Originally Posted by
spuzzyair
Wrong. ExpressJet is not going to be refleeted. Period. Inc will save an enormous amount of money by winding down expressjet and bringing the flying over to the SkyWest side of the house. Cheaper and don't have to deal with hostile unions. There's no point in operating two certificates when all one does is lose money. While you may not like the sound of it, it's a smart business move and we all know it's all about the money.
Wrong. <----see what I did there... On a mature level I disagree with your assertion that Skywest can and will grow. Laws of supply and demand would dictate that the massive hiring need that Skywest airlines would have would simply be too much. With respect to the current pay structure, they wouldn't be able to procure enough applicants. There just aren't enough pilots out there that would be willing to work for the skywest's pay scale. At some point the majors may start shooting out RFP's to airlines that can staff the operation. While I agree XJT will shrink, it is likely that the new RFP's will contain higher revenue numbers. The higher paying RFP's will easily make a viable company. Simply giving Jets and RFP's to skywest will not work, they just wont have the pilot supply. While ASA/XJT shrinks there will still be a contingency of pilots that will never leave. They will be the pilots flying the E-175 jets.
I know your argument next. Since Skywest will be growing so much there will be a line of current 121 pilots banging on the door for quick upgrade.... Unlikely, most are already slotted for other majors and I seriously doubt the ASA/XJT pilots will jump ship for Skywest. That's most of the industry, and there really aren't enough pilots in the university pipelines.
let's look at the pilot groups for a second...
Eagle 3000 pilots slotted for AMR
Compass 400+ slotted for Delta
Endeavor 2000 kinda slotted for Delta but not interested in regionals none the less...
ASA/XJT 4400 pilots who will likely apply and accept an interview so they can tell you to shove it up your _____ ... Just for a laugh
Republic 2000 or so, but they are simply shutting down parts of their airline because they don't have the pilots...
So please do explain how this incredible Skywest growth would happen without paying more. Look at whats happening at Eagle and Republic already. It's just the start....
Finally you say I may not like the sound of it in terms of a wind down...
"While you may not like the sound of it, it's a smart business move and we all know it's all about the money."
I'm actually freaking elated at the concept. It makes me grin ear to ear. Winding down the operation will mean that the majors really don't have any cost benefit in using the regional model and they simply will let the remaining contracts be done. If this happens it means that the c scale regional model is done. The majors will be forced to take back most of the flying and the last few RJ carriers will only be a fraction of what they are today. I seriously, seriously, seriously dream of that day. Honestly, if i'm lucky enough to ever get a major job, it will be a personal mission to see to it that the RJ carriers cease to fly.