North American

[JJET44]

I guess we could stop flying AMC.

Hell no!! With fuel prices the way they are and the DOD paying for our fuel, I can' see that happening.
GAL needs to spend some $ to make some $.
We need more birds.

 

[Capt1124]

After the job fair, and the climbto350 ad, any word on interviews?

 

[JJET44]

After the job fair, and the climbto350 ad, any word on interviews?

Rumor has it that there will be another class in Feb.
Mostly, if not all, made up of Maxjet guys.

 

[HalinTexas]

Well, it may not matter soon. ATA sched. service is to be sold off. As to what that exactly means is anyone's business.

No pilot layoffs planned so far as I know, but the Director of Crew Planning was laid off this week. Some FA layoffs and realignment was announced in Dec, but that hasn't been clarified.

 

[JJET44]

Well, it may not matter soon. ATA sched. service is to be sold off. As to what that exactly means is anyone's business.

No pilot layoffs planned so far as I know, but the Director of Crew Planning was laid off this week. Some FA layoffs and realignment was announced in Dec, but that hasn't been clarified.

Didn't the last time this happened, it was sold to SWA and in exchange ATA picked up the Hawaii routes for SWA?

 

[HalinTexas]

Didn't the last time this happened, it was sold to SWA and in exchange ATA picked up the Hawaii routes for SWA?

Uh, no.

SWA came into the picture to keep Airtran or America West from gaining a major foothold in MDW. Airtran was first, but the AW deal was the better one. They loaned ATA money to keep operating and aquired about 25% of ATA until Matlin-Patterson bought the whole company in Sept. of '05. ATA was already doing Hawaii. ATA has been flying to HI since the mid '90's. We are still flying to HI, with the SW codeshare, but according to management we aren't making any money.

Also according to managment, NAA and WOA are getting more charters due to the fact that those two carriers are cheaper than ATA.

GAL wants to keep the 3 carriers separate because of the military contracts. ATA and Omni are on one team and World-NAA are on another. GAL makes more money that way. ATA is in direct competition with World and NAA for military flying, and I suspect that World and NAA will get more of it than ATA because they are cheaper. Outsourcing.

Remember, MP also owns Varig Logistics. If you ask anyone that has flown there, they will tell you that MP is no friend of theirs. You might see some of your flying outsourced to them if they do it cheaper. Particularly since MP has bought some A330F and has not said where they will be going.

But never fear. ALPA is still dragging their feet. ATA will be mostly gone before anything ever happens.

 

[CaptSeth]

But never fear. ALPA is still dragging their feet. ATA will be mostly gone before anything ever happens.

1. Hal, did you read last week's MEC update?

2. Statistically, we are not a perceptable cost difference compared to World, except for trip length provisions. NAA, different story.

 

[JJET44]

ATA and Omni are on one team and World-NAA are on another. GAL makes more money that way.

I'm not following on the Omni front. What does Omni have to do with GAL other than that they're a competitor?

 

[HalinTexas]

I'm not following on the Omni front. What does Omni have to do with GAL other than that they're a competitor?

Teaming arrangements for military contracts. ATA, Omni, and I think UPS are on one. World, NAA and FDX are on another.

70%+ of GAL's revenue is from the military. If ATA is merged with World/NAA then the team must be broken up. GAL loses lots of money.

 

[HalinTexas]

1. Hal, did you read last week's MEC update?

2. Statistically, we are not a perceptable cost difference compared to World, except for trip length provisions. NAA, different story.

Yes, I've read two of them. Jan. 14 deals with a "Global Pilots Alliance." An utter waste of resources as far as ATA pilots are concerned. And Jan. 31, "From the Chairman" says ATA is going for a grievance, Sec. 1E, to try and force single carrrier status. Says you have "built up a relationship" with the other two carriers. If you've followed this sight, then you'll notice that World isn't interested in a merger, so they may fight it. At any rate it took around 2 years to get this ACARS grievance worked out. The merger happened last year. Grievance should have been filed then.

Since it's been two weeks between the GPA and the grievance issue and at the same time ATA is supposedly selling SS if they can find a buyer, I'm highly suspicious.