Skyway no more?

[7574EVER]

Departure was quite tonight and a Skyway pilot and the controller were chatting it up. The pilot told the controller that SkyWay was closing it's doors and "all Skyway pilots are out of a job effective (can't remember the date he said)"......

Anyone know anything more?

If this is in fact true...best of luck to all you Skyway folk!

 

[Citrus531]

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 16, 2008, 11:27 a.m.


Midwest Air changes will cost 400 jobs

Nearly 400 employees of Midwest Air Group Inc. will lose their jobs, with Midwest Air choosing to hire a Utah-based company to handle all of its Midwest Connect regional carrier flights, it was announced today.

Oak Creek-based Midwest Air, which operates Midwest Airlines and Midwest Connect, is hiring SkyWest Airlines Inc. to take over all Midwest Connect flights to save costs. St. George, Utah-based SkyWest in 2007 began flying 50-seat regional jets under the Midwest Connect name. By March and April, SkyWest will begin flying all Midwest Connect routes with additional 50-seat jets. They will replace Midwest Connect's 32-seat jets, now flown by Skyway pilots, because the larger jets operate more efficiently, the company announcement said.

As a result, 380 employees - mostly pilots, flight attendants, mechanics and dispatchers - will lose their jobs. They work for Skyway Airlines Inc., the Midwest Air subsidiary that operates Midwest Connect.

Around 750 Skyway employees will continue providing ramp and dining services for Midwest Airlines and Midwest Connect, and customer service operations in Midwest Connect field stations. Over time, Skyway's business will be expanded to offer these types of services to other airlines, the announcement said.

"This was an extremely difficult business decision in terms of its impact on Skyway employees," said David Reeve, Skyway chairman, president and chief executive officer, in a statement. "However, it is necessary for the long-term success of Midwest Air Group."

A spokesman for the pilots union at Skyway couldn't be reached immediately for comment.

 

[7574EVER]

Sorry if I missed that news or post somewhere else; but, thanks for reposting it if it was already done.

This is horrible news for those at Skyway. I hope SkyWest gives them preferential hiring. Best of luck to them all!

 

[spg2bmd]

I hope that they get a better job than Skywest.

 

[spg2bmd]

Airtran is hiring, and so is Skyking.

 

[XPOO]

Oh yeah, those two airlines sound much better than SkyWest.

 

[dingo222]

on a side note, colgan is offering on the spot interviews for all the skyway folks. Not the best deal going, but it may keep a check in the bank till you can find something else. Good luck!

from colgan HR:
As you may know we hired several former Big Sky pilots that are in training now. We are interviewing Skyway pilots tomorrow (Monday) in Milwaukee. We put this open house together on short notice after learning of the situation at Skyway late last week.
If you know any Skyway pilots please pass on the following information.

Open House
Monday, 1/21/08, 10 am
Holiday Inn Express
1400 W. Zellman Court
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

 

[scarlet]

I thought Midwest told the locals that they care about the peoples jobs, when Airtran tried to buy them, guess that was a lie.

Skywest guys be careful=Do not think Midwest will be around for years =so be careful about buying houses there.

 

[ils2minimums]

We are interviewing Skyway pilots tomorrow (Monday) in Milwaukee. We put this open house together on short notice after learning of the situation at Skyway late last week.
If you know any Skyway pilots please pass on the following information.

I don't know much about Colgan. But as a former Skyway Pilot (1996-1999), I would like to offer them my thanks for this classy act.

Skyway was a good airline, and Tim Hoeksema was a grade-A D0UCHEBAG long before he did what he's doing to them.

My most sincere condolences to all my Skyway brethren who are losing their jobs.

 

[deadstick]

Skyway was a good airline, and Tim Hoeksema was a grade-A D0UCHEBAG long before he did what he's doing to them.

You are correct. I can't agree more. Now you can preface that with "LYING"

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=708605

My most sincere condolences to all my Skyway brethren who are losing their jobs.

Thanks.

The last SkywayX flight is on 5 April, unless everybody gets jobs before then and they have to shut down. The people at the outstations are stilling there wondering what is going to happen to them, too.

