Originally Posted by
mistarose
What does this mean, are the CRJs just costing too much money compared to the Q4s? I've heard rumors of Horizon becoming a Q400 only fleet. And who is threatening who? How would this effect all the pilots at Horizon?
Well, for one thing, it would instantly cut the pilot payroll for by about 20% when all the jet pilots get displaced back to the Q400. Management could eliminate the pay scale unilaterally because there would be no jets to fly and, as a result, no pilots eligible for the jet pay scale.
Originally Posted by
mistarose
From what I understood, it was actually a good deal for Horizon because they didn't really need the CRJs while Frontier was using them and it provided a income they could count on. Then when Frontier and Horizon mutually ended the agreement, I think Horizon actually wanted them back and has more use for them now. Those are my un-informed thoughts and my only source is a 7-8 year Horizon Captain I talked with.
And he was probably correct when oil was $40 a barrel. At $110 a barrel, QX cannot afford to fly the RJ, even a 70 seater. Mike Boyd is right, RJs are dead. Its only a matter of time before they're completely replaced by either Tprops or Ejets.
Obviously the financial benefits of Horizon going from a three type fleet (subleasing up to 16 Q200s to CommutAir and should be Q200 free by early 2009) to a two aircraft fleet will be nice. But as LaMar mentioned a couple times during the last time he gave a presentation, there really is a chance Horizon will become a 1 type fleet with 48 Q400s by August 2009.
The one entity you can't lie to is the SEC. And this plan has already been outlined in ALK 8k and 10k SEC reports.
It seems smart financially on paper, but I'm curious how this would change things from a pilot's perspective at Horizon?...
Pay for the jet guys would drop. However, the guys displaced from the RJ to the Q will be very senior. And more flying means better lines. So, there may be a slight silver lining in the thunderheads.