Originally Posted by
FNGFO
I have no doubt that it can afford to do both. We’ve talked numbers before. The question is whether management is forward thinking enough to stay on top of it. That is something I’m less sure of. They have self preservation motivations too, but their tool set and methodologies are suited for a different hiring environment. We’ll see.
Right now there is an ‘attrition’ thread on the Alaska forum as well. They too have an attrition problem - just to a much lesser degree. The difference is the contract. While there’s also needs upgrading, NKs needs it even moreso. It clearly DOES make a difference. It seems difficult to believe that that would be lost on anyone.
It is possible, I suppose, that all major managements are just praying for a competitor to go Chapter 11 so they can fall like dominos into bankruptcy (and if the regional collapse continues that may indeed happen) hoping they can reset CBAs through bankruptcy judges but that really doesn’t seem likely. Or that a 2-3 year recession would allow time to spool up ab ignition programs and get rid of the 1500 hour rule and the 1000 hr upgrade rule (because the latter is already hurting viability if the regionals) but those things seem like a longshot.
And as others have repeatedly said, on a two hundred pax airplane a $2 increase in ticket price will fund a $50-$70 an hour increase in pay for two pilots (depending on trip length). It’s really the cheapest fix and I suppose we’ll get there in the end.