is doing everything possible to ensure that both of these statements remain true for years to come, protecting both the company and our employee’s future. We will only be able to make these statements five or ten years from now if we remain accident free, improve efficiencies quicker than our competitors, and remain financially solid which will allow us to continue our growth.

Here is our challenge: We are loosing our competitive edge. As others take pay concessions, constrict their work rules, tighten their belts, and optimize their operations (furloughs), we are able to offer fewer advantages to our major partners. We are bidding and competing for work against airlines with lower pay scales, less stringent guarantees and lower average seniority. In the past we have been able to level the playing field with our competitors by having a more productive pilot group. As Delta restructures in bankruptcy, much of the efficiency advantage we have today will disappear because our aircraft utilization is being reduced by as much as 19%. Delta is in the process of “re-peaking” their hubs which will also reduce our efficiency by increasing the ground times for our aircraft and Crewmembers. In order to stay competitive and profitable we must look at all of these variables each time we discuss pay increases or work rule changes.

I want you to understand that it is not that SkyWest does not want to give big hourly scale increases to our pilots, it is not feasible at this time. The state of our industry is volatile and unstable more now than it has ever been and we cannot stick our heads in the sand and ignore the issues hoping they will go away or that they do not affect us. Our airline seems to be isolated from the disasters going on around us but I assure you that we are not insulated. If we do not keep our costs under control and stay competitive it is a matter of time before we will be facing the financial challenges many of our peers are experiencing..

In spite of the state of our industry and knowing that we have many challenges ahead, our company elected to install a new performance rewards program and include SkyWest pilots. Our company didn’t need to include pilots in Performance Rewards and I can tell you that most companies out there wouldn’t have. Our company did this as a gesture of good faith. SkyWest has been one of the most generous companies in the industry regarding pilot pay and work rules. Our pay rates, work rules, benefits, working conditions, opportunity for advancement etc. have and continue to exceed the majority of our competitors. Add to our traditional compensation package, a Financial Rewards program that also shares a significant amount of the profit with employees. If you honestly compare your pay package to others, you have to agree that our company has treated our pilots very well. At the same time I think you will have to agree that SkyWest’s cautious approach to increasing expenses has played a major role in maintaining a financially strong balance sheet, growth, and leverage within the industry. In an industry that seems to be inverted more than not, I am glad that I work for a company that is consistently planning ahead, is prepared financially to take advantage of opportunity, and at the same time values its employees. We are a very balanced company. That approach has served our company very well over the years. Worldwide, more than 200 airlines have failed in the last 5 years (reference the chart on page 13 of this letter) and many more will fail in the next five years. Many of the failures can be attributed to mismanagement, poor planning, excessive spending, poor quality and an inability to work through challenges and tribulations. SkyWest does not plan to be one of them. SkyWest has always been committed to making this a great place to work and I’m convinced that determination and attitude will continue.

I want you to know that I understand that our crewmembers are a significant part of our airline’s success. Your willingness to go to work every day with a good attitude, treat our customer right, fly safely and at the same time get efficiencies where you can, makes SkyWest a successful company. Without this advantage we will start down the road to failure and before long we will be just like the other failures in our industry.

We have a great company and working together we will come out on top in an industry that is falling apart. I know things aren’t perfect here but if we can stick together, work as a team and eliminate the negativity that seems to be so prevalent recently, we will work for a great airline for many years to come. It really is up to us.

