MidEx

[ultrarunner]

What's the scoop on the cut in flying and impending furloughs at MidEx?

 

[Taildragon]

Sounds like you aready know what up. Spill it

 

[ultrarunner]

It's just fourth hand intel that I'm getting. A buddy called me up who has a good friend on the line there. Said word in ops is out for upwards of a thousand hours cut in flying at the new year and maybe up to 30 pilots getting wacked. Anyone on here in 'in the know'?

 

[CitationLover]

It's just fourth hand intel that I'm getting. A buddy called me up who has a good friend on the line there. Said word in ops is out for upwards of a thousand hours cut in flying at the new year and maybe up to 30 pilots getting wacked. Anyone on here in 'in the know'?

that's the rumor now in print from the chief pilot.

 

[FlyWolf]

Yeah just read the chief pilot letter, hope it doesn't happen.

 

[Propsync]

In two hours today I've heard 70, 15, and now 30. Horrible news regardless of the number, but I guess the bottom line is there will be furloughs.

 

[TV9Driver]

I'm very sorry to hear this guys. I hope it doesn't come true.

any chance of the DOJ striking down the TPG/NWA deal?

 

[ultrarunner]

Ahh...another Merry Christmas from MidEX!

 

[CitationLover]

In two hours today I've heard 70, 15, and now 30. Horrible news regardless of the number, but I guess the bottom line is there will be furloughs.

they're expecting 25 in attrition and retirements this year so 15 and 30 makes no sense, but then again furloughing and reducing the flying schedule makes no sense....

this could all be sabre rattling also as an opener for 2008 negotiations.

if they are reducing i imagine it is the 80's that will be reduced and then a lot of 80's guys transitioning to the 717.

 

[CitationLover]

I'm very sorry to hear this guys. I hope it doesn't come true.

any chance of the DOJ striking down the TPG/NWA deal?

i think the uncertainty of the TPG deal being completed is possibly driving this. i doubt the DOJ will strike the deal down, however if it is approved and this (furloughs and reduced flying) happens, the company will have egg all over it's face and lose a lot of credibility in lieu of what they said during the air tran takeover attempt.

 

[Propsync]

Good guesses CL, we'll see what happens. Last time they talked furlough at Skyway, the bottom 1/3 melted off the list to the point we were short by the time the furlough would have happened. I think this is the call to whoever's looking elsewhere to get going. That should be enough to keep an actual furlough from happening. Maybe.

Negotiations? I think the Cookie Palace is knee deep in trying get this past DOJ and go from there. God knows they can't do more than one thing at a time. They kept AirTran away at the cost of not running the airline, thereby forcing a sale. Now they are not running the airline trying to get the sale final.

Amongst all of this, I guess that means no 737/320 order?

This flying pulldown will be cute. Skywest does CMH-MCI and MSN-MCI. AUS, RDU, COS? Those airplanes have to go somewhere. Will they cut Skyway or will they cut out those 'Dartboard Destinations' and replace more 717 flying, and have the 717 do more 80 flying (hopefully with more than 99 seats)?

 

[CitationLover]

Good guesses CL, we'll see what happens. Last time they talked furlough at Skyway, the bottom 1/3 melted off the list to the point we were short by the time the furlough would have happened. I think this is the call to whoever's looking elsewhere to get going. That should be enough to keep an actual furlough from happening. Maybe.

Negotiations? I think the Cookie Palace is knee deep in trying get this past DOJ and go from there. God knows they can't do more than one thing at a time. They kept AirTran away at the cost of not running the airline, thereby forcing a sale. Now they are not running the airline trying to get the sale final.

Amongst all of this, I guess that means no 737/320 order?

This flying pulldown will be cute. Skywest does CMH-MCI and MSN-MCI. AUS, RDU, COS? Those airplanes have to go somewhere. Will they cut Skyway or will they cut out those 'Dartboard Destinations' and replace more 717 flying, and have the 717 do more 80 flying (hopefully with more than 99 seats)?

Yes it is quite convenient that they complain regarding fuel expense yet expand using fuel inefficient airplanes. If they further expand Skywest by the 10 extra airplanes then they really are smoking some good ganja. As far as I can tell the 717 flying in January is fairly similar to December, but I do know they cut some 80 flying (LAS redeye's, etc.). You may be correct that they simply hope for a spike in attrition to cover themselves in the short term and then replace them with cheaper FO's this summer.

As far as replacing the 80's, who knows. I cannot imagine TPG simply putting up $250 million and then reducing the airline, it makes no sense. Memories aren't that short, even in MKE. People will remember this if they reduce the airline (it was save the cookie, not save skywest) and I think Tim is quite aware of his "rep" within the MKE community.

