Trouble ahead for Low Cost Carriers???

[crashpad]

This is the most interesting post I've read in a long....zzzzz....zzzz...
zzzz....All Right!!! I've just been upgraded to Captain!!! It's like I've always said, "I'd rather be the most junior Captain at an LCC that provides quality customer care, than the most senior FO for the majority of my career at any US major carrier ."

 

[MedFlyer]

Our oldest 717 is newer than Delta's newest plane.

Sorry Ty, but not even close to being right. The first 717 was delivered to Airtran in September of 1999. DL has taken delivery of many mainline planes since then. The last mainline planes to be delivered new to Delta were delivered in the spring of 2002. I'm not even counting the RJ's that DL owns, either.

 

[Ty Webb]

Actually, I had a good job I liked . . . and when the time was right, I made the move to AirTran. So far, it's looking like a very good move. Just a few short months away from Captain upgrade, and the way things are going, I'll be in the top third of a major airline in the next three years. Not a bad way to spend the last 20 years of a career.



If you'd like, we can send you copies of our interview and hire letters from your dream airlines

You really are in denial, aren't you? Have you looked around? Do you have any idea how many guys have given up seniority numbers at UAL, USAir, AMR, etc to come to AirTran?

Your words don't mean squat to me- I think your posts are funny as hell, (unintentionally, though) but the people you are really insulting in your posts are your furloughed buddies.

Nice.

 

[Ty Webb]

OK, I'll give you that.. . . . a handful of planes at DAL are as new as the older planes in our fleet.

Now, how about painting those radomes, and getting one uniform paint scheme . . . . . and, while you're at it, how about taxiing a little faster? I've seen freight dogs in Cessnas doing "S" turns on the taxiways behind some of those B767's at out stations . . . . .

 

[T-Bags]

This is the most interesting post I've read in a long....zzzzz....zzzz...
zzzz....All Right!!! I've just been upgraded to Captain!!! It's like I've always said, "I'd rather be the most junior Captain at an LCC that provides quality customer care, than the most senior FO for the majority of my career at any US major carrier ."

Glad you are finally "living the dream". I guess thats the differance between TRAN and the majors. the majors typically hire CAPTAINS, ie folks who've actually been there, done that..I'd frankly rather have the ability to CHOOSE between the right seat of a 747-400 in the pacific, a 777 in the atlantic or be a guppy captain flying up and down the west coast doing the "short hop" game, or maybe transcons in an AB. "Making Captain", although impressive to your fellow alumni of the short bus, only means your stayed alive long enough for your seniority to get there (more of a challenge at some places than others...)

 

[Ty Webb]

Ah, T-Bags again, with yet another ill-informed post- what a surprise.

If you refer to the minimum quals on our website, you'll notice a requirement for 500 121 PIC or milspec equivalent.

In fact, at recent job fairs, some UAL and USAirways furloughees were surprised to find that they don't meet AirTran's minimums . . . .

and somehow, I supect you don't either.

I am starting to doubt that you are even employed as a pilot- you are clearly an unimformed and unbalanced person.

Have nice life . . . . somewhere else.

 

[T-Bags]

WOW!! 500 WHOLE 121 PIC hours!!! Yep, you convinced me . FTR, I've better than 5 times that, and a good bit of it at better than 500K. The fact that you've never been part of a real airlines shows in just how impressed you seem to get by you airlines "stringent standards".... But thanks for the info. I had no idea what the mins were at AT (but you seem to know the mins at all the majors... hmm, wonder why...). As for FURLOUGHEES from majors coming to AT, realize, it took the threat of STARVATION to get them to switch, and one of the reasons you are looking at one day upgrading to Capt of the super RJ is because of all the guys senior to you who finally acheived their dream and made it to a major. For some reason that "upgrade dynamic" just doesn't seem to exist at UAL, DAL, AMR, or NWA

 

[FLB717]

