Originally Posted by
Southern Fried
Someone please explain to me how Expressjet and Skywest Airlines are not in the same situation that Mesa and Freedom Airlines was in several years ago. Anyone on these boards that was here during that time should know what I'm talking about.
Expressjet = Mesa
Skywest = Freedom
Mesa/Expressjet were/are being whipsawed by the corporate parent during contract negotiations. Mesa pilots stopped the whipsaw by bringing the Freedom pilots onto the Mesa seniority list as a part of the TA that was voted in by the Mesa pilots.
Am I the only one who has noticed the similarity? I may have missed it, but I have yet to read any post on any message board that has brought this to light.
MAG started Freedom as a non union entity to make an end run around the Mesa contract. Proceeded to whipsaw Freedom against Mesa. Mesa took concessions to get scope and merge Freedom back in. Left them with one of the worst contracts in the industry at the time.
SkyWest Airlines was a non union, stand alone airline for about as long as ASA and XJT have existed. SkyWest Inc. bought ASA from DAL, but fought hard to prevent a merger to protect the non union workforce. ASA made significant scope gains to prevent whipsaw, reduction, and fragmentation.
Then SKW Inc, gave ASA $26 million and ASA bought XJT. ASA merged the two companies. The failed merger has ensued, approximately $300 million of SKW Inc. money has been lost. Inc has decided to proceed with the functional, profitable, non union work force, and is slowly shutting down the dysfunctional side as its contracts expire.
This is nothing like the Mesa/Freedom situation.