Dhl Buy's 49% Of Astar

[abxaviator]

The entire World is A container. The only airline using C containers is ABX Air. I know you guys have been with this system for so long it's hard to come to the realization that this system is on the way out. DHL strategic plans include an all A container fleet. New cities being served by Astar are being completely converted to process A containers only. Ultimately the C container issue will make or break any deal ABX gets, not Cat 2. When your 767's begin getting cargo doors I will be the first to say your back in the game. Rumor of you getting them and actual 767's with doors showing up are two different things. Didn't Hete take 3 of ABX Air's 767F to Japan? I wonder how DHL took that?

When our 767's BEGIN getting cargo doors!?! Perhaps this is news to you, but 767's with cargo doors are not rumor. ALL our 767's delivered since early last year and all in the future ALREADY have cargo doors and the flat panel cockpit. Guess you'll need to step up to be first in line now.

 

[fodc8]

Ahh How many 767's do you have that don't have cargo doors? Let me help A LOT. Future airplanes are not present airplanes. You really should do the window test. When you look out the window and their on the ramp you really do have them. I will bet that Hete continues to move any new 767F to Asia where the real money is for ABX. By the way they don't use C containers in Asia.

 

[BoxesRus]

Okay, sorry I brought it up.

I'm not saying one is better than the other. I AM saying that C containers don't make ABX obsolete. ABX cultivated a pretty fair market niche with them. And I keep hearing from my CEO that I make too much money for us to be competitive as an ACMI carrier so we must have put them to good use sometime in the past.

 

[erwaz]

Guys calm down!! The real issue here is that we all want to keep our jobs and have a good career in aviation. All the aircraft in both ABX and Astar are old junk, except for the 10 767 ABX has. DHL will refleet these airlines with more modern fuel efficient aircraft. The system will be A containers not C containers because that is just what DHL uses world wide. Now that DHL bought 49% of Astar the question is will they do the same for ABX or cut them loose in the future. I do not know. I am an Astar pilot and I hope that the guys at ABX will be OK. I do not want them to be furloughed or loose their jobs. ABX pilots as Astar pilots have worked to hard all of our lives to get to where we are. It is silly for any ABX or Astar pilot to get mad at each other. Neither pilot group can control what is going on. What we can do is to stay united and continue to fight for fair contracts and help each other in any legal way posible. To bicker to each other on who has beter equipment or to what DHL will do next is very, as the germans would say, KINDER! Childish. No one and I mean no one knows where all this is going and what will happen next. All we can do is hope that in the end it will all work out in everyone's favor.

I would like to thank the ABX guys and their company for the great hospitality when I Jumpseat on ABX. I depend on ABX to get me to and from work. You guys have been great. I hope Astar pilots have been good to the ABX pilots when they jumpseat. I am always happy to give an ABX guy a ride to work.

 

[abxaviator]

Ahh How many 767's do you have that don't have cargo doors? Let me help A LOT. Future airplanes are not present airplanes. You really should do the window test. When you look out the window and their on the ramp you really do have them. I will bet that Hete continues to move any new 767F to Asia where the real money is for ABX. By the way they don't use C containers in Asia.

You really are obtuse, thought I was just imagining it at first. I'll say it again, I'm not talking about the future when I point out we ALREADY HAVE 767's WITH cargo doors on the line flying every day (perhaps you've not looked out the window of your ivory tower) and yes more to come, again with cargo doors.

 

[SkyMiles]

For some reason, the investers seem to like the announcement. abxa is up 10% in 2 days. I guess they either see a better chance of Dhl investing in and keeping abx around or a future breakup? I just dont see why an invester would want to see the split off of the big money making part of the company. They obviously dont see this as a negative as they did with the announcement of loosing some hub management and parked airplanes. Also by buying into astar, my assumption is is that their acmi agreement just got 49% cheaper for dhl as I would guess that as a 49% equity holder they now get 49% of the profits back they just paid astar; although still more expensive than abx. so it makes sense to buy some of your costs back as well as getting a say in how things are done.

 

[Whistlin' Dan]

...by buying into astar, my assumption is is that their acmi agreement just got 49% cheaper for dhl as I would guess that as a 49% equity holder they now get 49% of the profits back they just paid astar; although still more expensive than abx. so it makes sense to buy some of your costs back as well as getting a say in how things are done.

Astar is an ACMI carrier with basically 1 customer...DHL. The actual percentage of DHL's ownership, the number of seats they have on the board, and the limits upon their voting stock are all immaterial.

Believe me, they have a say in "how things get done."

 

[Box-Hauler]

To further the discussion of Astar having DHL on the board. How will this affect negotiations. I assume that DHL renegotiated their contract % with Astar. Is it lower now. Also I bet there were some discussions of the no furlough clause or staffing levels. You cannot operate a profitable company and pay people to bid "no fly" lines. Has anyone seen the new ACMI agreement. This might not be as good a deal for Astar as I first thought. If it were ABX that renegotiated a contract I can guarantee that there would be a killer bonus for management and a screw job for the line pilot.

Just the thoughts of a cynical pilot who has seen management all to willing to step over a dollar if it would help a pilot only to have them pick up a penny for themselves.......

 

[penguin22]

Congrats to the Astar guys on the DHL investment!:beer:

Should make it easier for you guys to get contract improvements!

it goes without saying, but I'll say it again anyway...
No Concessionary Contracts!

 

[AV8OR]

Congrats to the Astar guys on the DHL investment!:beer:

Should make it easier for you guys to get contract improvements!

it goes without saying, but I'll say it again anyway...
No Concessionary Contracts!

Ya got that right brother!

Thanks for the props.