Mesa shuts down another one

[OB-CPO]

FlyHawaii puts plans on hold

[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,Serif]FlyHawaii Airlines, the local start up, is temporarily shelving its plans to launch an interisland airline. [/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,Serif] The airline shut its office at Honolulu's Topa Tower on Nov. 15 and released almost all of its employees. [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman,Times,Serif]A core team of three, including founder and CEO James Delano, are winding down remaining operations. [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman,Times,Serif]Delano, the founder of Lion Coffee and whose brainchild it was to start a customer-friendly interisland carrier, declined to comment on what happened. [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman,Times,Serif]FlyHawaii expected to start flying next year but lost its major financial backing last month. [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman,Times,Serif]AOL founder Steve Case and a hui of local investors pulled out after regional carrier Mesa Airlines announced its plans to enter the Hawaii market. [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman,Times,Serif]FlyHawaii's market analysis didn't hold true at that point and it created a lot of uncertainty into the market. [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman,Times,Serif]Former employees say FlyHawaii will wait to see what happens with Aloha and Mesa before deciding whether to continue or permanently drop its plans. [/FONT]

 

[I.P. Freley]

LOL So this is MESA'S fault!?

You're blaming them for shutting down a company that never flew?

Priceless.

 

[synchoff]

Plus, if you read the entire article, you'll see that they're gonna "wait and see" what happens.

Don't kid yourself. FlyHawaii was angling to go for the jugular because Alhoa is weak (for now) . . . Mesa just (maybe) beat them to the punch. But remember, NOTHING (!!) HAS HAPPENED YET.

 

[islandhopper]

Plus, if you read the entire article, you'll see that they're gonna "wait and see" what happens.

Don't kid yourself. FlyHawaii was angling to go for the jugular because Alhoa is weak (for now) . . . Mesa just (maybe) beat them to the punch. But remember, NOTHING (!!) HAS HAPPENED YET.

I have met James Delano and he is a nice guy. A few of us AQ pilots ran into him at Gordon Beirsch after informational picketing one day and he came over to our table to talk to us. Delano is not a predatory businessman like your CEO.

In the end we may need to thank Mesa for chasing off the riff raff. Only the real players are on the field now.

23 years of Mesa history and they are still wannabes. 98% ACMI (fee per departure) all the press releases in the world and mis-guided reporters can't change the fact that Mesa independant from their larger code-share partners would be a complete and total failure of dramatic proportions.

1). The New Mexico - Texas system would fail today were it not for federal EAS subsides.
2). The old independant Dallas RJ system failed in 1996-7 and helped cost Risley his job.

JO has NEVER EVER taken on an incumbent airline, let alone two at one time.

 

[synchoff]

Delano is not a predatory businessman like your CEO.

23 years of Mesa history and they are still wannabes.

. . . that Mesa independant from their larger code-share partners would be a complete and total failure of dramatic proportions.

1). The New Mexico - Texas system would fail today were it not for federal EAS subsides.

Predatory? I don't even know what that means. All airlines are constantly trying to "steal" market share from everyone else. That's business.

Wannabes? Yes and no. 28 profitable quarters, a billion in revenues, on track for $50 million profit for the year. . . its a successful BUSINESS . . . but not really an AIRLINE.

Yup. This is a new experience for Mesa. It might fail. Then again, it might not. I give it 50/50.

EAS as a prop up - - true dat! But JO has said for years he'd like to dump all 1900's . . . this EAS is a stopgap until that blessed day. 1900 EAS flying built the company up from a couple of Baron's in the 1980's . . . but their time has gone.

I give you this . . . we agree JO is a TERRIBLE personnel manager. However, he has the Midas touch when it comes to running an airline. Personnally, I think he realizes that Mesa needs an indepentent source of revenue in the next 5-10 years, hence this start up to get Mesa's feet wet, so to speak.

 

[islandhopper]

Predatory? I don't even know what that means. All airlines are constantly trying to "steal" market share from everyone else. That's business.

Look up "predatory" in the FAR/AIM and theres a picture of a mesa jet. When mesa airplanes show up in your domicile things are going to start going to hell.

I dont think Delano was cut out for it. He really is a nice guy, he was offering an alternative to Aloha and Hawaiian, not trying to steal our assets in a Ch7 or 363 sale.

Wannabes? Yes and no. 28 profitable quarters, a billion in revenues, on track for $50 million profit for the year. . . its a successful BUSINESS . . . but not really an AIRLINE.

Mesa is a vendor. Numbers dont lie.

Yup. This is a new experience for Mesa. It might fail. Then again, it might not. I give it 50/50.

EAS as a prop up - - true dat! But JO has said for years he'd like to dump all 1900's . . . this EAS is a stopgap until that blessed day. 1900 EAS flying built the company up from a couple of Baron's in the 1980's . . . but their time has gone.

I give you this . . . we agree JO is a TERRIBLE personnel manager. However, he has the Midas touch when it comes to running an airline. Personnally, I think he realizes that Mesa needs an indepentent source of revenue in the next 5-10 years, hence this start up to get Mesa's feet wet, so to speak.

"Midas touch"? I'd say more like "Atilla the Hun's blade". He only has much treasure from robbing and pillaging other airlines. Thats why we were/are so convinced JO is after Aloha, no other reason to come to Hawaii.

The Hawaiian people are used to war. It wasn't long ago that fallen enemy chiefs were eaten and their bones kept by the victorious chief. Mesa is pissing off a lot of people in Hawaii right now and I am not just talking about pilots. We're waiting.

 

[miles otoole]

The Hawaiian people are used to war. It wasn't long ago that fallen enemy chiefs were eaten and their bones kept by the victorious chief. Mesa is pissing off a lot of people in Hawaii right now and I am not just talking about pilots. We're waiting.

Who cares if they piss off people. Hawaiians can't be any more militant than the folks from Philly. It was supposed to be a bloodbath for Southwest. It now looks like a successful business move. Maybe Mesa can give out free chicken wings onboard and call them "fallen enemy chief bones." Could be a great marketing ploy.

 

[mdanno808]

I can almost guarentee you Hawaiian's are more militant than people from Philly. Anyone who has spent any ammount of time in Hawaii will tell you how different it is than the rest of America.

Who cares if they piss off people. Hawaiians can't be any more militant than the folks from Philly. It was supposed to be a bloodbath for Southwest. It now looks like a successful business move. Maybe Mesa can give out free chicken wings onboard and call them "fallen enemy chief bones." Could be a great marketing ploy.

​

 

[kevin_p]

1). The New Mexico - Texas system would fail today were it not for federal EAS subsides.

Uhhh....that's why Mesa is there...they get subsidized because there's no way to make money when a total of 5 people per day want to get in or out of Hobbs, NM. That's like saying Great Lakes would fail if it weren't for EAS or Southwest would fail if it weren't for them charging people for their tickets. Gimme a break...your "fact-based" analysis sounds like something from Miles O'Brien.


On another note, I don't think Mesa wants to be independent. They saw what happened to Indy. JO doesn't like risk. I still think this will all be a codeshare for someone with their usual fee-for-departure. Whether it's for the new US Airways or someone else, I have no idea. My money would actually be on Mesa getting in bed with a vacation charter company (like Omni) and doing inter-island feed for them.

 

[islandhopper]

Who cares if they piss off people. Maybe Mesa can give out free chicken wings onboard and call them "fallen enemy chief bones." Could be a great marketing ploy.

Were counting on it!