 

[PowerCurve]

As a former Skyway pilot '96 to '99 I fondly remember the people and places... here are a few:

1. The Strike

2. The crap leading up to the strike, like, no eating or drinking in the cockpit.

3. The Toronto Death March MKE-GRR-YYZ-GRR-MKE-DSM-MKE start at o'dark thirty, end at o'dark thirty, rinse, repeat.

4. Keith K's lunch box used as a "receptacle" for a lady with explosive diarrhea MKE-DSM

5. Bug Boy licking Johnny Turbo's head.

6. The clothing, or lack thereof at the Annual Holiday Party.

7. Pedro El Gato (the guy's crash pad cat) receiving a job application to work at Midwest Express.

8. Maxi Pad with Wings (female crash pad)

9. Photos of Chris M. wearing a bikini top stuck everywhere in the cockpit.

10. Drinking too much coffee and having to pee while you're still an hour out of MKE.

11. Tony Z and his sweater.

12. Tony Z and his duffle bag of: camera, binoculars and AM radio station guide he kept down by his feet.

13. Camp Marquette, snowmobiling to work, canoeing and XC skiing.

14. Sneaking through the rampers lunch room to avoid being junior manned by Brad.

15. Javed's golf glove.

16. Discovering CWA's naughty tricks, like black shoe polish on the back of the control yoke grips and the rubber band tying the stall warning horn to "ON" when you turned on the master- all found while partly awake at 5am.

16. Going to the speakeasy around the corner (after finishing the 10pm to 2am sim slot) from the POS hotel we used to stay in while training at FlightSafety LGA.

17. Flying with Terry F. who flew with his knees and worked on crossword puzzles when it was his leg.

18. Thad K. getting a rash of crap from everyone because he looked and sounded like he was 12.

 

[BobbyBiplane]

I hope that they get a better job than Skywest.

The rumor mill says ( and you know how reliable that is!!!!) that Sentient Flight Group is hiring and offered SYX (pilots, flight attendants, dispatchers and others) the opportunity to work their way into the Sentient system (everything from lears to 767s in the US and abroad).

I recommend that all SYX folks interested in a real career contact Sentient.

Bob

 

[LewisU_Pilot]

Sorry if I missed that news or post somewhere else; but, thanks for reposting it if it was already done.

This is horrible news for those at Skyway. I hope SkyWest gives them preferential hiring. Best of luck to them all!

Come on Bill get with the times. OLD NEWS!! Hows everything going now that your off IOE?

 

[7574EVER]

Come on Bill get with the times. OLD NEWS!! Hows everything going now that your off IOE?

Yea Yea I'm behind on the times. Just like everything else.

It's going great so far. I'm on a string of six days off right now. Don't know how the hell that happened...but it did. I picked up OT for monday and got a call from the training dept this morning and was told that I was being displaced for IOE. So basically I'm going to get an easy 200 somthing bucks for doing nothing. I figured I'd try my luck and bid a CVG turn for Sunday morning and hope I get displaced off of that one too. It doesn't look like I'll be so lucky though. Guess it'll be a 3:30am wakup for me.

How's things on your end?

 

[Moustache]

Yea Yea I'm behind on the times. Just like everything else.

It's going great so far. I'm on a string of six days off right now. Don't know how the hell that happened...but it did. I picked up OT for monday and got a call from the training dept this morning and was told that I was being displaced for IOE. So basically I'm going to get an easy 200 somthing bucks for doing nothing. I figured I'd try my luck and bid a CVG turn for Sunday morning and hope I get displaced off of that one too. It doesn't look like I'll be so lucky though. Guess it'll be a 3:30am wakup for me.

How's things on your end?

pm that crap

 

[GOULET!]

There are still lots of Skyway guys who have not gotten called by AirTran. Seems like if you do not meet the 2500TT then you didn't get called. There are people with less than 500 PIC that did get the call though.

 

[LewisU_Pilot]

pm that crap

NO!!!

I'm doing good. Haven't seen ya in the crew room at all. They been keeping me pretty busy its nice moving up the reserve list and actually getting some open trips that you want.

 

[Citrus531]

There are still lots of Skyway guys who have not gotten called by AirTran. Seems like if you do not meet the 2500TT then you didn't get called. There are people with less than 500 PIC that did get the call though.

Yep...I was at the FL training center wed...spoke with S.G. and she said in MKE they talked to nearly 100 Skyway guys and her quote was "wished we could have taken them all...very nice, professional guys".

 

[RP170]

15. Javed's golf glove.

17. Flying with Terry F. who flew with his knees and worked on crossword puzzles when it was his leg.

How about Javed being put into a head lock by the ramper in CLE?

Terry was good at those crossword puzzles. Pretty impressive.

 

[Illini Pilot]

There are still lots of Skyway guys who have not gotten called by AirTran. Seems like if you do not meet the 2500TT then you didn't get called. There are people with less than 500 PIC that did get the call though.

It looks like they are just very backlogged with Skyway applicants. Doesn't look like there is any rhyme or reason to who is getting called/not called. There are some senior CAs that haven't heard anything, but 1900 captains with barely 2500TT and less than 500PIC going down for interviews.