Delta to cut MEM by 25%, mostly RJs

[damnflyboy]

Unfortunately, the airline industries leadership has not been very pragmatic in their strategy for the future. They had every reason to plan for an believe that the 35/50 seat jet is a giant pink elephant on their balance sheets. I cannot quote the article, but an analyst from the ATA predicted that by 2017 when most of the CRJ/ERJ contracts are going to be up for renewal that less that 30% of those airplanes will still be flying.

Less of a prediction and more of a precident set:
SkyWest Inc will slash apart ASA/XJT before they even think about touching the SkyWest Airlines operation.

 

[damnflyboy]

...and notice who is hiring.

 

[cybourg10]

XJT is hiring 80 a month right now and ASA is hiring, I think we will be fine. Those MEM routes might shift up to LGA now that the slot swap might go through with USAir, or you guys might get more DTW flying on the 200. Stop assuming the world is ending every week.

 

[cbrown1]

...and notice who is hiring.

There is no conspiracy here. Asa/xjt are 80% 50 seat jets, skywest is less than 50% 50 seat jets. It's a numbers game plus our 50 seaters fly routes that are made for them out west and are split between 3 codeshares and lots of at risk flying. So yeah, you are right. I see xjt/asa losing flying before skywest but not because of some master plan to protect one airline over another.

 

[BOX OFFICE]

SkyWest doesn't do anything without a plan. I think Jerry bought ExpressJet to eliminate the competition, and packaged them up with ASA to slowly eliminate them both. Then SkyWest Airlines offers all the ex-ASA/XJT pilots preferential hiring on their former airplanes after the companies go out of business.

 

[Oakum_Boy]

That sounds about right. It's obvious folks- look at what's going on around you. Operationally we are falling apart. SkyWest doesn't care. They'll simply swoop in when Atlantic Southeast loses their contracts because of poor performance/not meeting cost targets. Right now, it's a matter of extracting maximum cash from us while barely meeting the targets set by UA and DL.

Since we are a mostly 50-seat operation, there is no way we can suddenly become a 400+ airframe company operating all -700/-900's. There isn't room in scope agreements for a 1/1 replacement scheme. The airline will wither and die as contracts expire, airframes fall apart or get sent to the desert because of fuel.

Have fun while it lasts, because we aren't SkyWest, and we never will be. Bottom line: there isn't room for 300+ 50 seat jets at one company going forward. DL is sending them to the scrap yard as fast as they possibly can. Just read the news, it's all there..

 

[BOX OFFICE]

I can tell you that scope will not be relaxed again. It's been widely publicized that 50 seat jets are going away very soon. The only way they can eliminate the amount of 50 seat jets DAL is talking about is by breaking a contract with one of the DCI carriers. Ask yourself now that Mesa is out of DCI who is the weakest link? Comair has already bled to death. I feel sorry for all of my friends still at ASA, but from everything I'm hearing over here, it isn't looking good for you guys.

 

[Flyer1015]

I honestly am starting to feel bad for the senior MEM squad at Pinnacle. Most of them are gonna face very tough choices as MEM shrinks even further. Of course, there's no way to know how badly they (or any of us) will be hosed by SLI. Should be a very interesting year, 2011, at 9E for sure.

 

[Medeco]

This is some pretty good entertainment.

Why in gods name would they be spending millions of dollars in a merger and on facilities in ATL, if the goal is what you all have imagined here?

You guys need to get a life outside and breath some fresh air.

We might shrink, but we are far from closing the doors.

 

[gator_hater]

Rats... I don't get to deadhead to MEM anymore and swap planes during all my 1:45 sits. That has been the best part of my job lately.

ASA will be ok for the near future we'll see what happens 5 years out.