Originally Posted by
PiperPower
Bear with me here; just my opinions...
SY has set out on a pretty aggressive course to expand rapidly, which is great, and I don't think this aggressive timeline is just a coincidence.
In my opinion, things are coming together for a merger or buyout of some sort, somewhere in the relatively near future; 3-5 years. Somebody out there told SY; "50 airplanes/500 pilots and we'll talk." I mean, growth to those numbers was being thrown around last year, even before the new CEO came on board; and now it's being implemented. Hell, there's pilots at Virgin and Alaska that claim the deal is already done 'in principle.'...
I like your optimism. I definitely would like to see the best for the pilots at Sunny. Devils advocate... They have been saying that 50 airplane thing for years. On top of that, do you think that the current carriers are going to let them expand like that? Sunny hasnt penetrated anyone's market by staying around sub 25 airplanes and doing primarily southern flying. My concern is that if they try to grow, they will get pushed out by market saturation by other carriers. The big 3 and SWA slept on Allegiant and Spirit and look at the market share those two have gained. I dont see the airlines letting that happen again. Also...where is Sunny going to get pilots to fly those planes? I hope Jude and company boost the contract, or at least take it immediately to full maturity, and make it worthwhile for people to come/stay.
As far as the Alaska thing...thats purely Pilot talk rumor. I cant say for certain that it isnt happening any more than you can say it is...but I would be astonished if its true.
All that being said, its a fantastic place filled with some amazing people. Its just years behind on the details. But that can all change in one fell swoop!