Yes I have heard about the 550 issues with range from some Gojet folks. It appears it will have problems when alternates are required for flights around an hour. The problem is the weight required to meet scope doesn't leave much room for fuel. At least they were able to get rid of one of the FAs. Never flown the 700 so I didn't ask specifics, just general information that it does have range limitations. However most of the markets UAL wants to use them for are short haul stuff to ORD and EWR with business travelers and leave the longer range stuff to the 170s and 145XRs.
Look I don't like the 550 more than anyone, but this is what it is. I would love to see UAL pilots stick it to management and get every bit of flying on their property. However there are certain realities to this so we'll see where they end up. But like you, I've seen it time and again where you have mainline guys running around bragging on scope, that nobody they know in the crew room is giving up scope, and their Reps are telling them hell no on scope, we've got enough regional guys who know the importance of scope, yada yada yada and then the MEC sends down a TA with juuust enough carrots to get them to vote for scope and everyone wonders how it passed. Its one thing to puff your chest out in the crew room and pontificate, then when you are sitting in your $400,000 home looking at the boat and the sports car in the driveway, and your kids come in with their college applications and you get your ballot and you start thinking about the carrots and you vote yes. Happens all the time, and as I said earlier, all they need is 50 percent plus one to pass a contract. Not judging them either way because ultimately, everybody has to take care of their own situation, but pardon me if I'm a skeptic,
I just hope UAL pilots and management sh@t or get off the pot soon so those of us at Expressjet, Compass, Trans States, Gojet, Mesa, and Commutair can figure out where this is headed and move on. Trans States Holdings has been twisting in the wind for the last year and a half. Either UAL gets the scope it wants and molds us all into Mana Air with a flowup/down and we all hold hands and sing kumbaya (and staple Gojet to the bottom
), or they don't and we all are fighting for scraps, 550s, and 145XRs. I'm at the point I don't really care what they do but would like to get an idea what the future is for my company so I know where we are headed so I can figure out if I want to hold out for the F9 flow, head to another LCC, stick it out till I hear from the dream job, or make a lateral move.
Peace