Skywest To Buy Air Wisconsin!

[Thrust Master]

This is the the best news I've heard in a long time.
It's all rumor of course.

What is factual is this, the ground agreement with
AWAC in ORD is a frickin' joke. SKYWEST has priority
for gate assignment accordinging to the new TA signed
by AWAC. SKYWEST will not wait, and will be given the
next available gate available per there contract.

They will not go to the box.

At least if SKYWEST buy's Air Silly, We'll all get a 2% raise
because we won't have to pay ALPA due's.

I support SKYWEST totally.
they have treated us great in the past,
I'm just curious where there pilots stand...

Thrust Master

 

[Wiskey Driver]

Ahhh $hit, the more things change the more they stay the same!!! Waz up AC??

WD.

 

[TWA Dude]

Don't forget, Trans States starts up UX service at ORD and IAD this month. Look out for the new kid in town.

 

[JBcrjca]

Hey TM, I think most SkyWest pilots would agree with you. That agreement does sound pretty stupid. Although I haven't been to ORD yet, I haven't heard about a 'no waiting' clause. I assumed we'd hold in the box like everyone else? The ORD operations memo described the basics of how things work, plus a description of where the penalty box is. I hate waiting for a gate as much as the next guy, but I think all UAX carriers should get equal treatment.

As far as the buyout rumors go, I haven't heard anything about a SkyWest/Whiskey deal. Maybe I don't spend enough time in the crew rooms during our 3-4 hour breaks. Crew rooms are depressing, so I prefer to wander around and check out the scenery in the terminal. Nothing has been mentioned on the SW bulletin board either.

I saw TMs post about the ORD crew room a few weeks ago, and I thought that was really cool. It's great to see someone being nice to the outsiders instead of giving us the big finger.

 

[avrodriver]

TWA Dude.........did some quick searching but couldn't find anything. What markets will Trans States start up in and when? AD

 

[Piedmonster]

Whatever....

This is the best one I have read yet!
Unfortunately I don't think so

 

[ArcticFlier]

This is the the best news I've heard in a long time.
It's all rumor of course.

What is factual is this, the ground agreement with
AWAC in ORD is a frickin' joke. SKYWEST has priority
for gate assignment accordinging to the new TA signed
by AWAC. SKYWEST will not wait, and will be given the
next available gate available per there contract.
They will not go to the box.

At least if SKYWEST buy's Air Silly, We'll all get a 2% raise
because we won't have to pay ALPA due's.

I support SKYWEST totally.
they have treated us great in the past,
I'm just curious where there pilots stand...

Thrust Master

Now I wonder why I've had to hold twice for a gate?

AF

Yo JB................'sup?

 

[avrodriver]

All because you get rockstar 1st gate available treatment doesn't change the fact that your at ORD. For a gate to be open for anyone ever is always a welcome surprise. I have no idea how they do things there (don't go there often), but I know the few times I've been in the box SW flights have entered after us and exited first...meanwhile ops asks the rest of us for our on times to determine who gets a spot first. Heck this could all be some bullsh*t made up by the rampers! No worries, maybe sitting in that pad for that much longer I can make some of my concessions back!! =) Welcome Skywest! AD

 

[ArcticFlier]

Maybe I'm missing the point AD.........we don't get the treatment. We get 3 gates to work from E2A, E2B, and E3. If they are full, they are full. We don't get another gate as was intimated by Thrust Master. I wish we did, but that's not the case.

Anyway, having fun in ORD.................North Port.............what's that? JK Glad to see they put that stuff on the Jepp 10-9 finally.

AF

 

[Marko Ramius]

Question?

If there were any truth to SkyWest purchasing Air Wis(likely as a ACA/Mesa response), wouldn't it be real quiet because AWAC is a private company? No stock purchases or SEC requirements to worry about.

 

[GogglesPisano]

What's wrong with the penalty box. You guys get paid by the hour, right?

(Do Mesa pilots get overblock pay?)

 

[Rogue5]

So many things I'd rather be doing...

What's wrong with the penalty box. You guys get paid by the hour, right?

Ya know, I met an Eagle guy at a wedding and he hit me up with essentially the same question: "You guys are number one on time each month, I mean, you get paid by the hour... Why don't you pull the power levers back?"

It really hit me how totally screwed up labor relations are in this industry.

The way I look at it is:

1) we get paid the best of historic or actual, and historic (what with weather, Mx, whatever other delays figured in) tends to be significantly longer than what it takes to complete a flight on a normal day. To make any more would require me to significantly drag my ass.

2) I am essentially a lazy pilot: It's easy and it keeps me from killing myself by trying to get too fancy. The hard stuff is the up and down, the quick turn, etc. WAY too stressful. Cruise is easy livin'. If I can smoke the enroute to give me a little extra time to relax on the ground, go get that chili in MRY, talk to the cute little ramper girl in LAX (yes, they exist) then hell, my quality of life on an hour to hour basis is better, and thus my days, weeks and years.

3) Yes I know it sounds lame but everyone I've met takes pride in what they do. It is a sign of professionalism. Taking care of the customer. Thinking about 30 people with their lives and families and places to go and things to do. You said you would take them from here to here on time and safely. You do it. The company makes money and grows, you move up and are compensated accordingly (this last point needs to be addressed with the much anticipated upcoming TA. Every month we get kudos from management re: #1 on time, and almost all expect them to put their money where their mouth is or else tip the scales against themselves).

Not that life is perfect but there still is a lot of goodwill here between labor and managment. This is still a good company in the sense of people working diligently together to make something happen. I hope that vibe will continue...

 

[Sky-doggie]

Rouge5

That was one of the best posts I have ever seen on this board. I think you speak for a lot of SkyWest pilots out there, who love working at SKYW and at the same time feel there are some things that need to be fixed in the next year. But that won't keep us from working hard and doing the same things that made this a great company to begin with.

There seems to be a big pro-union push going on here now and I think most pilots are open to the idea but are waiting to see what SAPA and management can hammer out.

This next year will be interesting, and I hope in the end that SKYW pilots can continue to work things out with management the way it has gone in the past whether we go union or not. Hope for the best and plan for the worst it would seem at this point.

Sky-dog

 

[Piedmonster]

no waiting clause

As far as I am concerned Skywest can have all the gates. We get paid by the hour remember block or better. I don't mind sitting in the box all fricking day long.

 

[Beer&Brauts]

I don't think the 3 Amigos in Appleton can be bought very cheap.
We wouldn't hear a peep about it until we read about it on Yahoo.

But if you do buy us, maybe the displaced Denver guys will have a chance of getting a DEN base again someday!

 

[surplus1]

Re: So many things I'd rather be doing...

This is still a good company in the sense of people working diligently together to make something happen. I hope that vibe will continue...

We used to have that too, and then somebody came along an bought us. Now we just have memories of what once was.

Good luck. Nice post.

 

[General Lee]

Surplus1,

Before I got here, we had what was called the "Delta family." Now we're so disfunctional we could probably get our own reality series on MTV.

Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[Thrust Master]

Apparently there is something to the effect about not
only Skywest, but TSA and Mesa getting gates over
AWAC. One of our Managers basically said they agreed
to this so no one else would slither in (MESA) and take
over the ground handling in ORD.

But I did see a Skywest CRJ in the box yesterday.
They put themselves in a position where they couldn't get
out of the box because of departing traffic off of 4L. OOOPS.

The penaltly box should slow down starting next year since
AWAC will be using 8 gates all day long in the "C" Concourse.

I'll believe it when I see it.

Thrust Master