Midwest grievance

[hockeypilot44]

Another question is if TPG wants 170's on the MEH certificate, where are they going to get them? They can't dry lease the current RAH airplanes. Are they going to spend the money on new airplanes?

Who is going to protect you if this happens? The IBT? It wouldn't be the first time BB blatantly violates the Republic pilot contract.

 

[ultrarunner]

I think TPG's agreement with RAH has provisions for the existing E170's to be placed on MEH's Operating Certificate.

All sorts of agreements have to be negotiated before then, since the MEH pilots would have to fly them, but it was my take that TPG had the "OPTION" at the completion of the existing contract term, to assume leases on the E170.

I don't have the agreement handy, but I'm sure a MEH driver will chime in on that.

 

[maxblast72]

Fornaro has already said recently several times that Airtran was very pleased with the revenue performance of the MKE flying during the summer of 2008, and that we would be back with more flying in the summer of 2009. TPG doesn't even matter anymore. MKE is just going to be a second front on the Airtran/Delta battle. The question is what airplane does Delta want to use to defend against growth Airtran has planned for MKE.

 

[Colonel Savage]

Fornaro has already said recently several times that Airtran was very pleased with the revenue performance of the MKE flying during the summer of 2008, and that we would be back with more flying in the summer of 2009. TPG doesn't even matter anymore. MKE is just going to be a second front on the Airtran/Delta battle. The question is what airplane does Delta want to use to defend against growth Airtran has planned for MKE.

What are AAI's plans for the BWI mini-hub, Max? Any expansion/possible crew base plans there?

 

[PCL_128]

What are AAI's plans for the BWI mini-hub, Max? Any expansion/possible crew base plans there?

Still talk of a crew base, but nothing official yet.

 

[Colonel Savage]

Still talk of a crew base, but nothing official yet.

Thanks PCL. How large an operation is BWI for AirTran?

 

[maxblast72]

Thanks PCL. How large an operation is BWI for AirTran?

I believe during summer of 2008, Airtran had between 60 and 70 departures a day out of BWI. I have heard two numbers for when a base makes sense financially. One number I heard is 57 departures a day and the other is 17 RON aircraft. We have minimum 8-10 airplanes RON in BWI everynight. One parked at each of our 7 gates and 2 moved over to the hard stand at the end of D terminal.

Destinations out of BWI include: PWM, BTV, ROC, DAY, BOS, MKE, DFW, LAX, SEA, MCO, ATL, TPA, RSW, FLL, MIA, SJU, CUN, and SRQ. Some of these cities are summer schedule only. Seems like they are probably considering a base with the amount of flying we are doing out of BWI. They won't pull the trigger until it makes sense financially.

 

[eightdriver]

If the plan is to have us fly 170/190's then they would be trying harder to get a pay rate settled on. They would be trying to entice us with promises of aircraft deliveries, fast upgrades, snapbacks...etc. We have seen none of this. Our pilots would be more open to pay concessions if we knew what the F---ing plan was!!! I don't think there is a plan and all this bull$hit is going down so TH can say "we tried to work with the pilot's, but they wouldn't work with us" This way Tim once again come out smelling like flowers and we are the a$$holes. IMPO 8

 

[Colonel Savage]

I believe during summer of 2008, Airtran had between 60 and 70 departures a day out of BWI. I have heard two numbers for when a base makes sense financially. One number I heard is 57 departures a day and the other is 17 RON aircraft. We have minimum 8-10 airplanes RON in BWI everynight. One parked at each of our 7 gates and 2 moved over to the hard stand at the end of D terminal.

Destinations out of BWI include: PWM, BTV, ROC, DAY, BOS, MKE, DFW, LAX, SEA, MCO, ATL, TPA, RSW, FLL, MIA, SJU, CUN, and SRQ. Some of these cities are summer schedule only. Seems like they are probably considering a base with the amount of flying we are doing out of BWI. They won't pull the trigger until it makes sense financially.

Thanks Max. 9-10 flights a day out of each gate is good utlization. Need more gates if you're going to expand further!

 

[fam62c]

If the plan is to have us fly 170/190's then they would be trying harder to get a pay rate settled on. They would be trying to entice us with promises of aircraft deliveries, fast upgrades, snapbacks...etc. We have seen none of this. Our pilots would be more open to pay concessions if we knew what the F---ing plan was!!! I don't think there is a plan and all this bull$hit is going down so TH can say "we tried to work with the pilot's, but they wouldn't work with us" This way Tim once again come out smelling like flowers and we are the a$$holes. IMPO 8

Nobody will ever know what the "plan" is at Midwest because there has never been a plan; this has always been the problem. TH never had a vision of what the airline should be five or ten years down the road so there was always this hodge-podge of random, short-sighted decisions being made without a solid framework for the future. They got away with in the 1990's when fuel was cheap, planes were cheap, competition in MKE was limited and the economy was on fire but they never really made a plan to adjust for the post 9/11 world. When AAI started knocking on the door (quietly at first) TH decided instantly that he would rather burn the place to the ground than even discuss the mechanics of a friendly merger. The basis was there for a very sound combined operation/network that made sense but TH couldn't look forward far enough to see the merits, he could only think of himself and his desire to keep total control over what he considered "his" airline. He blamed AAI for being "hostile with a capital H" but it only came to that after he refused to make an effort to sit down and even discuss the possibility of a deal.

It's sad to think about what could have been and then look at what ME has actually become. It's strange that everybody in the local press and government that backed TH and demonized AAI has been silent since TPG took over and dismantled ME/Skyway. I specifically remember Joe Leonard stating in the Milwaukee paper that job losses and service cuts would be the result of a private equity takeover; he hit the nail on the head with that one. Ultimately I would have to say that at some point DAL will lose interest in MKE considering they now have at least six hubs that are larger and more important. I don't see TPG making it with Midwest as a stand-alone carrier rather than part of the Delta network. In one year they have already lost a significant part of the MKE market share that it took 25 years to build. AAI may end up being the largest carrier in MKE and instead of being part of the action ME will either be gone or be another certificate in the Republic collection flying RJ's for somebody else; an unfortunate and unnecessary ending.