PDT Base Closures

[jvrac]

It's official. Posted on the company website:

"We have made the decision to close the Charlotte and Patrick Henry crew domiciles effective with the May bid period. ...a domicile base bid will be pubilshed in the very near future."

Sorry for the bad news, guys.

 

[79%N1]

Where in the He11 are their bases going to be??? SBY and CHO?

 

[OPECJet]

Scrobola said he wanted to "right size" the company. Not sure exactly what that means, but I'm sure its not good if you commute, or don't live in ROA, SBY, MDT, or LGA.

 

[Sig]

Scrobola said he wanted to "right size" the company.

Aw, he!!.

Those are quite possibly the worst words ever used when it comes to running an airline, from the pilot's perspectives. I don't know what HE means by it, but it's been said by some of the "greats" in the past- it usually was used in reference to the fleet. Delta used it as a catchphrase for working out the kinks... them wacky Brazilians have another way of putting it:

www.ruleof70to110.com

 

[OPECJet]

Yep, straight from the horse's.... you know....

 

[lear24]

Scrobola said he wanted to "right size" the company.

From what I heard, it's more of a right sizing of the bases. It's been said that they have to really have their way with the computer to make it build flying for CLT, while we are understaffed up north, where most of the flying is.

Sorry to hear guys, been there, it sucks.

 

[Dr.Hwang]

I don't follow the BS with too many other airlines--I've been absorbed with the BS at my own--so, where are PDTs current bases? And why the closing again. Thanks.

 

[Sig]

From what I heard, it's more of a right sizing of the bases.

That's what it says on the webshite in his BOHICA letter. CLT has been called a "synthetic" or "artificial" base, depending on who is selling what- but I think they did have an uphill battle keeping folks there while the flying went more and more weird (DH to PIT or elsewhere when I was there, no real orginator). I flew substantially more PIT trips outta there than anything. Now that PHF is TU2... Will he "right size" the flying too? If so, where? MDT? You can't crank out more than a handful of originators out of SBY... where the heck will the planes sleep? This SUCKS. If you can't have the planes for the RONs in bases, you have to increase the DH nonsense to substantiate more "artificial" flying to build lines out of those bases... Nightmare upon nightmare for the good folks getting force moved, on top of the folks that want to stay in their bases. This has to make sense somewhere.

 

[doug_or]

This has to make sense somewhere.

thats awful optimistic

 

[Sig]

thats awful optimistic

You're telling me, mang. It's just plain awful.

The second it make sense is two seconds past the time to hang 'em up.

 

[fowingman]

and not to mentioned the folks in CLT were some of the most senior in our company. in other words unles you have been here since 84' your moving down on the list in your base, and say hello to a even worse schedule... lets hope for the best. i counted at least for F.O's in both PHF, and CLT there were 28, and disperesed evenly (obviously doesn't make sense) between the other 7 remaining alive bases would put 4 new f.o's so thats not too bad as far as how that will effect us in the other bases. I hope for the best to come for this airline, it all rests in doug parkers hands though.

 

[JohnnyP]

....

you would think that along with moving crew members around to different bases, they would also add/shift some of that flying as well. im not really sure exactly how this will pan out for other peoples schedules at other bases. but watch out im comin to bump someone down! no harmful intent suggested by that.

 

[fowingman]

Those f.o's in the march classes are going to have a hell of a time gettting off reserve. who knows where they're going to be put. my guess is LGA and SYR. but then again the odd thing is those march classes will be able to pick bases prior to the new base bid for the dislocated clt/phf closure. but then again who knows what flight control will do with any/all of us. i'm starting to feel like puppets on a string playing THEIR game. i highly doubt anyone will go to or want to go to MDT, LGA no one will want to go to, (pdt will make them go there obviously) SYR some like it there (everyone i talk to there, has mentioned they aren't flying very much at all) EWN and CHO and CHicken Land (SBY) are the other left except ROA. EWN and CHO will see a few i think and SBY will see a few also, i think ROA will see a fair number despite already have 27 hard lines and 35 guys (fo's). WHAT PDT NEEDS IS UPGRADES!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[WSurf]

I don't follow the BS with too many other airlines--I've been absorbed with the BS at my own--so, where are PDTs current bases? And why the closing again. Thanks.

