DHL pulls the plug on Astar's.....

[Clipperskip]

Call it stirring the pot if you like, but it is true and if you work for either Astar or ABX, you know it's true or are just ignorant of reality and have you head buried in the sand hoping for the good ole days to return.

"Rhoid" If you are so "connected" then please explain why the IRO issue would affect 20 crews when there is only 2 B-767 crews and one airplane in the whole MIA (international) crew base. Heck, these management generated furlough numbers you are so quick to spout must seem greatly inflated even to a "baiter" such as yourself. Additionally, the ABX pilot's union has been willing to discuss the IRO and other international scheduling issues at length with flight management for the last three years. The management staff has been unwilling to negotiate details of such an agreement wishing only to sign a "open side letter" not requiring membership ratification. That is just not going to happen as it is a major change to the collective bargaining agreement and would, and should require a membership vote. No crew member I know of at ABX has their head in the sand, whether good or bad, I believe everyone has come to terms with the new "ACMI" environment and is working together for the best of the pilot group as well as the "DHL customer". Rhoid go chum somewhere else we have more important issues to address here.

 

[IHaveAPension]

how about the scope clause?

Why would it cost us crews when we are not even flying these so-called charters yet? We currently have 4 people flying the 767 in Miami.

Stop making stuff up...

Your manager said that ABX would dry lease the aircraft to another operator if you don't let the company use IROs. He said that the charters constituted about 20 crews worth of work. He said that without the IROs, using ABX crews would be too expensive and that as it is now, using IROs, the profit margin is going to be razor thin. Guess you need to get your crew costs down to the same level as the other MIA charter operators if you hope to make some money doing charters.

 

[IHaveAPension]

we have more important issues to address here.

You are right! Issues like wearing your reflective belt on the ramp or risk getting fined. And getting demerits if Vollmer or Mo catches you out of uniform!

 

[ABXbooger]

"My manager"?

Now your just full of sh**...

You sound like you have an inside source or are inside, but you just stepped on it. Anyone at ABX knows that "my manager" would not have that kind of information...ha makes me giggle though.

Move on go bait someone else...

 

[ABXbooger]

TO ALL WHO READ THIS....

Do a search of Pensions posts and you can make your own mind up about what its agenda is and what kind of poster it is.

It will quickly discredit itself...

Click on his name to search.

 

[AV8OR]

Guys,


We recently had a visitor from the ABX pilots union over to press flesh. Got a peek at the contracts for both ABX and Astar crew and was shocked. Not that I wouldn't mind pulling that kind of money. Am just left wondering if paying a DC8/767 skipper upwards of 250K USD/year is sustainable in this day and age - especially not seeing that both Astar and ABX (Air) are loosing money by the bucket load.

Anyway, the talks with the ABX man nearly broke down when he introduced the idea of ABX/Astar providing capacity for intra-EU flights. Or rather, we thougt it would be an excellent idea if he could just persuade Congress/FAA to allow our OO- and G- reg'd aircraft to perform domestic flights in the US. He waffled on and on about how one cannot compare the two and yadda yadda yadda, with each and every argument effectivly shot down by a very attentive audience, after which he made a hasty retreat to other topics of mutual interest

A. Dasburgh aint losing money, period.

B. We might be able to take those lower wages if we lived in socialist countries in the EU who subisdize employees pay with gov bennies. Speaking of broke....

C. I don't care if the US allows OO, G, or whatever letter AC reg to fly domestic US, as long as they do it with US pilots.

Just cause your standard for pay is lower doesn't mean ours needs to be.

 

[LarryinTN]

Your manager said...

And they've said it before, too. They've even made up potential charter oppertunities that did not exist in order to get us to sign open-ended side letters. (We now know that they didn't exist because nobody else flew them)

 

[AV8OR]

FYI,


Memo just out...Sept 9th official move in date.

A few specks on the new facility from our manager of security...

New crew bag room, double current size,
A few more bunk rooms
Phone jacks in bunk rooms
WiFi internet access throughout facility
Internet access kiosks seperate from the flight planning room
Better cafeteria

Sounds nice...

 

[IHaveAPension]

FYI,


Memo just out...Sept 9th official move in date.

A few specks on the new facility from our manager of security...

