Thread: Comair updates?
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Old 04-04-2012 | 05:51 AM
  #21488  
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Lou Reed
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Originally Posted by Lowlevel
Really I have not heard anyone complain about other airlines taking Comair planes. In fact, most of the planes are being sent to scrap or to foreign carriers. Remember, Comair had the oldest of the CRJ's and they are approaching the end of their useful life (unless a lot of $$ is spent on them). Comair is not losing planes, it is shutting down (slowly). It is the only wholly owned DCI carrier, and Delta knows they can get a cheaper company to fly the routes. In the past five years, the pilot group has gone from around 1500 to 700 (?). Not sure, I'm not there. The airframes from around 150 to 44 by the end of this year. Even the management is running from Comair, because they see the end is coming.

I don't know who would blame other airline pilots for taking planes?? We are all just pawns in the whole scheme of things. Pilots are like bus drivers (except bus drivers make more $), the boss tells you where to fly, and you fly. You have no say in routes or schedules...or if the company gets more planes or loses planes. One group I do blame for some of the problems at Comair is ALPA. Not only back during the strike, but over the past 4 years, where they did nothing to try to mitigate furloughs. No offer of reduced lines, no offer of part-time, nothing. Instead, they asked for money for a merger fund...with the fantasy that Comair would be bought or merged with the (at the time) other DAL wholly owned carriers. Where is that money now? Did they return the money to the hundreds of pilots that have since left Comair (by choice or furlough)? Nope, they still have the money...and a fairytale dream that the planets and stars will all align and Comair will find a way to survive. Ask a furloughed pilot if his merger money, still not returned, could make a difference in his/her life, help pay a bill or two, or buy some food for his family. Instead, their money is being held just in case....
I've said it before, I'll say it again....RUN! Get out! Get away from DCI! Do it now, because soon (sadly) there will be a crap load of Pinnacle guys out there looking for the same jobs!
That's so well said, on every level. It always irritates me to hear pilots use the expression "our flying" as in they're losing their flying to somebody else. But even more kudos to the tidbit about making a career of a regional. AE, Pinnacle and specially Comair are prime examples of this. I'm at Compass now, and while things are calm here for now, I sure know that won't last long. At least it seems like the message has gotten thru to most of our pilots. I think we have only 2 or 3 guys who have opted to say in CP should they have the option to flow to Delta.
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