[font=verdana, arial, helvetica]It does not look like JO has long term plans with USAir by releasing a statement like this. The old saying "you don't bite the hand that feeds you" may have come into play with Airways.
PHOENIX (Aviation Daily) - Regional flight operator Mesa Air Group might tie up "with an existing low-cost carrier and create a low-cost hub operation," CEO Jonathan Ornstein tells Aviation Today. "Charlotte might make the most sense," he said. While he wouldn't name prospective partners, sources with Mesa's pilot union suggest AirTran, Southwest and possibly JetBlue are likely candidates. "I have long been known to say hub operations work, with the caveat they have to be low-cost operations," Ornstein said. One thing that's been shelved for now, though, is Mesa's plan to buy 737s and feed them at a hub (Charlotte or elsewhere) with its own fleet of regional jets. He cited Mesa's inability to negotiate pay in advance for the pilots who would fly the 737s. "It is preposterous to put a plane on line and not know what the costs will be," Ornstein said. Mesa currently operates feeder flights for US Airways, United and American.[/font]
PHOENIX (Aviation Daily) - Regional flight operator Mesa Air Group might tie up "with an existing low-cost carrier and create a low-cost hub operation," CEO Jonathan Ornstein tells Aviation Today. "Charlotte might make the most sense," he said. While he wouldn't name prospective partners, sources with Mesa's pilot union suggest AirTran, Southwest and possibly JetBlue are likely candidates. "I have long been known to say hub operations work, with the caveat they have to be low-cost operations," Ornstein said. One thing that's been shelved for now, though, is Mesa's plan to buy 737s and feed them at a hub (Charlotte or elsewhere) with its own fleet of regional jets. He cited Mesa's inability to negotiate pay in advance for the pilots who would fly the 737s. "It is preposterous to put a plane on line and not know what the costs will be," Ornstein said. Mesa currently operates feeder flights for US Airways, United and American.[/font]
