wjcandee

This would seem to be an amazingly-stupid plan. (Which doesn't mean that it doesn't appear brilliant to the geniuses in Hooterville.) If you look at it from mgmt perspective, they have one airline that functions with little drama and one that currently has a lot of very-public drama, causing brain damage for managment and customers alike. If they don't want the drama, combining the two carriers, or hiring pilots from one into the other, makes no sense.

My impression, since the time of the Soaper hiring, is that mgmt wants to demoralize the pilot group to the point that whomever is left accepts a contract that, while not concessionary, isn't what folks were agitating for two years ago. And these remaining pilots can fly whatever DHL business is left. They could also fly the ABX-operated Amazon 767-200s until the 5-year leases expire (starting in 2-ish years), after which it is likely that those frames would be returned to CAM and replaced with something else (or moved to Atlas or Kalitta since they can't go to ATI). I don't think there has ever been a question that the pilot group at ABX is exceptionally-talented and operates in a unique way (where it otherwise should have been a pleasure for a younger pilot to work and to improve skills). If labor peace were ever to arrive, and customers to stop hating all the drama, then the place could begin slowly to expand again. In an environment of labor peace, ATSG should be able to sell ABX as a premium provider with higher performance metrics owing to express-like operating policies. (Of course, ABX would then have to perform at that level, and not every customer needs that; but there should be some developments on the horizon in the business generally where customers could be receptive to that pitch.)

Anyway, I think this is BS -- at least it should be -- but I suppose it is possible.