I'll make it short! (Crap, that will be hard to do) Back in the Golden Years we had crewbases in TPA and JAX which had some of the best sceds (17off 90hrs plus credit a month-No hub flying, just point to point) in the company. Many senior folks were based there and enjoyed flying like no others! We used to call them the "Florida Flying Club" folks. It was almost like they flew for a different airline. All Q200's that had the NVS systems working. Great Air Conditioning System in the Planes. West Palm, Key West etc etc overnights!!! Carried a bottle of booze and a bathing suit everywhere you went!
Then we closed both bases!! Flights were packed, hard to believe. But the company tried to help these folks out and open CLT as a base. Problem, no orginators out of CLT, no overnight aircraft in CLT. When PSA moved down to CLT that pretty much sealed that bases fate. Seems it was hard (hmmm) to build lines for CLT folks. Answer--- we'll close it! Now ORF and PHF have been consumed with RJ's and thats why those bases have closed. Airwilly has taken all that flying.
I do believe that either EWN, ROA, CHO will now see a couple of lines increased to help move these people around. We will do the same if not more flying into CLT, just with out the crew base there.
On a note..... Just got off the phone with a bud at PSA. He says there is suppose to be a big meeting tonight about the possible merger between PSA and PDT.-------->Anyone?

 

[fowingman]

i know a lot of pdt peeps would like that due to the fact of seniority, but there would be MAJOR fences to protect the bit of seniority they have at PSA. what does everyone on the forum think of the possible PSA -Piedmont Merger, good, BAd, and who is it good, bad for?

 

[WSurf]

Well mergers are never, never easy! Only if the airlines are growing does that help ease the pain of a merger. I think it would be a good merger! (and yea junior people will get hosed) Yes, PDT is senior. It would be a straight intergration with Date of Hire, but with fences like you said.... mainly to protect equipment and bases! Coffee run.. No current PSA or PDT folks would be kicked out of base or Aircraft. Company will protect equipment to save on training. And PDT does have a AQP program, and I do believe they set one up for the CRJ based on Comairs AQP. That alone will save the company millions in training cost. No PSA folks would be bumped out of a RJ! However when there would be a time for upgrades... its anyones that can hold it. Now before anyone gets crazy.... There would be a bunch of PDT pilots that would stay in the Dash anyway! Money's good, bunch live in there base (Like me, I wouldn't bid the Jet.... I live in base and love it). And people just love flying the Dash 8's. But if PDT captains bid the Jet, there will openings on the Dash 8. I am sure there will be a seat locks on the planes etc. etc. Anything to save money!!
If this FlushThru with Mainline is kept intact you will see this merger go a bit smoother I would think.
I don't know the number of A/C PSA has, but I have heard that the CRJ 200's will go back as there leases expire. Combined would be a nice size airline, Dash 8 100/200 and CRJ 700's!!
Its all rumor now, but like I said mergers are always a tuff pill to swallow for everyone! Lets just hope PDT's Contract is the one taken after a possible merger!

 

[mamba20]

We have 49 AC over here. 35 200's and 14 700's. I dont know much about your contract but it cant be any worse then ours, right?

 

[WSurf]

Mamba, weren't you guys suppose to get up to 25 CRJ 700's? Thought that was in order back in the day! If so, I bet if this merger happens you will see the remaining 700's get on the property.
No our company doesn't violate the contract much..... Not like they used to however!!!

 

[mamba20]

Who knows. After the BK everything got fucked up. I'm sure it would mean more slots for more J4J's and even more J4J's if we did. The company still says we may get 900's over here. I doubt we will and I hope we dont. They belong at mainline. I'm sure they would force some "race to the bottom" pay rate on us to get them, but "we'd get to fly 90 seaters!" So lets hope they are not coming here.

 

[fowingman]

i've heard doug parkers idea for us was to do 1 of 3 possible things. (comming from when he was in a cq class talking to pdt folks)
1. shrink to the size of colgan
2. get 400's crap if you ask me, it'll never happen
3. merge with psa


i think rulling out number 2 is a safe bet, being said the 3rd is the best of the remaining options.. according to when i was line checked last, that(what doug parker said ) wasn't really a rumor or passed on by many people, the guy (wont say name) who was sitting in the bitch seat line checking us was in the room as d.parker talked to the cq class. so who knows . i cant say i didn't see the psa-pdt potential merger a new thing or a thing i didn't see coming...

 

[OPECJet]

As of now, I'm not aware of a PDT/PSA merger. Then again, this time yesterday I wasn't aware I was getting sh!t out of CLT either.

That merger rumor has been going around a while on both properties, but nearest I can see it ain't gonna happen anytime soon if ever.

 

[lear24]

The company still says we may get 900's over here. I doubt we will and I hope we dont. They belong at mainline. I'm sure they would force some "race to the bottom" pay rate on us to get them, but "we'd get to fly 90 seaters!" So lets hope they are not coming here.