TBag
I was thinking that you had some good points but then you went in to your Valujet tirade. I really do hope you strike some day it could be a real learning experience for you. And then I can give you five bucks and say how I supported your family. While it was nice of you to donate (ALPA gave you no choice) I am willing to bet that being on strike is the same sh!ty feeling as being furloughed, so step off. I think Ty gets a little strong sometimes, but he does speek many truths in regard to hiring. many have come from USA UAL AMR/TWA. And yes many do not meet the mins, but that was the same back in the day at all the majors, in the very close but passed glory days of hiring, but you are to nearsighted to remember I guess. Growing up here in the southeast I remember a little bit player (compaired toEastern) of an air line back in the 70's and 80's. After Easterns demise it grew from a bit player to a large airline. You may have heard of it...Delta? My advice to both you and Ty is to relax a little, it takes very small changes to go from the windshield to being the bug.

 

[Ty Webb]

You got it.

T-Bags' negativity is well worth avoiding.

In fact, I'm going to activate that "ignore" feature again.

He won't be missed.

 

[Mugs]

The fact that you've never been part of a real airlines shows in just how impressed you seem to get by you airlines "stringent standards"....

Ahhhmmm. Gee T-Bags, not a good flag to be waving around. Since you mentioned the "choices" you like -- (747s, 777s, Guppy, AB) -- I get the feeling that we both filled out the same application at one time. Do you happen to remember what the Mins were on THAT application? I enjoy reading your insight on financial matters. However, the rest of your stuff is all flap and no throttle, so to speak.

 

[Pez D. Spencer]

the rest of your stuff is all flap and no throttle

Don't you mean all thrust, no rudder?

 

[B6Busdriver]

Please, somebody put this thread out to pasture!

 

[General Lee]

I started it. I would like to end it. Thanks for the great debates. This is OVER.

Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[Ty Webb]

Nothing to worry about, General.

I got a call this evening from T-Bag's village. Turns out they've been looking everywhere for their Idiot.

I gave them the IP address, and they came and got him. They were so happy to see each other. . . . . you should have seen it.

Just gives you a warm feeling . . . . knowing he's back where he belongs. . . . humping stray dogs in his village.

 

[Joe Peeoznotz]

Ty him up

Valium must be the order of the day, for anyone lucky enough to have to listen to your nonstop jibberish both during a flight and on a layover. Think I'm kidding. Next flight, look at the left seat and see if he has ear plugs.

PS - Stay away from the caffeine and sugar.

 

[Ty Webb]

Don't worry, Joe-

We'll have plenty to talk about next time you're bumming a ride out of ICT . . I've got a lot of ICt this month.

 

[FLB717]

Ty
You got ICT, been dating SWA F/A's again? Walgreens has a special comb/shampoo that,.....oh I get it... ICT

Disclaimer: This joke was for me, I found it funny, if you did not, who ever you are, soory for you.

 

[SWAdude]

FLB717,

Ty
"You got ICT, been dating SWA F/A's again? Walgreens has a special comb/shampoo that,.....oh I get it... ICT

Disclaimer: This joke was for me, I found it funny, if you did not, who ever you are, soory for you."

Come on. Is that the best you got???

SWAdude

 

[Dizel8]

"How did Jetblue do during the Noreaster? Ooops, their main base with 95% of their flights was shut down---that must have hurt."

I guess we cancelled 53 flights during the storm. How did DAL do out of JFK\LGA/EWR?

 

[General Lee]

I don't know how to find that stuff out. I am sure we cnxed some, but I don't know.

Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[FLB717]

SWAdude
yeah thats it for now. But I will be like Avis and try hard-er

 

[FDJ2]

"How did Jetblue do during the Noreaster? Ooops, their main base with 95% of their flights was shut down---that must have hurt."

I guess we cancelled 53 flights during the storm. How did DAL do out of JFK\LGA/EWR?

How many flights a day does JBLU have each day out of JFK and how many total flights does JBLU fly a day?

