Pinnacle is Going Bye Bye!

[atlcrjdriver]

Thank God somebody said it.

It would be ideal to have those CR9s be replaced by mainline a/c but they will more than likely be swapped out for someones CR2s.

 

[JumpersAway]

There are several issues here that everyone seems to be missing........

Yes, the 900's were bought and purchased by Pinnacle. However, the days of majors buying airplanes and giving them to regionals is over; they are simply too strapped for cash to be buying RJ's. SkyWest Inc. has more money, on hand, than any other airline in the COUNTRY. SkyWest Inc/ASA/SkyWest Airlines has the resources to procure aircraft.

It's doesn't matter if Pinnacle sells the airplanes to another operator or not. The point is it has freed up scope to allocate more 70/76 seat aircraft. Pinnacle can hold onto those airplanes all they want, but there are 16 slots open for another operator to step up to the plate and fill with factory fresh CRJ-900's.

Brad Holt just said a week and a half ago that you have to be in a possition to pounce on growth NOW, not when the opportunity passes. That is why the training department is finishing up a CRJ-900 program, as we speak.

SkyWest Inc. is wanting to streamline their operation for maxim utilization. Ultimately, that leaves SkyWest to cover everything west of the Mississippi, and ASA to cover everything to the east. This is illustrated by the bulk shift in SkyWest flying from ATL back to SLC following the completion of our contract.

In short, ASA has the pilots, has the team, the money, and the numbers to make 900's work out of Atlanta.

If the program isn't comletely in place now, it will be soon, and sooner now. I expect an injunction, the court case, Delta will win, and by the end of 2008, we will be operating the CRJ-900's; Pinnacles' former airframes or new Bombardiers.........

I truly hate this for the Pinnacle pilots- you need and deserve a break. My sincerest hope is that it is a wakeup call for management to treat you with the dignity and respect you deserve. I'm wishing you luck and competant leadership.

 

[wmuflyguy]

Great point. And add to that ASA is operating over 900 flights/day. The highest volume of any other Regional Carrier. I think Comair is next, but I don't have the exact number. RP and SkyW have significantly lower volumes and at least SkyW operates out of an airport for DL (SLC) with I'd guess half or less of the volume ATL has.

Trojan

Comair I thikn is just shy of 700

 

[Poahi]

One thing is for certain: Regional airlines aren't going to sign agreements they don't understand anymore.

They are going to demand tighter language and take a pass when necessary.

 

[DoinTime]

It would be ideal to have those CR9s be replaced by mainline a/c but they will more than likely be swapped out for someones CR2s.

They will probably be used to replace 50-seaters in the PCL NW contract.

 

[snap145]

I'm pretty sure these planes are owned by 9E. They're not coming to ASA or SKYW.

Finnally!...someone who does research before they open theyre mouth and make dramatic Flightinfo comments! Congrats SIU your not an ignorant moron!...9E owns the 900's so you will NEVER see them at SKYW or ASA...NWA scope allows us to fly aircraft up to 76 seats....we just havent had the airframes until now.....dont be surprised to see some of these airframes in red tails as the 9's...(The real 9...the DC-9) go away and as guys flow back to Compass....even with a schedule reduction, the 50 seaters are not profitable....and why not we can fly more people and still pay them 50 seat payrates while ALPA and Uncle Phil continue the redundant negotiations.....nothing is going to happen by July anyways...this is going to be another Freedom story....injunction will be filed....only 9 airframes in ATL = 90 displacements max.....still extremely short staffed here....classes every other week....time will tell........

 

[Lear70]

You're a little off on this one. Yes, Pinnacle management originally imposed rates (only for Captains) on the -900s, but that ended two months ago when the arbitrator issued his ruling on new payrates. The company hasn't violated that ruling. They've been paying the arbitrated rates.

As for why they're so low, they actually aren't. They're industry average.

I hadn't heard that the arbitrator had ruled... I stand corrected.

Last I heard, they were still paying 50 seat rates which IS ridiculously low... for any jet flying... much less the 90-seaters.

What are the new payscales for them? Hadn't seen them posted anywhere but, then again, I don't usually watch the Regionals board. Heard about this through my trigger point for PCL stock (below $4.50 a share).

 

[spudskier]

Several thoughts here:

1) Isn't there a paragraph in the ASA (pilot) contract that stipulates that the 70 and the 90 will pay the same?

2) The first (and hopefully last) ASA punk that wears his/her epaulets backwards because they drive 'The 9' should get a solid a$$ whoooopin.

3) Waaay to early to say where this flying will go. If it gets replaced, at all.

4) Most importantly, it's extremely poor form to gloat over another pilot's misfortune. This can, and probably will, be a sandwich that we will all take a bite out of at some point.

