US Airways considers cutting its E-190 fleet

[Eagle757shark]

I find it very interesting that US Airways is talking about eliminating the EMB-190 from its fleet. The interesting thing is JetBlue just raised the bar for this aircraft with their new pay rates. Compare the JetBlue EMB-190 pay rates to the US Airways EMB-190 pay rates. JetBlue has raised the bar on the EMB-190 to a respectable mainline pay rate.

Maybe the truth is Doug Parker, you don't want to pay your pilots an honest fair pay rate for flying the EMB-190. The easy way out is to get rid of the aircraft. How sad this industry has become. Doug Parker is the worst of all snakes!

 

[abefly]

Abefly:

Maybe we should pull down LAS some more too

Im sorry but they can't do that because of an agreement they entered into with alpa back in 2005 called a transition agreement. Maybe you have heard of it? They are already at minimum fleet size for everything but the E190's.

 

[lookin4better]

There are plenty of kids in the regionals who will jump all over that flying , and do it for peanuts.

 

[NoJoy]

I thought some of the E-190s were going to PHX to replace some of the Mesa CRJs?
Is this still going to happen?

 

[get2flyin]

Well I guess if the 190 fleet goes that would mean 275 less Eastholes! That means 275 less no votes on a CBA. I never thought that a reduction would sound so good. MCDU in 5 4 3 2 1 ........

I certainly understand the frustration that would lead you to posting this although I suspect it was more a jab then a serious comment. Unfortunately, since we are one big happy family (choking back a little vomit) what's bad for the Easties is bad for the West as well. Outsourcing flying in ANY domicile hurts all of us. Furthermore, I had hoped to see an INCREASE in 190 flying as a means to take over the CRJ900 work in Phoenix but always feared the company would try to use it as a replacement for the aged 737s. I wonder how the brain trust at USAPA will respond. So far they seem more than willing to throw the 190 pilots under the 'Bus (of the A330 variety).

 

[jmreii]

There are plenty of kids in the regionals who will jump all over that flying , and do it for peanuts.

They will be working for those peanuts for the rest of their natural lives, I wonder what those interest rates look like on unpaid bills.

 

[FlyinPiker]

They only have 1 more 190 publicly known on the way

OST-2003-14579 - Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity -

Interstate Scheduled Passenger
Republic Airline, Inc.
20-Jul-2009

Re: Notification of Aircraft Usage and Request for Elimination of Notification Requirement

Pursuant to Order 2007-11-27, Republic Airline Inc. hereby notifies the Department of its intention to operate more than 75 large aircraft, and requests that the Department eliminate the notification requirement in its entirety regarding the number of aircraft that Republic is authorized to operate.
With its current fleet of 70 regional jet aircraft (Embraer 170s and Embraer 175s), Republic operates scheduled interstate service pursuant to fee-for-service agreements with certain major carriers.
Republic needs to increase the number of aircraft above 75 to meet its near-term operational commitments. Its expansion plans include the addition of Embraer 190 aircraft. Republic expects that it will exceed 75 aircraft on or about 01-Oct-2009.

FYI: Large aircraft means any aircraft designed to have a maximum passenger capacity of more than 60 seats.

 

[Superpilot92]

I find it very interesting that US Airways is talking about eliminating the EMB-190 from its fleet. The interesting thing is JetBlue just raised the bar for this aircraft with their new pay rates. Compare the JetBlue EMB-190 pay rates to the US Airways EMB-190 pay rates. JetBlue has raised the bar on the EMB-190 to a respectable mainline pay rate.

Maybe the truth is Doug Parker, you don't want to pay your pilots an honest fair pay rate for flying the EMB-190. The easy way out is to get rid of the aircraft. How sad this industry has become. Doug Parker is the worst of all snakes!

I think it has everything to do with them needing to raise capital.

OST-2003-14579 - Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity -

Interstate Scheduled Passenger
Republic Airline, Inc.
20-Jul-2009

Re: Notification of Aircraft Usage and Request for Elimination of Notification Requirement

Pursuant to Order 2007-11-27, Republic Airline Inc. hereby notifies the Department of its intention to operate more than 75 large aircraft, and requests that the Department eliminate the notification requirement in its entirety regarding the number of aircraft that Republic is authorized to operate.
With its current fleet of 70 regional jet aircraft (Embraer 170s and Embraer 175s), Republic operates scheduled interstate service pursuant to fee-for-service agreements with certain major carriers.
Republic needs to increase the number of aircraft above 75 to meet its near-term operational commitments. Its expansion plans include the addition of Embraer 190 aircraft. Republic expects that it will exceed 75 aircraft on or about 01-Oct-2009.

FYI: Large aircraft means any aircraft designed to have a maximum passenger capacity of more than 60 seats.

So they will get a minimum of 5 more aircraft per this document, could be 190's or 170/5's.

 

[Monster Buck]

There are plenty of kids in the regionals who will jump all over that flying , and do it for peanuts.

But remember when you say this that Major Airline pilots give scope away, regionals don't take it, they accept it. There may be dire reasons for scope losses(bk) but its still is a decision made by the major, not the regional. I hope more of us relize this on our next contract.

 

[FlyinPiker]

Could be a Frontier Bus/ USAir 190 swap

Somebody on another board brought up a good point.

I could see cash + some buses (or maybe All buses) for all 25 190's.

Frontier has 10 A-318's. I'm sure Bedford would love to get rid of those and run the E-190 instead. It would be a small fleet for Airways, but if engines/parts/etc are all the same it wouldn't really matter.

It would also follow his statements about simplifying the fleet.

