Furoughs at Midwest

[CitationLover]

I like that optimism, but the vote never came close to passing the two times I was furloughed. Maybe the senior guys will think of more than just themselves this time around.

There may not be a vote this time. There was a motion to have a special MEC meeting consider an assessment, of which the MEC could vote it in without a pilotwide vote.

 

[Captainjerky]

Government

In their infinite wisdom they think it is cheaper to let 2 717's stand idle and keep making lease payments than it is to fly them.

Oil $110+/bbl economics I guess. With Frontier's Ch. 11, the government is going to need to get involved. A lot of job's are being lost in an election year. Politicians don't like this. If Bear Stearns gets bailed out, why not the airlines?

I often wonder about something like this and what it will take for the government to notice. The aviation industry is supposedly considered vital to our national interests, hence the RLA and the government's ability to mess with striking pilot groups. So what will it take before they start thinking they need to protect this 'vital interest' we are a part of? Maybe I don't completely understand the implications of the laws out there, but I always figured they needed us. I guess we'll see...

 

[CitationLover]

I often wonder about something like this and what it will take for the government to notice. The aviation industry is supposedly considered vital to our national interests, hence the RLA and the government's ability to mess with striking pilot groups. So what will it take before they start thinking they need to protect this 'vital interest' we are a part of? Maybe I don't completely understand the implications of the laws out there, but I always figured they needed us. I guess we'll see...

If AMR declares bankruptcy, perhaps that might get some attention. Their revenue losses the last couple of days have to be huge.

 

[Kharma Police]

Good luck guys, time for the board to kick Tim to the curb and bring in Kolshak.

 

[GOULET!]

If AMR declares bankruptcy, perhaps that might get some attention. Their revenue losses the last couple of days have to be huge.

Maybe when MESA declares bankrupcy. HA!!! :uzi:

 

[Colonel Savage]

The aviation industry is supposedly considered vital to our national interests...I always figured they needed us.

The airline industry, with few exceptions, is no longer run as a serious business. Managers have gone to the "sell a ticket at any price" mentality, at the same time they "churn the fleets" and discard larger, more effecient airframes. All this so they can make their windfall deals while lining their pockets, to purchase fleets of aircraft that are more expensive per seat mile to operate.

Fuel prices have now shattered this "business model", and the "managers" now have to find a way to divest themselves of these small jet fleets that they were once so enamoured with, and replace them with larger hulls in a very poor investment climate.

And flying planeloads of parents and kids to Wally World on discount fares is not going to hack it anymore. Oil has become a very precious resource, and now and forever must be used very wisely, a notion that has been very difficult for this generation of airline manager to embrace.

Important? Perhaps there was a day when that was true. Berlin Airlift? International longhaul? National Defense? Priority cargo? Business travel? Those are important. Vacations? Gambling junkets? College kids flying for school/vacations/holidays? Not important. Trains, busses and cars are for that.

The airline industry is no longer taken seriously because it doesn't take itself seriously. As oil mover higher, there will be an exterme capacity rationalization taking place. That is what economc downturns do, they rid the marketplace of excess. Airlines have become frivilous, but fuel prices will solve that.

 

[Propsync]

Oil has become a very precious resource, and now and forever must be used very wisely,

Leveraged, not precious

 

[ultrarunner]

There may not be a vote this time. There was a motion to have a special MEC meeting consider an assessment, of which the MEC could vote it in without a pilotwide vote.

YUCK!

One of the advantages is that as a union member, your pay cannot be arbitrarily garnished. While I would support giving money to the unemployed, I'd want to vote on it...

...interesting.

 

[PCL_128]

There may not be a vote this time. There was a motion to have a special MEC meeting consider an assessment, of which the MEC could vote it in without a pilotwide vote.

If memory serves, the Bylaws don't allow for this. I'm pretty sure that the Bylaws require a membership vote before assessment dollars are spent. I'll have to look it up later when I have more time to be sure.

 

[Windsor]

Very sorry to hear about the furloughs. As an ex Mid-Ex employee (ramp 03-04) I know what an awesome product Midwest offers. Its an absolute shame to see the company being run into the ground by mismanagement. Unfortunatly I think the combination of high fuel prices and now being psedo owned by NW is the beginning of the end.
You would think management would realize that finding ways to save $$ thru efficient fuel management would help the bottom line more than labor cuts. 300lbs a flight ='s lots of money saved. $60,000 per FO cut = short term gain, long term loss.