1) Correct
2) I really hope no one at ASA is like that but I'm sure there will be a few 250-hour wonders who get to write home to mommy and brag to their counterparts at other airlines.
3) Delta said they'd be replacing the flying, see previous post and DLnet. Who will replace it remains to be seen although SkyW and ASA are in the best position to do it.
4) Completely agree with you. Do I want to see my airline succeed and my job/QOL get better? You betcha, but I would never hope for a fellow pilot to suffer misfortune. It's a shame that PNCL's mgt wasn't able to manage things correctly if that's the case. I may be secure right now, but g-d knows when that will change rapidly, I hope that a previous post is correct and that PNCL was understaffed to the point that all their pilots will keep their jobs as long as they want.

 

[No.W.]

. SkyWest Inc. has more money, on hand, than any other airline in the COUNTRY. SkyWest Inc/ASA/SkyWest Airlines has the resources to procure aircraft.

Negative.

Southwest airlines has a cash reserve of 2.21 billion or so + the loan for 600 million they took out.(not really sure how that counts as 'cash' but I guess it does).

Either way, SkyWest Inc. has about 600 million in cash on hand the last I heard(and I work here).

Southwest is in WAY better shape then we are.

 

[PCL_128]

I hadn't heard that the arbitrator had ruled... I stand corrected.

Last I heard, they were still paying 50 seat rates which IS ridiculously low... for any jet flying... much less the 90-seaters.

What are the new payscales for them? Hadn't seen them posted anywhere but, then again, I don't usually watch the Regionals board. Heard about this through my trigger point for PCL stock (below $4.50 a share).

The new payscale is on the APC website. It's basically the Skywest scale, only it's a real payscale instead of just a block-hour override.

 

[Waylon]

Will this announcement have any effect on 9E buying XJ. I just had to say that. Hang in there guys the flying isn't going anywhere, this is just a sucker punch to try to soften up the pilot group.

 

[flyf15]

Will this announcement have any effect on 9E buying XJ. I just had to say that. Hang in there guys the flying isn't going anywhere, this is just a sucker punch to try to soften up the pilot group.

If I worked for Pinnacle, I wouldn't take this as a shot at the pilot group. I would look at this as proof that the current management over there needs to realize they are incapable of running a successful airline and that they have no one else to blame but themselves. You Pinnacle guys need to show management and the shareholders that you all are fuming pissed off and are not willing to let management destroy the airline you all helped build.

 

[atlcrjdriver]

One pt to consider is that by the end of the year all these a/c will be in DL colors anyway. DL cxls the 9E contract to operate CR9s out of ATL and these a/c possibly swap out for CR2 and op on the NW side. I would love to see Anderson's plan for DCI/Airlink once the merger is complete.

 

[Flyer1015]

So...

SO it's a little ironic! "Hey pilots, here have this pizza for our May performance numbers! Never mind we just lost Delta flying due to management incompetence. Never mind you don't have a new contract for over 3 years now. HAVE THIS PIZZA AND ENJOY!"

 

[Flyer1015]

And to think we have so many pilots here at Pinnacle who want to 'help the company' and who try and conserve fuel (shut down the APU even when it is ok to have it on, single engine taxi even if it's a short taxi, etc etc).

I've said this before, no amounts of fuel conservation will save this airline from stupid leader-less management!

<------------ Namely, led by this clown.

 

[andyd]

I would love to see Anderson's plan for DCI/Airlink once the merger is complete.

9E will be left looking for a dance partner.......DCI survivors: Comair, ASA, Mesaba and Compass

 

[79%N1]

9E will be left looking for a dance partner.......DCI survivors: Comair, ASA, Mesaba and Compass

Add Skywest and most probably Republic and you are getting closer.

 

[flyboyike]

"From the very beginning of our Delta Connection operations, we expressed our concern that the flight schedules Delta created were unrealistic. Our position was affirmed when recent schedule changes by Delta allowed immediate improvement in our on-time performance, well above the agreed minimum standard and above most other Delta Connection carriers."

What I don't get is why they agreed to do the flying if they felt the standards were unrealistic.

 

[jetracer5]

And to think we have so many pilots here at Pinnacle who want to 'help the company' and who try and conserve fuel (shut down the APU even when it is ok to have it on, single engine taxi even if it's a short taxi, etc etc).

I've said this before, no amounts of fuel conservation will save this airline from stupid leader-less management!

Well thats your problem right there! Do you think you are going to get a contract by helping the company out!!! They are saving TONS of money by dragging it out! Hit them where it hurts! Run the APU, write up everything, no single engine taxi! Fly Safe!!!

 

[jetracer5]

What I don't get is why they agreed to do the flying if they felt the standards were unrealistic.

I would love to of heard that meeting! Hey PNCL, ASA can do 40min turns in ATL and still get 80%+ on-time why cant you?? Plus they have to do aircraft swaps from concourse to concourse. You only have 5 planes!