All of this also before TPG takes control, if anything you'd think they'd want it quiet before taking control. Which leads me to think that a new CBA extension offer is around the corner (just like in August with the TPG announcement). Management posting "rumors" is weird considering I am sure his words are approved before being published.

 

[Propsync]

The icing on this cake is the fact if you do furlough, it will be mostly Skyway guys. This is where it gets cute. When AT came knocking, ME threatened to not take another Skyway guy if we stood behind AT. So Skyway went neutral (Most were for it, but it was political). ME supported the stand alone. Now a year later, after supporting deal more or less, former Skyway pilots could get burned with a furlough and the ME MEC looks pretty bad for siding with the company. I don't want to be misread here, I'm not saying your MEC did a bad thing, it just looks that way well after the fact. I'm sure if the MEC knew this crap was going to happen way back when, they would have never gotten on board.

Not to change the subject, but I've disagreed with you quite a bit CL, you big company guy. Have the last couple of months rewired your eyes at all?

 

[CitationLover]

The icing on this cake is the fact if you do furlough, it will be mostly Skyway guys. This is where it gets cute. When AT came knocking, ME threatened to not take another Skyway guy if we stood behind AT. So Skyway went neutral (Most were for it, but it was political). ME supported the stand alone. Now a year later, after supporting deal more or less, former Skyway pilots could get burned with a furlough and the ME MEC looks pretty bad for siding with the company. I don't want to be misread here, I'm not saying your MEC did a bad thing, it just looks that way well after the fact. I'm sure if the MEC knew this crap was going to happen way back when, they would have never gotten on board.

Not to change the subject, but I've disagreed with you quite a bit CL, you big company guy. Have the last couple of months rewired your eyes at all?

The company will do what the company wants to do, doesn't change the fact that I enjoy the company and the atmosphere amongst the Midwest employees. Outside the furlough threat, I still enjoy how I've been treated here so far. If that makes me a company guy, I guess I'm guilty. I am sure Skyway pilots have a vastly different view of the company versus from where I sit (no different than an AA pilot versus an Eagle one).

If the TPG deal goes through and we still are struggling, they will find someone who will make changes as they did at Continental in hiring Bethune.

Our MEC played politics with the merger. We do not want to give money to lawyers in fighting a seniority merger (not only air tran but even alpa carriers as evidenced by the recent vote). They appeared loyal in hopes of getting some leverage for 2008, we won't know if this strategy worked until after the next CBA is signed.

Any furlough is bad news. The junior pilots here are NOT mostly ex-skyway pilots though (there were none in my class). There was 1 in an 80 class after us. In the class before mine I believe there was none either, so out of the bottom 25, only 1 is ex-Skyway.

 

[Propsync]

Any furlough is bad news. The junior pilots here are NOT mostly ex-skyway pilots though (there were none in my class). There was 1 in an 80 class after us. In the class before mine I believe there was none either, so out of the bottom 25, only 1 is ex-Skyway.

Yeah, I guess I could have been clearer in my last post. No Skyway furloughs, I meant Skyway guys that went to ME, and possibly to get furloughed. And that info is suprising, I would have thought there were more ex-Skyway guys down near the bottom. I guess it makes sense, as they had mostly cut off the Skyway pool when I quit in April, and there were a few more classes after that.

Anyways, good luck to all you guys, what a terrible time of year for the company to be talking about such things.

 

[CitationLover]

haven't gotten any 30 day notice yet and i hope i do not. if i do, will deal with it.

 

[FlyWolf]

Don't expect any help from the pilot group at Midex either, they voted down an alpa resolution to help the furloughed pilot back in 01 when we got furloughed and I am sure they will do it again.

They simply don't care about the new guys in the bottom of the seniority list, the funny part is I still can't find anyone who voted against that resolution.

 

[CitationLover]

Don't expect any help from the pilot group at Midex either, they voted down an alpa resolution to help the furloughed pilot back in 01 when we got furloughed and I am sure they will do it again.

They simply don't care about the new guys in the bottom of the seniority list, the funny part is I still can't find anyone who voted against that resolution.

yes i've heard of the history. i should hope the additional years of unionism has helped.

the senior guys got their answer in the last vote (merger fund). the last teleconference was simply people who voted yes complaining about those who voted no.

 

[B-J-J Fighter]

Do you Midex guys wish you would have merged with Airtran at this point?

 

[IADBLRJ41]

That sucks!