Northwest trying to outsource pilots!

[GuppyPuppy]

Flight Crew outsourcing has been going on for a long time by putting "regional" aircraft and crews on mainline routes and by giving them larger and larger aircraft with lower pay and benefits.

Seems like NWA is just trying to play catchup to the likes of DAL, UAL, etc...

How's the union drive going at SkyWest?

Good luck to you guys. I hope you can finally organize.

GP

 

[Ty Webb]

Republican administrations have always been less friendly to organized labor. I guess they're not happy that unions give almost all their political contributions to Democrats.

Labor was in a downward spiral during CLinton's 8 years, chief. Don't kid yourself. Politicians get their money from corporations and wealthy shareholders.

Personally, I have to laugh at pilots that like to think of themselves as something other than working class union labor, and vote Republican.

Personally, I have to laugh at message-board pilots that think that things would have been better under John Kerry! If that was the best the Democratic party could offer, no wonder they lost.

Maybe, instead of blaming Bush, you should blame the DNC for giving America such a lousy slate of contenders . . . . and then they name Dean to head the party. You really want those buffoons running the country?

Not me.

 

[SWAPoolie]

Maybe the pilots and FAs should have supported the mechanics.

 

[airmasn]

Maybe the pilots and FAs should have supported the mechanics.

NWA probably would have declared bankruptcy that much quicker, thus removing any leverage (if there ever was any) from the remaining unions. Management would have accomplished their goals that much quicker.

 

[pilotyip]

This was a Crandall AAL idea, 1989 proposal, that AAL would become a marketing company selling tickets on routes. Then companies would bid to fly those routes. Low bidder gets the route. Iaccoa proposed this for Chrysler in 1979, Chrysler would design cars, have dealer network and farm out all the manufacturing to the low bidder, if the unions and banks did not go along with the reorganization plan. Look at them today, they are the only profitable N. American auto maker. This is not something new.

 

[wms]

Maybe the pilots and FAs should have supported the mechanics.

Exactly! If Duane Woerth had done the right thing in the beginning he'd be fighting the fight on the AMFA's turf. Burying your head in the sand usually gets you bitten in the rear.

 

[wms]

This was a Crandall AAL idea, 1989 proposal, that AAL would become a marketing company selling tickets on routes. Then companies would bid to fly those routes. Low bidder gets the route. Iaccoa proposed this for Chrysler in 1979, Chrysler would design cars, have dealer network and farm out all the manufacturing to the low bidder, if the unions and banks did not go along with the reorganization plan. Look at them today, they are the only profitable N. American auto maker. This is not something new.

Some airlines no longer want to be airlines, they just want to be "seat-brokers". The one's that survive will be the ones that streamline, integrate and globalize while keeping the operation easily manageable. The ones that sell off profitable ventures, out-source and become large unorganized conglomerates will fall.

 

[Superpilot92]

There is always some idiot out in left field just waiting for the opportunity to blame Bush. Dont you idiots realize how stupid you sound. The industry, the hurricanes, the fires, terrorism, etc. Its getting really old.

 

[Jimdandy]

Ty webb your a fool.

Hair on fire is correct we are blue collar working men that is how the IRS classifies our job.

Ty Webb is one of those that votes republican and thinks he is above everyone else and then when his union has no power he just cries and cries and says well it is a very complex problem.

 

[ThisistheDream]

I saw some foriegn crews training at NATCO, on the 747-400 and A320's, so the replacement pilots are already being trained. NWA wants to have US crews pilots FA fly over seas and when they get there have foriegn crews take over!!!!!! this will be fun

 

[Av8rPHX]

I wonder if the traveling public would balk at that? I guess as long as the flight arrives on time and tickets remain dirt cheap, they won't care?

Yet they still b*tch and moan all the time. Commuting home on a Cactus flight last weekend I sat next to a passenger that was saying how much she paid for her ticket (under 250 r/t) and that she had only flown "American West" once before, anyways... she flagged one of the FAs down after we had gotten out of sterile, and asked what the meal was going to be today, well she was totally appauled when the FA told her that there was no meal service on board, only buy on board snack boxes. Of course she turned to me and told me how she "paid good money for this ticket" and that they should serve a meal,etc... I just left it alone, really didnt want to get into why this industry sucks with a pax... just wanted to sleep for 2.5 hours

 

[FlyBoeingJets]

This was a Crandall AAL idea, 1989 proposal, that AAL would become a marketing company selling tickets on routes. Then companies would bid to fly those routes. Low bidder gets the route. Iaccoa proposed this for Chrysler in 1979, Chrysler would design cars, have dealer network and farm out all the manufacturing to the low bidder, if the unions and banks did not go along with the reorganization plan. Look at them today, they are the only profitable N. American auto maker. This is not something new.

That's right! I can see JetBlue buying the Song aircraft from Delta if they get desperate enough for cash and even codesharing with a foreign carrier like Emirates. It can happen!!

Some of you are worried about JetBlue's debt. But if the profitability comes back in 2006 banks will be knocking down their door to do some deals.

Of course I see NWA doing this first. If they do it, others will try to follow.

 

[ackattacker]

I have to stop logging into flightinfo. It's too depressing. This is the most depressing thread yet. In five years the industry goes from $300k/year jobs to "Welcome to McAirline, would you like fries with that?" Outsourcing international routes? I'm not even sure how that even saves money. It just screws the NWA pilots "becase they can". Pretty soon NWA is going to be like USair, and lose all their business travelers because of crappy service from disgruntled employees.

 

[pilotyip]

This is still a great career, where else can a high school grad make $100K/yr by his early to mid 30's doing something he loves to do? If you are lucky you might get on somewhere and make $150K/yr. Where else can you go and make that kind of money with the time off a pilot has? Too many negative vibes

 

[PeanuckleCRJ]

Tell us one more time how you didn't go to college, pilotyip.