I like that. Not enough people think that way anymore. Cheers!

 

[LowlyPropCapt]

I'll make it short! (Crap, that will be hard to do) Back in the Golden Years we had crewbases in TPA and JAX which had some of the best sceds (17off 90hrs plus credit a month-No hub flying, just point to point) in the company. Many senior folks were based there and enjoyed flying like no others! We used to call them the "Florida Flying Club" folks. It was almost like they flew for a different airline. All Q200's that had the NVS systems working. Great Air Conditioning System in the Planes. West Palm, Key West etc etc overnights!!! Carried a bottle of booze and a bathing suit everywhere you went!
Then we closed both bases!! Flights were packed, hard to believe. But the company tried to help these folks out and open CLT as a base. Problem, no orginators out of CLT, no overnight aircraft in CLT. When PSA moved down to CLT that pretty much sealed that bases fate. Seems it was hard (hmmm) to build lines for CLT folks. Answer--- we'll close it! Now ORF and PHF have been consumed with RJ's and thats why those bases have closed. Airwilly has taken all that flying.
I do believe that either EWN, ROA, CHO will now see a couple of lines increased to help move these people around. We will do the same if not more flying into CLT, just with out the crew base there.
On a note..... Just got off the phone with a bud at PSA. He says there is suppose to be a big meeting tonight about the possible merger between PSA and PDT.-------->Anyone?

Oh man... Are you making me pine away for my JAX days. I didn't know how good I had it! Idiot!

A merger between PSA and PDT? Probably would be great for us PDT guys. The PSA folks would probably try to fence us out of the jet for a while, but that is a non-starter. Some kind of ratioed seniority integration would most likely be the reality.

 

[91100 100 set]

any news about SYR?

Just a former ALG guy wondering about SYR. I was based there during the "glory days" a few years back. I've since moved onto different pastures (I won't say greener), but still have alot of friends there. I was dismayed to hear about the closure of SYR, happy to hear it was reopening a year later, and suspicious to hear that they weren't sure about it's future.

While I don't have the same attachment to the PDT folks down south as I do the old ALG people, it sucks to hear about the base closures. After watching places like ABE close down (some of those guys were settled in for 20+ years), it sucks watching those senior places shut down.

And SYR may now be a junior backwater, but I hope it stays open for the sake of my friends. And maybe for my own sense of regret (I'd be a lineholding captain there, instead of flipping gear for Purdue kids)...

 

[Gofish]

Well this certainly aint "earthshattering" news but I got a good rumor for everyone to put in their pipe and smoke while we wait for bigger things.

I am sitting here at the Ramada lounge computer and I meet this nice brunette lady who introduces herself as working for the shared services division. She says she is here to inspect the hotel on behalf of US Airways Express. She is accompanied by a lady from Air Wisconsin. They start walking around checking for dust on top of the wall hangings and are carrying a clipboard and filling information out.

She is kinda cute so I start flirting with her. I find out that Airway's express crews will no longer be staying at the Ramada b/c of some security issues. We will all be moving to the Amerisuites. Free hot breakfast here I come baby!

 

[buzzoffyou]

GOfish. What City are you in?????

 

[Stuka Luva]

Please oh please let it be PHL!!!

*fingers crossed*

 

[WSurf]

Oh man... Are you making me pine away for my JAX days. I didn't know how good I had it! Idiot!

A merger between PSA and PDT? Probably would be great for us PDT guys. The PSA folks would probably try to fence us out of the jet for a while, but that is a non-starter. Some kind of ratioed seniority integration would most likely be the reality.

Sorry Prop! Hell I miss my reserve days in EWN, I got sent south to do TPA trips all the time. For 2 months I thought I was based in TPA!!

Ratioed seniority integration? Do you really think PDT is gonna allow that!! It will be straight date of hire with fences! Fences that will keep training cost down, and protect everyone in RJ's. That was the real reason that they used straight date of hire with ALG. You have to think of future mergers, and if it goes to a arbatraitor he will look at past mergers with the company. And bang! Same size airlines, straight date of hire! I know PSA down the road would get screwed kinda, but with the fences it wouldnt look like us coming at them with Viking Helmets to pillage there RJ's!
Who knows anyway, could become a merger with PSA and AirWilly!!! That makes more sense anyway! Then we can keep our normal status Quo at ol' PDT!!

 

[WSurf]

She is kinda cute so I start flirting with her.

Now you can't fool her, she really knows how much money you make!

 

[OPECJet]

Well, she thinks that the FLO hotel is nice, so that automatically makes her trailer trash.. Either that or she used to be a hooker.