New crew bag room, double current size,
A few more bunk rooms
Phone jacks in bunk rooms
WiFi internet access throughout facility
Internet access kiosks seperate from the flight planning room
Better cafeteria

Sounds nice...

Yes it does, but just wait till the ABX pilots start hanging out there instead of their dumpy facility!!!

 

[EuroWheenie]

AV8OR

a: Who is Dasburgh? Anyway, reports this side of the pond is that BAX and Astar is are not faring too well, and that DHL US (incl the non-airline bit ABX) is an outright drain on the DPWN coffers.

b: Nobody is asking you to lower your wages. For the rest of your post, was that a display or pig ignorance or is the medication wearing off?

c: Couldn't agree more. So let's see all the N-regs flying around over here crewed by guys and girls holding a EU passport and a JAR ticket. Tit for tat and all that. Or is this a one-way street?

Wouldn't mind at all pulling the wages some of our brothers and sisters in Astar/ABX enjoy. As a TRI/TRE on the 757 with EAT, you actually wouldn't be too far of an Astar DC8 skipper - "only" a good 50K USD. Apart from that, and my reply to b, it's my opinion that you're worth what ever amount you can negotiate, and which the company can afford. Nobody's asking you to reduce your wages to European levels.

 

[hvydriver]

>just wait till the ABX pilots start hanging out there instead of their dumpy facility!!!<

Hey, as long as LJ and Booger will play cards with us in the cafeteria, that's fine with me!

 

[rotor&wing]

Yes it does, but just wait till the ABX pilots start hanging out there instead of their dumpy facility!!!

and the problem having the ABX guys coming over to our facility is?? sorry mr. baiter (aka ihaveapension) you continually keep trying to drive a wedge between the ABX and Astar guys. the ABX guys i have met have all been professional (unlike yourself) and courteous (very unlike you).

please move on to the other boards you frequent and spew out your inane diatribes elsewhere.

IHaveAPension----The "Master Baiter"

 

[hvydriver]

Euro,

1. Per our ACMI agreement with DHLE, Astar cannot just "raise prices".

2. I doubt that Astar would refer to the 50% rule in our CBA as a defense to hold on to the route.

3. DHLE stated that due to reduced loads, they are losing $600,000 USD per day on that route. And had to downsize the lift requirement for now.

4. I'm not sure what "attitude" you are referring to. Our union officers have met with the BPCA for years to try to coordinate our efforts with you to help you get rid of all the contractors in EBBR. In point of fact, our reps. just got back from a meeting in your neck of the woods.

5. There is no 1-2 year "get out" clause in the Astar ACMI. If DHLE wants to get out, they have to buy out the remainder of the ACMI agreement, which still has roughly 8 years remaining on the life of the contract.

6. As an aside, Astar averages roughly $8 million in profit USD per quarter. I don't think we're exactly "going broke".

7. "Dasburgh" is John Dasburg. He's the Pres., owner, and CEO of Astar. He used to run a small company called Northwest Airlines.

8. I don't see how you can equate flying from, say, Brussels to Heathrow as a domestic flight. It's not the same as flying Cincinnati to New York.

I hope this gives you some better information than what you had.

 

[AV8OR]

AV8OR

a: Who is Dasburgh? Anyway, reports this side of the pond is that BAX and Astar is are not faring too well, and that DHL US (incl the non-airline bit ABX) is an outright drain on the DPWN coffers.

b: Nobody is asking you to lower your wages. For the rest of your post, was that a display or pig ignorance or is the medication wearing off?

c: Couldn't agree more. So let's see all the N-regs flying around over here crewed by guys and girls holding a EU passport and a JAR ticket. Tit for tat and all that. Or is this a one-way street?

Wouldn't mind at all pulling the wages some of our brothers and sisters in Astar/ABX enjoy. As a TRI/TRE on the 757 with EAT, you actually wouldn't be too far of an Astar DC8 skipper - "only" a good 50K USD. Apart from that, and my reply to b, it's my opinion that you're worth what ever amount you can negotiate, and which the company can afford. Nobody's asking you to reduce your wages to European levels.

A1. John Dasburgh is the owner of AStar Air Cargo, the guy who signs my checks and the guy who still has a few years left collecting a minimum of 15MIl a year on the ACMI with DHL. He was Northwest's CEO for about 15 years.

