Misleading ALPA Press Release about ATA's Shutdown

[WabiSabi]

Release #08.ATA2
April 3, 2008

ATA Pilots Blast Management’s Late-Night Decision to Cease Operations

CHICAGO—The union representing the pilots of ATA Airlines is condemning the airline’s management for its callous disregard of its employees and passengers in canceling all operations without warning early on Thursday morning.
“By shutting down in the middle of the night, this management group has let down its loyal customers and the flight crews, cabin crews, mechanics, and other employees who have made deep sacrifices over the past few years to keep ATA afloat,” said Capt. Steve Staples, chairman of the ATA unit of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l. “It shows an utter lack of respect and illustrates the ruthlessness of Wall Street hedge fund managers who have no knowledge or interest in the companies they own.”
ALPA was notified at approximately 4:00 a.m. Central time that the airline was filing for bankruptcy and shutting down all operations immediately. The airline’s last flight was ATA Flight 4586, a morning red-eye from Honolulu to Phoenix that was scheduled to land at 8:34 a.m. Pacific time.
“ATA’s customers and employees had absolutely no warning that the airline was going out of business,” Staples said. “This abrupt withdrawal is the airline equivalent of getting on the last helicopter out of Saigon.”
The April 3 announcement that ATA is ceasing operations is two days shy of the first anniversary of ATA’s announcement that its holding company was buying World Airways and North American Airlines. On April 5, 2007, ATA Holdings changed its name to Global Aero Logistics (GAL) and, in August 2007 completed the transaction that gave it three airlines: ATA, World, and North American. GAL is privately held by the hedge fund MatlinPatterson Global Opportunities Partners II.
“We find it unusually coincidental that ALPA, which was in contract negotiations with ATA and had the best opportunity to change our collective bargaining agreement to reflect the new realities of the industry, was suddenly forced to shut down while World and North American will continue operating under the Global Aero Logistics banner,” Staples said. “Since when does the acquiring airline go out of business while the acquired airlines keep flying?”
Staples said that all ATA employees are the ultimate victims of a series of incompetent managers who chose to blame economic conditions for the airline’s problems instead of admitting their own mistakes.
“We were telling management two years ago that they needed to institute a fuel management program, and even found a fuel consultant who offered to work with the company—but our overtures to help ATA reduce its fuel costs were repeatedly ignored,” he said. “Management decided to outsource virtually all of our maintenance, then acquired elderly, unreliable DC-10s that needed extensive repairs. The ripple effect of years of poor management decisions—not the current economy—was what doomed ATA.”
Staples said the union’s top priority is making sure that all 585 ATA pilots and flight engineers find new jobs, especially since part of ATA’s fleet has been transferred to World Airways and more airplanes could go to World and North American later.
“Our position is that we are pilots of Global Aero Logistics, which is still operating, and we deserve to be in the cockpits of Global’s airliners. Our contract says that the pilots go with the airplanes, and we will use every legal means available to us to ensure that our members’ rights are protected,” he said.
Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world’s largest pilots’ union, representing 61,000 pilots at 43 airlines in the U.S. and Canada. Visit the ALPA Web site at http://www.alpa.org.

My sympathies goes out to ATA's employee's but, the highlighted statement is not even close to the truth. ATA did not buy anyone....they didn't have the money in the first place. ATA Holdings (that owned ATA) and World Air Holdings (that owned World and North American) merged to form Global Aero Logistics. The airlines are on separate certificates. It is not as if World and North American rode ATA's coat tails.

The last quote is also very interesting.

 

[Max Powers]

Coming from "mesaba holding" or I should say MAIR holdings with mesaba airlines underneath I am sure there is much more to this story. ATA pilots had a much higher pay scale than NA or World. In regard to work rules and pay.

Let me guess World and N. american is going to be hiring and picking up a but load of flying.

Any know the real skinny on this?

 

[WabiSabi]

ATA pilots had a much higher pay scale than NA or World. In regard to work rules and pay.

