Originally Posted by
acl65pilot
They have eight years to worry about it. From the chatter over at their multiple carriers, it sounds like he is going to make a significant move towards proving that our PWA provisions do not apply to a previously negotiated CPA early next year.
Of course his words are qualified, so he may back down, but as I said earlier, there is chatter over there that something big that does not inclide RJ's is going to go down early next year. All I know is it does not include RJ's, or DAL. From what I gather, people there see it as an event that will make SKW Holdings a career airline.
My guesses are a purchase of someone like NKS, or Virgin America.
Are all the RJ's under contract at SKYW until 2020, or just "some" go out til 2020? I doubt they all go out that far.
Plus some wouldn't need to go until 2015 anyway. I'm sure by then quite a few SKYW/ASA/ExpressJet leases will be long expired. The company also has some "flex" of about a dozen 70 and 76 seaters coming off lease prior to the end of 2015 anyway, which could be used to lower the hull count in the "hard cap". I have no problem making them do that. I would also give them relief for 5 fifty seaters for a couple years if they permantly remove five 99.9Klbs jets from non union DPJ or fly them with our pilots. After 2015, 70 and 76 seaters start coming off lease fast and furiously. DL would only have to carry a little bit of RJ fat (yet remain in compliance through lower utilization) until 2015, and then the problem would rapidly fix itself as that meglomaniac JA flails around trying to run a real airline as his saved millions fly out the door.
And anything can be cancelled. The worst we may have to pay are the leases (that we are 100% paying anyway, directly or indirectly, and which will be taken care of by the 2:1 swap regardless) and early out penalties. Force the company to pay those. Let's flush that out right now if we could: how much, exactly, are those penalties? DAL is going to have to pay them, and I seriously doubt they are on the hook for countless billions like some like to pretend. Remember, the cost of the leases, which is by far the lions share of early out penalties, is a zero cost item in this case. Zero.