A.2. Don't know about BAX, although they are for sale, but I've gotten a non-negotiated performance bonus the last two years paid by DHL to our company for beating their targets. We've been hiring pilots for almost a year now and adding aircraft. No, we're doin fine. Oh, you can bet that Dorken and Zumwinkle are whining about the cost of the US, but that's because their idea of a business plan is to just roll into town and say, "We're hear!" and everybody will flock to DHL. Listening to DHL whine about the US division "draining" DPWN profits is old news. I'll tell ya what does drain DPWN profits. First spend 250Mil on a new superhub and then a year later decide you'd rather have a newer superhub for 300Mil an hour up the road. Also, buy a company known for below standard customer service, fire all your current excellent customer service employees, and hire the lowest paid driver you can afford, then, spend lots of advertising money telling everybody how your the best, while delivering lousy customer service to your new customers and introducing your previously happy old customers to the same. Price tag....2.5 Billion. Nicely played Klause.

B.1. "Nobody's asking you to lower your wages..." But your comment regarding our wages indicates that maybe it's not sustainable today, because we're losing money. Ok, already addressed losing money. Not happening. "Not sustainable",.... seems to work pretty well over at FedEx and UPS. Have you seen what FedEx was willing to give the pilot group there just to renew? Yes, we can't price ourselves out of a job, but we're not even close. If you'd like to make that kind of money, you might want to start by not making managements case for them that pilots are overpaid. Were you by any chance head of your negotiating committee?

B.2. Hey, I didn't call you names. I would have figured that high end education you got over there would have garnered a more sophisticated rebutal. And, how come nobody's proud to be a socialist anymore?

C. Naw, I agree. I'll take my tit over your tat any day. Everything US domestic and anything in and out of the US flown by US pilots. That's fine.

You need to check your sources. Get the facts. Negotiate well.

 

[LarryinTN]

reports this side of the pond is that BAX and Astar is are not faring too well, and that DHL US (incl the non-airline bit ABX) is an outright drain on the DPWN coffers.

I'm confused.

What does BAX have to do with DHL? Was that just a typo?

Also, there is no non-airline ABX. ABX Air is the airline. Airborne Express is what DHL bought and has integrated into DHL.

It is the US operation that is losing money, not the two airlines which move the freight. The losses, however, have a lot to do with the tremendous amount of money that is pouring into integrating and expanding the infrastructure. The construction in progress at ILN alone is quite extensive. Add to that all of the regional hubs that they are building plus the hub at Riverside and their work expanding the ground network and you're talking a lot of money.

The real test will be what they can do once the upgraded infrastructure is in place.

 

[ABX9av8or]

Well said LJ-ABX !

What EuroWheenie and everyone else up-stream of the US operation don't understand is how to run a domestic US Express operation. They will learn after September how not to run an express operation. If you want to expand and transition to a 10:30 product, without the sacrafice of the customer, they will have to merge the two airlines (ABX and ASTAR) together to have a shot. Even Dr. Zum in a press release said that he didn't realize how demanding the US customer was. FredEx and UPS figured it out and DHL will too if they want to compete.

You may get away with the trash haulers for international flights, but it will not work in the USA. There is a big difference between an Express Airline and a Freight Airline.

 

[IHaveAPension]

3. DHLE stated that due to reduced loads, they are losing $600,000 USD per day on that route. And had to downsize the lift requirement for now.

Then why did DHL replace the Astar DC-8 with a Kalitta 747????? Reduced loads my a$$, it's strictly beacuse Kalitta is cheaper that Astar.

 

[IHaveAPension]

I hear that some Astar boys in ILN are taxiing really, really slow and totally pi$$ing off the ABX guys stuck behind them. Is this a response the losing the JFK-BRU flying? Even the Astar safety guys that were touring the ILN tour commented how slow Astar planes were taxiing.

 

[LarryinTN]

I hear that some Astar boys in ILN are taxiing really, really slow and totally pi$$ing off the ABX guys stuck behind them.

I hear it's only been bugging the junior reserve Captains who are in a hurry to get to the hotel after having been woken up out of their R1 bunk.

 

[IHaveAPension]

I've heard that the "Fuhrmanator" has written a detailed letter to DPWN, explaining how to run the operation stateside. Remember, It's Reagan's fault that he doesn't still have a job at Eastern!