Virgin America hangs as its hedge fund owners get antsy

[Full of LUV]

The same as everyone else.....

I guess they have shown that their product is unsustainable at the price they charge for a ticket. So where does that leave them?

It leaves them in the same situation as most of all the majors.

BTW, ALPA should lobby for J/S privledges only apply to union carriers if they want union privledges to mean anything. Otherwise, pilots will whore themselves out anywhere. Look at the way Aloha was giving Mesa pilots rides to the islands to compete against them on interisland flights for a year before calling it quits. It happens all the time. How many Jet Blue and VA pilots could afford to live in the bases they have? Hardly any, or they would have to either ask for union representation or at least a pay raise appropriate with their location.
Luv

 

[Fubijaakr]

Amen, brother LUV.

In fact, Sec. 115.E.2 of the ALPA Admin manual says Captains can ask for a Union card as "additional identification" for jumpseat access.

Unfortunately, 95% of ALPA pilots don't know the ALPA Admin Manual exists, much less what is contained in it.

 

[clickclickboom]

Its a sad day for us all when a American ATP Holding Pilot posts on a message board that better opportunities exist in Vietnam and China.

PS: Being " The One Trick Pony " that I am,,, I cant wait until Branson's sham travel agency stops buying up excess seats. That will be about the same time Branson has to write the check for $150,000,000 plus interest to Black Canyon and cyrus. Good for them they deserve it.

If there is a competing LCC i would like to see successful? Airtran and Frontier

 

[Ralph Cramden]

First I have heard of it.......source?

They treat you well.........pay you really well.......and as long as you adapt, as they say here - No Problem!

Source is a good friend, F9 driver that went there. Tells me a lot of F9 vol furloughs are quitting Viet Nam over numerous issues. My buddy is lucky, got a sand box job as a replacement.

 

[Dizel8]

It leaves them in the same situation as most of all the majors.

BTW, ALPA should lobby for J/S privledges only apply to union carriers if they want union privledges to mean anything. Otherwise, pilots will whore themselves out anywhere. Look at the way Aloha was giving Mesa pilots rides to the islands to compete against them on interisland flights for a year before calling it quits. It happens all the time. How many Jet Blue and VA pilots could afford to live in the bases they have? Hardly any, or they would have to either ask for union representation or at least a pay raise appropriate with their location.
Luv

I am sorry FullofLuv, and I figure you work for SWA, let's revisit payscales of the time before LUV got to the top of the heap by default!

I remember pilots talking about denying LUV pilots because they were dragging the profession down.

Something about glass houses!

 

[Dizel8]

Furloghed ALPA members who voluntarily went to work for a non-Union carrier who offers substandard wages.

And ALPA pilots are supposed to support that?

FJ,

Time to look at those med's again?

Okay, all kidding aside, you are perhaps disparaging fellow ALPA airmen who got screwed by their management. Would you give one of your fellow ALK airmen the evil eye, if he while furloughed from ALK, joined VA or JB untill he could return or do you think he should stay unemployed?

 

[Larcifer]

No backup plan outside of aviation no sympathy. You want to go to a non union startup LCC and undercut your fellow pilots, you might as well cross the picket line. This industry fell on its ass 25+ years ago. I get sick of the whining about lost pensions, got to feed my family, to dumb to do anything else. Shame on you for not being prepared. 2 furloughs and a layoff and I've never even entertained the idea of F'n my fellow aviators. I just had to listen to a VA pilot brag about how they don't care about making money just gaining market share. VA cannot be gone soon enough.

 

[mvedepo]

No backup plan outside of aviation no sympathy. You want to go to a non union startup LCC and undercut your fellow pilots, you might as well cross the picket line. This industry fell on its ass 25+ years ago. I get sick of the whining about lost pensions, got to feed my family, to dumb to do anything else. Shame on you for not being prepared. 2 furloughs and a layoff and I've never even entertained the idea of F'n my fellow aviators. I just had to listen to a VA pilot brag about how they don't care about making money just gaining market share. VA cannot be gone soon enough.

This whole "crossing a picket line" BS shows how much of an idiot you really are.

Hell if it wasn't for the airlines that are managed like crap maybe there wouldn't be a REASON for Virgin. Not to mention pensions and pay scales were shot well before Virgin flew. Maybe I should blame our "low" pay scale on YOU because of all the concessions you ALREADY made before we launched or even HAD a pay scale. Maybe I should point the finger at YOU and lean on YOU for bringing down the pay scales FIRST. Maybe, just maybe YOU are actually "F'n" us, your "fellow" aviators. Just a thought.

 

[mvedepo]

Larcifer,

Did you post this:
"SWA is just doing to F9 as F9 did to UAL. Sucks but that is the way free market works. How many out there go to Wal-Mart, Costco, Homedepot etc, instead of the local Mom and Pop store? SWA has what the flying domestic public want...lots of options and cheap fares. There is currently to much domestic capacity and the weak won't survive."

Seems your tune has changed. Its obvious you are bitter. But your problems at F9 have nothing to do with Virgin. Your issues are having all your eggs in one basket at DIA and SWA moving into the market. The funny things is everyone here is pulling for you guys at Frontier. Not to mention I have a lot of friends there.

 

[zman]

Funny thats about what we make at AirTran......And we don't get hot stews. :-(

What we make at Airtran?? Obviously then your not an Airtran pilot. Here is an interesting site, www.airlinepilotcentral.com, take a look at Airtran pay rates before saying something like that. Oh dont forget our 12hr duty day and reserve work rules that no one can touch. Also yea silly me I forgot about our 10.5 % B-fund. I am seriously amazed how stupid some of the remarks people make at Airtran. Dont compare VA a regional paid airline with an airline that pays more then most legacy airlines do. Most of Airtran monthly lines are worth hell of alot more then friends of mine at different legacy carriers. Go look at what an Airtran F/O makes on second year pay with our reserve work rules people still dont believe me. Before we get a descent contract we have to know what we have first and whats worth fighting for!