 

[jetblue320]

How many flights a day does JBLU have each day out of JFK and how many total flights does JBLU fly a day?

I think we have 196 flights a day total and all but about 20 touch JFK. I do know that on the Friday in question (snow storm day) we had one cancelled flight and on Saturday we did cancel 52 flights with a completion factor of 73% and a load factor system wide of 66%. On Sunday, we had 100% completion with our load factor back to our standard of 87.5%. So, basically over the three day of foul weather, about 600 flights total and 53 total cancellations. Obviously, JFK was the root and I was there during the brundt of it and saw a lot of happy to be jetBlue customers.

Overall, not a bad showing, but that is just my opinion. Then again, our stock price is down and that determines the real performance, right?

How did Song fair during this ordeal?

C Ya

 

[General Lee]

I think Song did well. I don't know the completion rate, but there were some cnx'd flights. Luckily I spent the weekend at home, and ATL's weather wasn't bad at all!!

Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[ponder]

Trick Questions!

What's one of the oldest established airlines in the U.S. that people think is still an upstart?

What airline still to this day suffers a condescending look from Wall St. but has one of the best returns on investment for over a thirty year period?

What Airline is a bigger domestic operator than United?

Let me give everybody some advice.... Whenever the "experts" on Wallstreet downgrade this carrier - I buy more stock. While I worked in the USAir system, I held this competitors stock.

I'm quite happy with it. I get even happier with it when one of these bonehead analysts says it heading for trouble.

If you can't figure out which airline it is.... you have a really bad case of paradigm thought process... Good luck with retirement!

 

[FDJ2]

OK, I'll give you that.. . . . a handful of planes at DAL are as new as the older planes in our fleet.

Let me see, 71 B737-800s, 21 B767-400s, and 8 B777, that sounds like more than a handful. How many 717s has Airtran bought since 1999? If the B717 is such a hot aircraft how come no one is buying them?

 

[AA717driver]

MODERATOR!

Could you please move this thread to 'YGBSM' where it now belongs? TC

 

[FDJ2]

I think we have 196 flights a day total and all but about 20 touch JFK. I do know that on the Friday in question (snow storm day) we had one cancelled flight and on Saturday we did cancel 52 flights with a completion factor of 73% and a load factor system wide of 66%. ....

How did Song fair during this ordeal?

C Ya

DAL operates 2005 daily flights to 457 cities in 82 countries so our exposure to the NYC market is not as great, as a percentage of our overall operation, as JBLU. I'm not sure how many DAL/Song flights were cancelled, but I assume it would be no greater than CAL with 120 cancelled flights in their Newark Hub. If that were the case, than DAL would of cancelled 6% of our daily schedule as opposed to 25% of JBLU's flights. It's just a matter of exposure, the more your operation is exposed to one airport, the greater impact on your operation when things go sour. At the end of the day, neither JBLU's or DAL's future will be decided by last weekends snow.

 

[jetblue320]

DAL operates 2005 daily flights to 457 cities in 82 countries so our exposure to the NYC market is not as great, as a percentage of our overall operation, as JBLU. I'm not sure how many DAL/Song flights were cancelled, but I assume it would be no greater than CAL with 120 cancelled flights in their Newark Hub. If that were the case, than DAL would of cancelled 6% of our daily schedule as opposed to 25% of JBLU's flights. It's just a matter of exposure, the more your operation is exposed to one airport, the greater impact on your operation when things go sour. At the end of the day, neither JBLU's or DAL's future will be decided by last weekends snow.

FDJ2,

I was just answering a question. I was not "comparing" the two of us. As a side note, WOW, I had no idea that DL flew to that many countries. Some of which I have never even heard of I am sure.

The upside of the snow storm was, IMHO, the customer satisfaction that was earned from the folks we did get home or wherever. I try to be a glass half-full kinda guy.

See ya and Happy Holidays.

 

[FLB717]

WOW, thats great! It reminds me of how many countries PanAm and TWA flew too.