Why did Skywest?

[asayankee]

To add a little fuel to the fire, the powers-that-be walked into the current new hire class at ASA today and announced that regardless of what they bid or awarded previously, they are now all going to go into 700 training

 

[COOPERVANE]

To add a little fuel to the fire, the powers-that-be walked into the current new hire class at ASA today and announced that regardless of what they bid or awarded previously, they are now all going to go into 700 training

Thats nothing unusual, they have done it several times. THAT is an example of ASA's strategic planning.

Oh $hit! we need more 70 guys by next week!!

 

[Flybywire44]

To add a little fuel to the fire, the powers-that-be walked into the current new hire class at ASA today and announced that regardless of what they bid or awarded previously, they are now all going to go into 700 training

What about the 4 FO vacancies on the ATR February Prelim?

 

[sweptback]

What about the 4 FO vacancies on the ATR February Prelim?

Or that they keep upgrading captains with an effective date of 7/1... don't the first couple leave in June?

 

[hmmurdock]

I don't know what Mesa has defined their fiscal year as, but 1st Q earnings wouldn't be posted until sometime in May if it starts January 1st. Maybe they have a weird setup where 1st Q. earnings begin in December?

Trojan

Greetings..I have a question for you. PM me when you have time. Thanks

 

[Trcb777]

usctrajan, I got $20.00 on the Buckeyes.

 

[USCtrojan]

usctrajan, I got $20.00 on the Buckeyes.

Quadruple it, and you're on! ;-)

Trojan

 

[Erlanger]

Why did OO cancel the next three months worth of new hire classes? Just heard about this, anyone have any details?

The word is that Delta will be making an announcement in the next 2 weeks consisting of substantial cutbacks in SLC that will affect Skywest, Delta itself, and any other DCI flying done by others here.

 

[OPECJet]

I heard they ran out of Kool Aid, and had to mix up a new batch before the next new hire class.

 

[120% Torque]

Rumor on the street is that Skywest has been asked to start exchanging CRJ's for Q400's or the larger ATR's. Its not in the contract but this is a plea from Delta to bring costs inline and still keep Skywest viable over the long term as a feeder. This message is rumored to be going out to other regionals as well.

 

[Andy Neill]

I don't know what Mesa has defined their fiscal year as, but 1st Q earnings wouldn't be posted until sometime in May if it starts January 1st. Maybe they have a weird setup where 1st Q. earnings begin in December?

Trojan

MESA's first quarter of FY 2008 was 1 Oct 07 to 31 Dec 07.

 

[johnpeace]

Geniuses like Brad Holt...with the backing of Skywest Inc.?

I dunno, from where I sit, those look like some of the only people in the industry able to run a profitable airline.

I am pretty sure you're not even allowed to mention "ASA" and "strategic" in the same sentence with the geniuses that are running that company.

 

[CFI2766]

Rumor on the street is that Skywest has been asked to start exchanging CRJ's for Q400's or the larger ATR's. Its not in the contract but this is a plea from Delta to bring costs inline and still keep Skywest viable over the long term as a feeder. This message is rumored to be going out to other regionals as well.

What larger ATRs? The ATRs we have now are the largest that they make. There are newer versions out, with actual AVIONICS, but nothing larger that I know of.

The Q burns almost as much gas as the RJ, I think. The ATR does well, with a relatively small fuel burn, but is difficult to acquire. Consensus at the little GO in ATL is that there are no new ATRs to buy on short notice.

 

[Coool Hand Luke]

Geniuses like Brad Holt...with the backing of Skywest Inc.?

I dunno, from where I sit, those look like some of the only people in the industry able to run a profitable airline.

Two things:

First, don't confuse "geniuses" with "opportunists", which is exactly what ASA management is considering the whipsaw job they did on their pilots.

and second, I don't think rankings like this are indicative of good management either:

Atlantic Southeast Airlines (EV) [FONT=Arial,Arial]was included in the AQR for the first time in 2003. On-time performance was 66.0% (lowest of all carriers rated) in 2006, compared to 70.9% in 2005. Atlantic Southeast’s denied boarding performance was worse for 2006 (4.47 per 10,000 passengers in 2006 compared to 1.57 in 2005). Their mishandled baggage rate of 17.37 per 1,000 passengers is nearly three times the industry average rate of 6.50 bags per 1,000 passengers, and is similar to their 17.41 rate in 2005. Atlantic Southeast’s customer complaint rate of 0.74 complaints per 100,000 passengers was also worse than their 2005 rate of 0.58. Atlantic Southeast continues in 2006 (as in 2005 and 2004) to have the worst AQR score of any airline rated.
[/FONT]
I didn't look to see how 2007 turned out but I doubt that it was any better, probably worse.

