Will Great Lakes Survive?

[CA1900]

I've always found the term EAS to be somewhat laughable. It's just barely AS, and in the lower 48 hard to imagine it's really E.

Couldn't agree more.

As an example, my former company got $1.1 Million a year, plus whatever we could get in ticket revenue, to do two round-trips a day from Utica, NY to NYC. The planes were almost always empty, because those subsidized passengers were driving the 48 miles of Interstate highway to Syracuse airport, which had a multitude of options for air service. It was a total waste of tax money, and it finally ended in 2002 when the subsidy was consistently exceeding $200 per passenger.

More recently, we're paying over $1.6 Million a year to subsidize service into Bar Harbor, ME, when there's plenty of air service to nearby Bangor. At a little over 10,000 annual enplanements, that's a subsidy of nearly $160 per passenger. I'm betting a twice-daily shuttle bus from Bangor would cost a hell of a lot less.

 

[SpauldingSmails]

Couldn't agree more.

As an example, my former company got $1.1 Million a year, plus whatever we could get in ticket revenue, to do two round-trips a day from Utica, NY to NYC. The planes were almost always empty, because those subsidized passengers were driving the 48 miles of Interstate highway to Syracuse airport, which had a multitude of options for air service. It was a total waste of tax money, and it finally ended in 2002 when the subsidy was consistently exceeding $200 per passenger.

More recently, we're paying over $1.6 Million a year to subsidize service into Bar Harbor, ME, when there's plenty of air service to nearby Bangor. At a little over 10,000 annual enplanements, that's a subsidy of nearly $160 per passenger. I'm betting a twice-daily shuttle bus from Bangor would cost a hell of a lot less.

Good point, what are the EAS routes competing with? Someone's station wagon most likely.

Great Lakes and the like, bilk the government, and by extension the taxpayers, to fly around empty planes. Then Lakes, out the of the goodness of their hearts, pays some guy $16,000/yr. to fly their planes.

God Bless 'Merica.

 

[Erlanger]

This is how Great Lakes plans on surviving.
-----------------------------------------

Attention Future Airline Crew-members:

Great Lakes Airlines is pleased to announce on March 18, 2014, the FAA approved our FAR 135
Operation Specifications addition to our current FAR 121 Certificate.

To clarify, Great Lakes Airlines does not have a separate 135 Certificate but an allowance through our Operations Specifications to conduct scheduled airline operations under our current 121 Certificate allowances using the Beech 1900D fleet.

This new undertaking allows us to hire First Officers meeting FAR 135 qualifications. They will gain the
flight time and experience required for the Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) or Restricted-ATP (R-ATP)
certification requirements.
Once they meet these requirements they will then have the ability to start building the required time to upgrade to a 121 Captain.

Great Lakes Airlines also offers numerous internal advancement opportunities:
o Chief Pilot office positions
o Recruitment Assistance
o Professional Standards Committee
o ASAP (Aviation Safety Action Program) committee

o Training department positions
o Ground instructor
o Sim/Flight Instructor
o Line Check Airman
o Proficiency Check Airman

Great Lakes Airlines is a Great company with a Great team. Not only will you achieve the experience needed to excel in your career, you will meet a lot of great people along the way!

We look forward to you joining our team.

 

[wms]

Where there's a will, there's a waiver.

 

[BuckMurdock1]

I give 'em 6 months until they're done. They'll have the distinction as the first airline to not survive the "great pilot shortage". (That they and regionals like them actually created over the last 20 yrs).

 

[Crash Pad]

What if, and I'm just spit-balling here, they tried increasing pilot pay? The other day I took a cab from my overnight hotel 20 minutes to the French Quarter for $33 dollars. A guy driving a mini van got payed 33 dollars for 20 minutes.

Yet an FO at the regionals needs to drive a ********************ing jet an hour to get 33 dollars.

Just sayn.

 

[chqflyer]

What if, and I'm just spit-balling here, they tried increasing pilot pay? The other day I took a cab from my overnight hotel 20 minutes to the French Quarter for $33 dollars. A guy driving a mini van got payed 33 dollars for 20 minutes.

Yet an FO at the regionals needs to drive a ********************ing jet an hour to get 33 dollars.

Just sayn.

A topped out FO at republic needs to fly 2 hours to take home $33. Taxes and health insurance take a huge chunk.

 

[livin'thesim]

I see no reason they would no be inundated with low-time FOs willing to work for nothing.

However, keeping them around once they get the ATP is another matter.