All of this could be just be waiting on the acquisition of Frontier to go through in August.

 

[FlyinPiker]

Scope Violation with Express Carriers?

I think swapping the 190's for Frontier's Airbuses would also mean these aircraft would actually count toward the amount of regional aircraft that are allowed to operate for Airways.

I believe they were or are in violation of that due to the fact that the 190 was exempt from being counted in the transition agreement.

 

[MD80DRVR]

Somebody on another board brought up a good point.

I could see cash + some buses (or maybe All buses) for all 25 190's.

Frontier has 10 A-318's. I'm sure Bedford would love to get rid of those and run the E-190 instead. It would be a small fleet for Airways, but if engines/parts/etc are all the same it wouldn't really matter.

It would also follow his statements about simplifying the fleet.

All of this could be just be waiting on the acquisition of Frontier to go through in August.

I believe I've read elsewhere that the A318 has very little commonality with the larger airbus 319's/320's as far as parts go.

 

[BeCareful!]

Doug Parker
No, seriously, I know you’re kidding but we’re not announcing on the 190’s other than the fact that we have let people know that that’s an aircraft that we could reduce and we’re looking at doing so. But the last thing I want to do is get employees anxious about further job reductions and that’s not what we’re announcing by any means. All we’re announcing is that these are, and given that the environment is still where it is, this is the kind of things that we need to look at. And we will look at it over time as we’re doing right now.
.

Right! That's the last thing you want to do, Doug. God, what a bad liar he is!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[BeCareful!]

Actually, reading it again at face value, he's not lying: He admits he wants to get the employees anxious, but it's the last thing he wants to do. Before that, he'll probably do a bunch of other stuff, like drink, perhaps, but then when he gets to it, the last thing on his list is to scare the crap out of all of us. What a guy!

 

[BlackPilot628]

Doesn't Us Airways (East?) have a minimum fleet agreement per their CBA? I thought they were like 2-3 planes just on the positive of that number. How can Parker get rid on 25 aircraft.... Would be not have to replace them with some 737's or A319/20?

 

[TWA Dude]

The 190s don't count towards the minimum aircraft requirement. They were acquired post-merger.

 

[FlyinPiker]

Doesn't Us Airways (East?) have a minimum fleet agreement per their CBA? I thought they were like 2-3 planes just on the positive of that number. How can Parker get rid on 25 aircraft.... Would be not have to replace them with some 737's or A319/20?

The 190s don't count towards the minimum aircraft requirement. They were acquired post-merger.

Exactly.

"On June 6, 2008, US Airways announced that it cannot shed aging 737 aircraft (as United and Continental have announced) due to minimum fleet size requirements imposed on it by labor unions".



By swapping 190's for for Airbuses (from what a previous poster said maybe it would more be in the way of A-319's for parts commonality), they would actually increase the number of the aircraft operating that qualify as aircraft eligible to be counted toward the min fleet requirement.

25 190's counted as zero mainline aircraft putting them at or below the limit, 10 A-319's (or whatever number they worked out with Republic) would be counted as 10 ( or whatever number) mainline aircraft putting them above the limit.

This would then allow them to shed the older 737's as planned if they wanted to which support everyone else's theory that in the end they are trying to reduce capacity as well with this trade.

I'm sure old Dougy would just spin it as "smart business" though:

In one transaction he could:

1.) Rid himself of a fleet type: E-190 (cost savings).

2.) Rid himself of older aircraft: older 737's (cost savings).

3.) Ensure the minimum fleet size is being complied with (one less union mess).

4.) Might even be a little cash tied to the deal (increase cash)

Clear as mud?

 

[FlyinPiker]

As much as i want to believe Republic's plans are to leave Frontier as is, it just doesn't follow ol' Bedford's M.O.

He loves his E-jets. I'm sure he also loves the cheap labor that comes with his E-jets.

He's already announced that he's transitioning towards re-tooling an entire airline with them (current 170's and additional 190's), but not alluded to where these aircraft are going to come from.

25 190's would be way too many to add to the current Midwest operation as is ( I suppose they wouldn't have to take all of them, but these are leaving in one package is more probable that them being pieced out). Even if some of the current 170's operating for Midwest were replaced with 190's that would still leave excess aircraft.

That's where replacing some of the Buses would come in and it would work just as the Q-400 operation is set up. Separate pilots, separate airplanes...much cheaper than sticking with mainline product as is.

He would also already have a nice little batch of E-pilots ready to go because another rumor is that DAL might be taking the -175's currently being operated by Shuttle America and bringing them over to Compass (cutting the DCI agreement and taking the aircraft might have been what DAL got to help sell Midwest to Republic)

There appears to be some big things brewing between DAL, Republic, and USAirways.

Lots of rumors and lot's of very conveniently timed filings.

Last week Republic filed paperwork indicating they estimate having more than 75 "large aircraft" (=50+ seats) operating under the Republic certificate around Oct 1st and that the plans were to add additional 190's (they also asked that the number of aircraft they are allowed to operate be unrestricted). That same paperwork currently shows them operating 70 aircraft (not sure if that includes the 1 190 they have already and the other that has been announced) .

The next day Dougwieser came out with his "uhhhh I think we might be looking at ridding ourselves of these pesky E-jets"

It smells.

 

[pilotss]

Dont forget the Options US Airways has on the future jets too.

 

[ACL65PILOT]

Super I do not know if they own those jets. It would not be to raise Capital unless RAH leases them from LCC for a higher cost. I think it is simply a way to clean up their deplorable balance sheet.

There is a lot in play with LCC, and it is going to get a lot uglier than this.