 

[John Pennekamp]

Or that they keep upgrading captains with an effective date of 7/1... don't the first couple leave in June?

Don't you think that the junior line holders on the ATR will bolt before then to avoid going on reserve? Several of us are bidding off while we still can.

Contractually, they can't freeze or bypass captains on the ATR. They're going to have to upgrade people to fill those seats until the reductions begin in mid Fall.

 

[John Pennekamp]

What larger ATRs? The ATRs we have now are the largest that they make. There are newer versions out, with actual AVIONICS, but nothing larger that I know of.

The Q burns almost as much gas as the RJ, I think. The ATR does well, with a relatively small fuel burn, but is difficult to acquire. Consensus at the little GO in ATL is that there are no new ATRs to buy on short notice.

You're pissin' in the wind my friend.

From the viewpoint of a bean counter in Red Brick Building on Virginia Avenue, the Q400 is the ticket. Compared to the ATR, the low acquisition cost makes up for the higher fuel burn, even though it's a much less advanced and more maintenance intensive airplane. And airframes are readily available, which can't be said for new ATRs.

 

[120% Torque]

What larger ATRs? The ATRs we have now are the largest that they make. There are newer versions out, with actual AVIONICS, but nothing larger that I know of.

The Q burns almost as much gas as the RJ, I think. The ATR does well, with a relatively small fuel burn, but is difficult to acquire. Consensus at the little GO in ATL is that there are no new ATRs to buy on short notice.

Bigger ATR's as in ATR72 vs ATR42. If these do start replacing RJ's look for the regional routes to get smaller (400 miles or less is the sweet spot for these planes) and at these distances are actually much more efficient than RJ's and other narrow body planes.

 

[John Pennekamp]

Rumors are that Mesa is for sale. We will announce probably more losses tomm in the 1st quarter. You could buy Mesa for about 95 million and probably cheaper after the announcement tomm. Word is company is speeding up negotiations to get Labor contracts fixed.

Mesa is not for sale, it is for liquidation. After handing the escrow for the Hawaiian case $80 million, they have no cash. Mesa's entire market cap is about $80 million in assets. The Aloha case is expected to push $160 million. This will force the bankruptcy and liquidation of Mesa.

And yes, according to ASA/SkyWest management, SkyWest Inc is circling Mesa hubs like a flock of vultures.

 

[John Pennekamp]

Two things:

First, don't confuse "geniuses" with "opportunists", which is exactly what ASA management is considering the whipsaw job they did on their pilots.

and second, I don't think rankings like this are indicative of good management either:

Atlantic Southeast Airlines (EV) [FONT=Arial,Arial]was included in the AQR for the first time in 2003. On-time performance was 66.0% (lowest of all carriers rated) in 2006, compared to 70.9% in 2005. Atlantic Southeast’s denied boarding performance was worse for 2006 (4.47 per 10,000 passengers in 2006 compared to 1.57 in 2005). Their mishandled baggage rate of 17.37 per 1,000 passengers is nearly three times the industry average rate of 6.50 bags per 1,000 passengers, and is similar to their 17.41 rate in 2005. Atlantic Southeast’s customer complaint rate of 0.74 complaints per 100,000 passengers was also worse than their 2005 rate of 0.58. Atlantic Southeast continues in 2006 (as in 2005 and 2004) to have the worst AQR score of any airline rated.
[/FONT]
I didn't look to see how 2007 turned out but I doubt that it was any better, probably worse.

Whipsaw job? YGBFKM. What an idiot.

In case you didn't notice, we now have one of the best contracts (including pay rates) in the industry.

And as for ASA's poor performance, you are quoting old news (2006? WTF?!!!). In the most recent quarter, we are near the top in performance. So get a life, and stop bashing ASA.

 

[sqwkvfr]

The Q burns almost as much gas as the RJ, I think.

Frontier claims that the Q uses 33% less fuel than a comparable RJ.