According to APC's posted pay scales, you're not entirely correct. World's pay is higher. ATA's pay did beat North American's.

I don't know about ATA's work rules, but World's work rules (especially in regard to reserve) are pretty spiffy!

 

[Megadeth]

So what is the ATA's MEC Chairman suggesting?

Should all the ATA pilots come over to World and Kick us out of our Cockpits?


This guy needs to STFU.

 

[MD11Drvr]

ATA's lack of recent expierience with the DC-10 did not help. While the pilot pool is a talented group, the folks managing the DC-10 program did a less than stellar job when it came to manuals and training programs as demonstrated by the difficulties ATA faced with its program and the delays it caused.

The feeling that ATA was the aquiring carrier and subsequent desire to drive the boat made many at WOA and NAA wary of thier intentions. I got the feeling from some that since they were ALPA they were ordained to dictate the terms. There were many factors effecting conditions at ATA and 99% were out of the realm of the average line dog. There is no doubt they gave much to try and insure thier survival but in the end thier efforts failed to no fault of thier own. I hope WOA and NAA can pick up all that want to come here but I also hope thier is no percieved right to a seniority number because there isn't. If the tables were turned I feel ATA pilots would say the same thing whether they will admit it or not. I do feel that a year ago when GAL was formed was the time to forge a healthy relationship between pilot groups but since this did happen we have arrived at a less than desirable end. From my perception we tried but failed due the incorrect assumption of who aquired what and who had the bigger johnson. I sincerely hope all at ATA end up on thier feet and never forget "By the grace of God go I"

 

[jehtplane]

ATA's lack of recent expierience with the DC-10 did not help. While the pilot pool is a talented group, the folks managing the DC-10 program did a less than stellar job when it came to manuals and training programs as demonstrated by the difficulties ATA faced with its program and the delays it caused.

The feeling that ATA was the aquiring carrier and subsequent desire to drive the boat made many at WOA and NAA wary of thier intentions. I got the feeling from some that since they were ALPA they were ordained to dictate the terms. There were many factors effecting conditions at ATA and 99% were out of the realm of the average line dog. There is no doubt they gave much to try and insure thier survival but in the end thier efforts failed to no fault of thier own. I hope WOA and NAA can pick up all that want to come here but I also hope thier is no percieved right to a seniority number because there isn't. If the tables were turned I feel ATA pilots would say the same thing whether they will admit it or not. I do feel that a year ago when GAL was formed was the time to forge a healthy relationship between pilot groups but since this did happen we have arrived at a less than desirable end. From my perception we tried but failed due the incorrect assumption of who aquired what and who had the bigger johnson. I sincerely hope all at ATA end up on thier feet and never forget "By the grace of God go I"

Well said. As a former NAA pilot, I would be very surprised to see any of those 757's over at NAA.

 

[ultrarunner]

I find it interesting that ALPA believes anyone would care what they think. That press release was a waste of ALPA's time, IMHO.

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

I find it interesting that ALPA believes anyone would care what they think. That press release was a waste of ALPA's time, IMHO.

Yet you expect us to believe we would care what you think? Interesting.....

Your post (and mine) are a complete waste of our time.

 

[Jimmy C. Corn]

Yet you expect us to believe we would care what you think? Interesting.....

Your post (and mine) are a complete waste of our time.

I'm new on this forum, but after reading many of your current and previous posts, I have added you to my ignore list.

Your ability to communicate with the ALPA rank-and-file (me included) is non-existent.

Your ranting has the effect of driving those on the fence away from ALPA.

Your logic is not rational, nor can anyone follow it. Your writing style is not coherent.

You may be hard-working, but based on your poorly defended positions, you are likely not an intelligent person.

You are not a good ALPA spokesman (or cheerleader).

I don't like you.

 

[ultrarunner]

Yet you expect us to believe we would care what you think? Interesting.....

Absolutely not!

Your post (and mine) are a complete waste of our time.

Of course. This is FI, not ALPA.

I'd expect more from ALPA, but not FI.

enjoy