No More ASA

[cessnamann]

SKW has almost $1bn in cash. All of these other regional airlines that ASA has to compete with, for the 2nd lowest cost structure, have nothing even close to that. I wouldn't be surprised to see SKW purchase Mesa in the near future.

 

[sweptback]

Thank you. Finally someone with some honor. You, sir, realize that if you aren't happy, you should leave.

Thank you for having integrity.

Well, let's be honest here. That's what we are "supposed" to do.

We all know regionals are only cheap if the pilots don't stay long. Once you hit year $106/hr you're making close to what a 737 captain makes, but you're generating a lot less revenue. Pinnacle has historically been a pretty lousy place to work, and therefore most guys bail out to greener grass. However, it keeps their costs down, and allows them to expand.

Fortunately, ASA has always been a pretty decent place to work, and more and more people are planning on staying here until they turn 65. Unfortunately, that -- not any gains we make in our contract -- will kill us. We could work for sub-Mesa pay, but if the bulk of our pilot group is year 12+ then we are dead. (Furloughing, by the way, won't help us with our costs.)

All the Pinnacle pilots will do by voting in their contract will be to reinforce that it's not a career airline, and pilots will continue to leave there at the first opportunity. That in turn keeps their costs down, and they will continue to grow... until one day they finally stand up for themselves and demand a decent contract. Then, just like ASA, their pilot group will get more and more senior.

Say ASA did the same thing in our next contract, for the sake of argument. If we signed off on a raw deal under the guise that it will make us cheap so we can grow, it still wouldn't do anything. We have too senior of a pilot group for it to matter.

Look at Comair -- they took huge paycuts, gave back all their trophy contract gains, and they're still getting shrunk into oblivion. Payrates aren't the problem there (they're cheaper than us) but their average longevity is killer.

Longevity, my friends, is our problem. Unfortunately, there's no answer as long as our business model is to compete for fee-for-departure flying.

 

[JoeMerchant]

Well, let's be honest here. That's what we are "supposed" to do.

We all know regionals are only cheap if the pilots don't stay long. Once you hit year $106/hr you're making close to what a 737 captain makes, but you're generating a lot less revenue. Pinnacle has historically been a pretty lousy place to work, and therefore most guys bail out to greener grass. However, it keeps their costs down, and allows them to expand.

Fortunately, ASA has always been a pretty decent place to work, and more and more people are planning on staying here until they turn 65. Unfortunately, that -- not any gains we make in our contract -- will kill us. We could work for sub-Mesa pay, but if the bulk of our pilot group is year 12+ then we are dead. (Furloughing, by the way, won't help us with our costs.)

All the Pinnacle pilots will do by voting in their contract will be to reinforce that it's not a career airline, and pilots will continue to leave there at the first opportunity. That in turn keeps their costs down, and they will continue to grow... until one day they finally stand up for themselves and demand a decent contract. Then, just like ASA, their pilot group will get more and more senior.

Say ASA did the same thing in our next contract, for the sake of argument. If we signed off on a raw deal under the guise that it will make us cheap so we can grow, it still wouldn't do anything. We have too senior of a pilot group for it to matter.

Look at Comair -- they took huge paycuts, gave back all their trophy contract gains, and they're still getting shrunk into oblivion. Payrates aren't the problem there (they're cheaper than us) but their average longevity is killer.

Longevity, my friends, is our problem. Unfortunately, there's no answer as long as our business model is to compete for fee-for-departure flying.

So what is your answer? What is ALPA's answer?

 

[Speedtape]

So what is your answer? What is ALPA's answer?

I say it's time to blow up the T.V., throw away the paper and move to the country.

 

[Speedtape]

SKW has almost $1bn in cash. All of these other regional airlines that ASA has to compete with, for the 2nd lowest cost structure, have nothing even close to that. I wouldn't be surprised to see SKW purchase Mesa in the near future.

That will never happen. Mesa owns nothing of value.

 

[JoeMerchant]

I say it's time to blow up the T.V., throw away the paper and move to the country.

I've already thrown away the paper and moved to the country....But I'm not giving up the TV...

 

[JoeMerchant]

That will never happen. Mesa owns nothing of value.

Except some DCI contracts that Delta can't seem to get rid of....

 

[sweptback]

So what is your answer? What is ALPA's answer?

I don't have an answer. I wish I did.

 

[JoeMerchant]

I don't have an answer. I wish I did.

So supporting ALPA without question isn't the answer? So fighting for better pay and workrules here at ASA isn't the answer? So trusting our union to "fix" this isn't the answer?....I thought an ALPA true believer would have answers.....

How about preparing to go our own way? How about giving our management a cost structure that would allow for an independent run? How about partnering with management for now, instead of fighting them? How about doing what is necessary to protect our jobs...

Your answer isn't going to cut it for an ALPA cheerleader...That isn't a good enough answer for someone we are paying 2% of our income to....

 

[olympus593]

So what is your answer? What is ALPA's answer?

Ok so what your answer joe?