XJ to Operate as USAir Carrier

[CptMurf]

Apparently out of LGA with SF340. Frets to come shortly.

 

[SEVEN]

December 20, 2010
Fellow Mesaba employees:
When we announced Mesaba’s acquisition by Pinnacle Airlines Corp. in July, one of the
benefits we intended to realize was the return of Saab aircraft to our company’s
operation. Last year, Delta Air Lines made the decision to move to an all-jet fleet;
however, the leadership teams at both Mesaba and Pinnacle were confident there are
other markets in which we could continue to successfully operate the Saab.
Today, I am pleased to announce that Mesaba plans to enter into an agreement with US
Airways to begin Saab 340 B+ operated flights from New York’s LaGuardia Airport,
beginning in March of 2011. We will initially operate three lines of flying with one spare
aircraft, and add three additional lines in April. Currently, we are scheduled to provide
service from LGA to Ithaca and Syracuse, New York; Providence, Rhode Island;
Charlottesville, Virginia; Manchester, New Hampshire; and Washington-Dulles.
This plan allows us to begin recruiting additional maintenance personnel and flight
attendants immediately. We will also establish a crew domicile at LGA for flight crews as
well as a Mesaba maintenance station at that location.
Beginning in January, we will begin taking delivery of seven aircraft that Mesaba
previously operated – numbers 402, 407, 412, 413, 414, 416, and 418. When we receive
the aircraft, they will be painted in US Airways livery and will feature the same interior we
recently installed as part of our refurbishment program. Our Technical Operations
department will begin the process of readying the aircraft for service – performing
inspections and checks, and installing necessary manuals and emergency equipment.
Today’s announcement is excellent news as we are able to welcome new employees,
expand our service offerings to a new carrier, and enter a new period of growth at our
airline. As we have stated, this is another example of Mesaba’s newly gained ability to
explore opportunities and to secure our own future. In the meantime, we have much work
to do, and will provide more information about this announcement as we get closer to
initializing service.

 

[BoilerUP]

LGA-CHO...isn't that a Piedmont domicile?

Ouch!

 

[MACH-TUCK]

Interesting...I guess I would call that good news!! I just wonder how many XJ guys are going to want to be based in LGA??

 

[v1valarob]

Interesting...I guess I would call that good news!! I just wonder how many XJ guys are going to want to be based in LGA??

Once they merge 9L and XJ, they won't have issues filling spots in LGA. In fact it will go super senior.

 

[OPECJet]

LGA-CHO...isn't that a Piedmont domicile?

Ouch!

Yeah, but Colgan flew it forever.

 

[Kaman]

CHO-LGA has been a Colgan route for a number of years, and Piedmont has also flown it off and on in the last year while the managers figure out who to have doing it on a more permanent basis. Hopefully, PNCL will be able to find more homes for the SAABs that are programmed for retirement 2011-2012. As someone mentioned above, LGA will go VERY senior once the TA/SLI is completed. There are going to be more than a couple of "Q" folks that are going to wish that they stayed the course a little longer on the SAAB.

 

[v1valarob]

Yeah, but Colgan flew it forever.

Then Piedmont took it back over, the over the summer 9L did it, now it's back to PDT.

I don't know if they still have a base there. I think they have 2 RONs in CHO.

 

[sucit]

CHO is a PDT base, and so is LGA. It makes perfect sense to give the LGA-CHO route to Mesaba. HAHAHAAHA, PDT mgmt is such a joke, LGA guys are going to freak out and rightfully so. FU%* PDT!

 

[kf4amu]

CHO is a PDT base, and so is LGA. It makes perfect sense to give the LGA-CHO route to Mesaba. HAHAHAAHA, PDT mgmt is such a joke, LGA guys are going to freak out and rightfully so. FU%* PDT!

Do you really think PDT has any say on where we fly? Hell no we don't...we don't make the schedule. Theres nothing management can do except bring it up to USAir people...and then USAir runs the numbers and does it anyway and goes bankrupt again.

Which begs the question...what the hell does our management do anyway?

 

[ex j-41]

Parker should have ridden on a Saab before he made the decision. 20 min is too long in that thing. But i do think they look like fun to fly.

 

[WMUSIGPI]

Are you kidding? They are more comfortable than either a CRJ 200 or the Emb 135/145 and quieter than the back few rows of a DC-9/MD-80 or a B-727

 

[OPECJet]

Do you really think PDT has any say on where we fly? Hell no we don't...we don't make the schedule. Theres nothing management can do except bring it up to USAir people...and then USAir runs the numbers and does it anyway and goes bankrupt again.

Which begs the question...what the hell does our management do anyway?

They ignore the contract. That's about it.

If this isn't a wake up call to bail from the sinking ship that is Piedmont, I don't know what is. Tempe had a great opportunity to add / replace aircraft at Piedmont and didn't, but did sign on another contract carrier (even if it's the Colgan Connection).

 

[Sig]

They ignore the contract. That's about it.

If this isn't a wake up call to bail from the sinking ship that is Piedmont, I don't know what is. Tempe had a great opportunity to add / replace aircraft at Piedmont and didn't, but did sign on another contract carrier (even if it's the Colgan Connection).

Howdy, OPEC! How's the family!

At any rate, calm the heck down, y'all. Colganus was subsumed by the PCL borg, then revamped as Mesaba (the turboprop operator). There's absolutely nothing new here, just a new name. Saabs aren't new, the routes aren't new, the swap to an at-risk carrier isn't new... what remains to be seen is, well, in the domain of who gives a rat's arse. Get your resumes ready while making more $$ to do so. How hard is that?

If there is one thing that proves we are screwed? That would be our kill rate, not pay rate.

Flame on. The facts remain.

 

[MikeSF340]

The Saab is not quieter than a dump truck driving through a nitroglycerin plant. What are you talking about?

 

[Sig]

The Saab is not quieter than a dump truck driving through a nitroglycerin plant. What are you talking about?

Um, Huh?

 

[UnstableAviator]

My only turboprop experience prior to airline flying was in a King Air, and when I first rode as a pax in a Saab I couldn't believe the noise level. I mistakenly assumed that most turboprops were as quiet as the might BE9L. Doh!

 

[fowingman]

yea lga and cho are both pdt domiciles,,, and yet xj is flying that route

 

[WMUSIGPI]

You have clearly never spent any time in row 26 of a DC95 or if you want to keep it to turboprops, you have never sat in a Jetstream 31 or a BAE ATP. I'd bet the Turbo Commander and Garret powered King Air are just as bad as well. Then again I make sure even if I am in row 1 of the A320 I wear earplugs if for nothing more than the noise of the passengers being deafening.

 

[Sig]

You have clearly never spent any time in row 26 of a DC95 or if you want to keep it to turboprops, you have never sat in a Jetstream 31 or a BAE ATP. I'd bet the Turbo Commander and Garret powered King Air are just as bad as well. Then again I make sure even if I am in row 1 of the A320 I wear earplugs if for nothing more than the noise of the passengers being deafening.

About 4:30, then again, it is raining.

Seriously- I CAN'T HEAR YOU.