Originally Posted by
RockyBoy
Beech2jet is at one end of the extreme and you are at the other. I can tell you that the XJT of today is not the XJT of 5 years ago. The only 2 quarters in history to lose money were the last two. The stock price is at a point that the risk of takeover is significant. I'd bet that if management doesn't find a way to go private from public, someone will buy XJT and I wouldn't want to be there when that happens. If XJT can get CAL to let them fly some of the jets for other carriers under a CPA, then XJT will be fine in the future. I know that Delta would probably throw more jets in the mix with XJT, but XJT is limited on what CAL will let them do. They have to fly the jets at risk for Delta or else they have to charge the same price to CAL that they do at Delta. I also don't think they can codeshare with the branded stuff due to restrictions from CAL. With that said, I'd go to XJT over most regionals. They have the best pay, retirement, vacation, work rules, and the relationship with pilots is great. You do have to admit that it is not the same XJT of years past, and that there are some significant risks of coming to work for XJT right now.
I'm not sure how you can equate 2 quarters of losses to mean the party is over here at XJT. If you are an employee here then I sincerely hope you listen to the voice mails. Any time you launch a new airline, especially in the current economic environment, you can't expect to make money hand over fist immediately.
Everyone likes to bash the branded flying but what were we supposed to do? Were we supposed to roll over and let CAL ream us with their proposed rates? Were we supposed to just hand the airplanes over to CHQ with a sh!t-toothed grin on our face and wish them the best while we turn around and furlough 700 pilots and allow our competition to nearly double the size of its fleet? Absolutely not. I'm glad we have a management that is smart enough and has the balls to slap away Mamma CAL's tit when she tries to give us sour milk. So y'all can say what you want about how stupid the branded flying is and keep ducking as the sky falls over here but I believe this company took the best course of action available to it at the time. And in the end, if this place is destined for the scrap pile of airline history, I would rather go down with our contract than eek by with someone else's.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone.