Southwest Airlines to Acquire AirTran; Spreading Low Fares Farther 6:55 am - PR Newsw

[Gear Down]

AT pilots are screwed..........back to the street

 

[flyingitalian]

DOH would screw the majority of AirTran pilots.

A 1 for 1 blend or by relative seniority would be required to make this work./QUOTE]


That funny. You have been negotiating for how long, and we just handed you across the board raises of 40%. How about we merge by last years w2s to prevent any win fall from either side.

 

[Max Powers]

WOW a huge windfall for AAI crewmembers no matter how a merged seniority list shakes out.!

Not SO...I was set to upgrade next year and get a significant raise. Now no upgrade and the raise only comes after i agree to some crappy SLI. The devil is in the details.

 

[Future SNA]

I got on here to see if this was a positive or a negative for the AirTran guys. Have friends on both sides...waiting to see their response. Good luck Catfish!

 

[Max Powers]

Thank god we got ALPA and their attorneys... and not NPA and our stupid attorney that thank god is no more

 

[johnsonrod]

It was a matter of time... This is no surprise. Alaska was another candidate with its common fleet. Let's face it, organic growth will only go so far domestically for SWA. Most Legacy airlines are looking internationally for growth. Getting rid of another LCC competitor will reduce capacity in the system (good for all airlines and their pricing) and it will reduce competition in some key markets (BWI, MKE, MDW, BOS, MCO) - not sure how the Feds will agree (Oberstar's head will probably explode).

As a regional pilot, I am not so happy with one fewer major airline choice to work for down the line - but at least I understand the rationale. Overall, this should be interesting to watch - the seniority integration alone should be entertaining... Have fun with that!!!!!

 

[GuppyWN]

Alaska was never a player. WAY too much overlap.

Gup

 

[gt1900]

Can someone clarify something for me. With the new laws, I don't think SWA can just staple us to the bottom. I believe there has to be some kind of integration, even if its not favorable to the AAI guys. Is that correct? I know the Frontier situation was a little different, but now that SWA and AAI have agreed to the merger, I believe things are a little different. Looks like SWA and AAI have learned their lessons from past failed mergers.. HOPEFULLY!

 

[BRA]

I don't remember seeing a peep about this earlier in the week. So often we see a thread about a "big announcement" on the 27th or whatever. It seems they sure kept this large thing a secret.

Wonder what happens with the small Regional jet deal Airtran has up in MKE.

 

[Wesb737fo]

My brother works at AMR. He called me at 8:00 am. I figured he only calls that if early if somebody died. After my head spun around a few times, I told him if he was playing a prank it wasn't funny. Well...

Somebody mentioned ATA. Being a former ATA guy I can tell you that was a different story. ATA was in bankruptcy with one MDW hub. That deal was cash for gates and a code share. The Airtran deal is a little different.

It is definitely an understatement to say I am pleasantly suprised. wow

 

[2EASYPilot]

You guys might be missing something here...it is an acquisition not a merger.

 

[GuppyWN]

Wonder what happens with the small Regional jet deal Airtran has up in MKE.

Skywest can go ******************** themselves. I mean in the nicest possible way Per the WN contract there is no codeshare allowed.

Gup

 

[Stifler's Mom]

OMG!

Finally one of my airline stock plays payed off... 500 shares AAI

Good luck. I'm watching to see if AAI stock shoots up on this news.

 

[XGmaninGA]

Besides, we have the little jet,...er, I mean the 717s now.

 

[densoo]

WOW a huge windfall for AAI crewmembers no matter how a merged seniority list shakes out.!

You can never tell where you'll end up when you start this career. Seems like these guys just won the lottery. In the short term, it may be rocky, but in the long term, flying for SWA is only good. Never furloughed a pilot, top pay rates, unifited pilot group, smart management--all things sorely lacking at the other majors.

 

[jonjuan]

Good luck to those at airtran with less than southwest's required 1,000 PIC.

 

[Secret Squirrel]

"Ladies and gentlemen, uh, we've just lost the picture, but what we've seen speaks for itself. The Corvair spacecraft has apparently been taken over -- 'conquered' if you will -- by a master race of giant space ants. It's difficult to tell from this vantage point whether they will consume the captive earth men or merely enslave them. One thing is for certain: there is no stopping them; the ants will soon be here. And I for one welcome our new insect overlords. I'd like to remind them that as a trusted FI personality, I can be helpful in rounding up others to toil in their underground sugar caves."

 

[Crash Pad]

Be gentle. Had some guys at ASA tell me I was making a lateral move. Thanks for making me look smart.

 

[Headfake14]

Be gentle. Had some guys at ASA tell me I was making a lateral move. Thanks for making me look smart.

No one could have predicted ANY of this all those years ago.

Sometimes you're the windshield....sometimes you're the bug

 

[tie1on]

don't worry about a integration, you are going to a good company with a huge pay raise. get over it. it is an aquisation not merger.