Will SKW slow down?

[flyboyzz1]

Thinking about making a move from Eagle to SKW. Have only been here a few months so the lateral move won't be too tough. I have heard that there are no more upgrade or new hire classes this year. Is this just a typical holiday slow down or are things not going to be fast at SKW anymore. I don't care if upgrade is less than a year but I don't want to jump ship if I'm going to be at the end of the hiring boom.

 

[Chairman]

You will still upgrade quicker at at SKYW. Still lots of guys moving on. Depends where you live I am not one for commuting. But we have never not had some type of a growth plan.

 

[Fishpaw]

Magic 8 Ball says!!!... Johnny will never move out of mom and dads house.

 

[Peter Griffin]

Typically November/December/January they stop running upgrades, so thats nothing unusual. If you are asking for a prediction about an airline's future, you might as well buy a lotto ticket. You will have a better chance of getting the right numbers than getting a good prediction.

 

[Beergut]

It depends who's going to need to be whipsawed the most. If it's SKYW then ASA will start growing, if it's ASA then SKYW will continue to get the growth. ASA has been stagnate except for attrition because we were in contract negotiations. Depending on whether or not the ASA TA is passed and the SKYW pilots vote for representation will weigh heavily on both company's future growth.

 

[Newpilot2b]

Word is that if the ALPA is voted down tomorrow - there is a huge new contract waiting. We shall see.

 

[Flyby1206]

Regardless of what happens at SKYW for ALPA and a/c deliveries, I would say its a very very good chance of upgrading at SKYW far befor upgrading at AE.

 

[GearBayOverheat]

Word is that if the ALPA is voted down tomorrow - there is a huge new contract waiting. We shall see.

putz!!!

 

[Burt Reynolds]

Just remember, good times are just around the corner at Eagle...at least that's what they kept telling me before I left.

Things are/have slowed down a bit st SKYW. As of right now, we aren't scheduled to take delivery of any new airplanes although that may change if Midwest decides to expand our involvement with them. Along with that, we're losing about 20 pilots a month due to attrition, but that may be about the same at Eagle.

My crystal ball in in the shop right now, but I would venture to guess that you'd upgrade sooner here...

 

[Flip]

Some of the upgrade classes were cancelled because of the EMB 120 aircraft dissappearing come January

 

[120% Torque]

Things have and will continue to slow down at Skywest. Thats true of other regionals as well. The booming growth spurred from several major airlines going into BK and relaxed scope is over. I know on the delta side they are looking to take some flying back as they take delivery of some 73NG's and possibly MD90's. They are not happy with the product the regionals such as skywest/ASA are providing. The regional jet market is now saturated. Other than trading in some thirty and fifty seaters for up to 76 seats things will slow down dramatically. There is a possiblity of picking up another brand but even then saturation from other regionals will make it difficult to ever do what has occurred the past ten years. The growth will now go back towards the Majors and even there will be some domestic pickup from high frequency RJ routes but mostly international growth. A couple buddies of mine who have gone through Delta ground school were told by their instructor and several "high ups" Delta is getting a 100 seat airplane and it will be flown by Delta Pilots. When that happens expect some shrinking at the bottom level of several regionals. With attrition you might still see some movement but the really big movement is done.

 

[SkyNation]

Word is that if the ALPA is voted down tomorrow - there is a huge new contract waiting. We shall see.

I heard that too.

 

[McNugent]

Word is that if the ALPA is voted down tomorrow - there is a huge new contract waiting. We shall see.

So if ALPA gets voted in, this "huge new contract" suddenly won't exist anymore? I'm sure the shareholders would love the fact that Jerry and the gang are passing up big business because they denied growth to their employees out of spite. Do you guys over there really believe everything you hear?

 

[120% Torque]

I heard that too.

I heard Jerry was "in Toulouse France looking at airplanes from a certain aircraft manufacturer". This was posted by management on the company bulletin board during the up to 99 seats for 50 seat pay vote. Theres a sucker born every minute and based on mantra I have seen you spew, you are one of the biggest suckers of them all.

 

[utahpilot]

I heard that same thing. what I was told is that the airline that came to us with the deal said it'll depend on the outcome of the drive, not Jerry passing on it.

 

[ASApuppy]

There are several factors at play here. You have to answer each honestly and step back to look at the other side.

First, what is the status of the flow-thru with AA. Yes, it may be a ways off, but, I would prize something. Eagle has been static for sometime with the flow backs, but math tells me that they will catch up.

The absolute truth is NOBODY from management, ALPA, SAPA, or the crew lounge quarterbacks know what the outcome of the vote will be. The NMB is conducting the vote and only when it is concluded will the results be announced. There will not be any leaks to either side.

What happens after that is the big mystery. If you go on past practice, Skywest Inc will continue to pressure each pilot group into accepting less in order to achieve more. This worked great for them in the past. But, when it did, they also had 8 resumes on file for every pilot. I think everyone will agree that this is no longer the case. In addition, those on the outside looking in will observe the infighting and may look elsewhere. If the airline as a whole is having a difficult time keeping the aircraft staffed, then management will have to change that outside perception. Or, they might change the inside dynamics.

Here are my thoughts. I think Jerry has accomplished his goal of lowering our expectations. The new ASA TA is within a couple of percent of what Skywest has. I don't know where exactly Skywest is in terms of hiring, but ASA has been hurting and over last summer our Crew related cancellations and delays were the highest I've seen in 7 years. Other airlines are suffering too. Look and Pinnicle and Mesa. Bottom line, if your marketable, why sell yourself to a carrier that had last year's quick upgrade.

From a business standpoint, one absolutely has to look at combining the operation of Skywest and ASA. The ability to staff and service the entire operation from reallocating resources form one location to another would be huge in my opinion. I'm simply looking at what the end operation would look like, not the road to get there.

I think the reality is that most (obviously not all) regionals are about the same at the end of the day. Some my have better QOL. Some better pay, while others might have a domicile where you want to live (today, anyway). You may win with a lateral move or you may look back in 5 years with regret. To make an choice, you must really look at everything and be Lucky at the same time. What happens tomorrow may completely change everything.

 

[rtmcfi]

The Airline that allegedly aproached Jerry wouldn't happen to be the most heavily unionized airline in the country would it?

 

[Skywest Pylot]

Word is that if the ALPA is voted down tomorrow - there is a huge new contract waiting. We shall see.

I heard that too.

I heard that same thing. what I was told is that the airline that came to us with the deal said it'll depend on the outcome of the drive, not Jerry passing on it.

Source?

 

[SkyNation]

The Airline that allegedly aproached Jerry wouldn't happen to be the most heavily unionized airline in the country would it?

you know as well!!

actually, I don't believe this rumor.

 

[Skywest Pylot]

I heard Elvis is still alive and has been hanging out with Anna Nicole Smith in Vegas.
What's your source?