Comments on the recent feed back received from our pilot group:


1. Rate increase was not sufficient:

FACT: SkyWest Airlines pilot pay rates are above most comparable regional airlines. Following is a list of Regional Airlines and their current status:

• Comair Pay cuts in progress, below our rates, furloughing pilots
• AirWisky Pay cuts, loss of flying, furloughs
• Express Jet 2006 raise brings them to SkyWest pay rates
• Mesaba Furloughing, possibly will be out of business
• Mesa Pay rates significantly below SkyWest pay rates
• Chautauqua Comparable rates, no Performance Rewards
• Eagle Lower rates, no Performance Rewards
• Pinnacle Much lower rates, loosing work
• ACA/FlyI loosing aircraft, filed bankruptcy

Other considerations:

• United in bankruptcy - Substantial pay cuts, furloughs
• Delta in bankruptcy - Substantial pay cuts, furloughs, 100 seat rate lower than SkyWest’s CL-65 rate.
• Northwest in bankruptcy - Substantial pay cuts, furloughs
• US Air in bankruptcy - Substantial pay cuts, furloughs
• Oil is at an all time high - No end in sight

Please consider the following:

• How does SkyWest Airline’s base pay rates compare to the airlines we compete with?
• Do other airlines have rewards programs that share a substantial amount of the profit with their pilots?
• How does SkyWest Airlines QOL compare to other airlines?
• Are other airlines offering pay raises?
• What does the future look like at SkyWest Airlines in comparison to other airlines?
• Is it important to keep SkyWest Airlines efficient and cost competitive?
• How long does SkyWest Airlines need to stay in business for you to meet your retirement goals?
•
2. Pay Scales should include only aircraft in our fleet. 700/900 should pay more than 200.

FACT: Our current agreed upon pay scale includes aircraft we do not have in our fleet today. We have a 50 to 99 seat scale and a 100 to 159 seat scale. Many airlines have the same pay scale for “all” aircraft. Most airlines have the same pay scale for the same “type” aircraft. Most airlines that plan to stay in business will be required to simplify pay scales and will go to one pay rate in the future. A list of airlines that have this type of a pay system today is as follows:

Southwest All variants of the 737/seat ranges 122-159
Delta 757/767 pays the same
United 757/767 pays the same
Frontier All captains paid the same
Continental 757-300, 767, 777 pays the same
757-200, MD80, 737-8/900 pays the same
737-300, 737-500 pays the same
America West All captains paid the same

• SkyWest Airlines base pay rates are currently among the highest when compared to the airlines we compete with for work. In addition to base pay rates, our company is sharing the bottom line by way of Performance Rewards.
• SkyWest Airlines work rules are among the best in our industry.
• SkyWest Airlines QOL is among the best if not the best in the industry.


Finally, I am committed to work with SAPA to come up with improvements in our agreement but please consider that our company is going out on a limb to do anything in the way of pay and work rules in the current environment. We really do not know how bad this is going to get before it gets better but we must plan for the worst and hope for the best.

Thanks,

Brad Holt

Greetings..

What is really sad is that the "professionals" who wrote this letter can't even use the words "lose" and "loose" properly!!

Take Care.

 

["GO AROUND"]

Thanks Mr. redundant.

 

[Mkay?]

No, he just said: "there is no pay in training from now on and if you wish to go home I'll write you a check for $500 to cover your expenses getting here." No one took him up on that.

He also made a comment about turning off lights at his home more often - nothing about the snowmobiles.

Actually I was in that newhire class and the first description is accurate. If you were not there don't comment. If you were there, you know how unethical and truly viscious his comments were.

 

[Cadillac]

Honestly, why do you have to requote an entire page of text just to add your quick remark which has been made 3 times on the same page already.

 

[EMBpilot]

Actually I was in that newhire class and the first description is accurate. If you were not there don't comment. If you were there, you know how unethical and truly viscious his comments were.

I guess it was very hard to figure from my post that I was in that class too, so let me clarify this - indeed I was. I simply don't remember BH saying that our class was cancelled, my gut didn't drop anywhere and I heard before, behind the scenes, conversations of no pay in training. Same with snowmobiles - I just don't remember him saying that - that's all.

No, I don't like to upset people for fun.

I see things are really sad at SkyWest right now and for that I am very sorry but however depressed you are don't tell people where and what they can or cannot comment on - you'll have more and better friends .

 

[Bluto]

Um, yeah, well maybe you were in a different class then?