Originally Posted by
captnate702
HAHAHAHAHA you trying to justify this? G4 had industry leading rates from about August 2016 to 2017 and then the legacies jumped (starting with delta) us. But I never thought our union hating founder (Gallagher) would actually pay us on par with legacies. Did you know nothing about Indigo, Franke, BB, etc?
If you nickel dime your passengers, gate agents, why wouldn’t the bosses nickel and dime by far their most expensive labor group?
I’ll list them:
1. Indigo
2. ULCC
3. Look at your margins, they were great and you still didn’t get close to industry leading when compared to how far behind you were with the legacies.
4. Hiring standards. F9 has never been as competitive as the legacies with their hiring standards (post bankruptcy and indigo acquisition). It’s not a dig, G4 is the same way. It doesn’t do anybody any good to ignore reality.
5. Revenue differential between the big four and F9.
6. F9 is not “too big to fail”.
Fair points.
Perhaps you're right. When I was hired 10+ years ago, my thought process was simple - this airlines is the new SWA (who started out paying its pilots less but as it grew, compensated them appropriately to where they are the highest paid now). Of course, Franke is NOT Kelleher but why would anyone take AND STAY at a job 100% knowing they'll never get what others who do the same get?
The answer is - they wouldn't. And you can stop w/ the "un-hireable" silliness - if F9 hired someone and they have the hours and don't have a DUI since, they're attractive to every other airline. The problem, as you have pointed out, is hope. In this business where seniority requires that you pick the right horse from the start, we all hoped (not expected but HOPED) either mgt would eventually come around (ala SWA) or that we as a group could force the issue (via unity and self-help). As they say, hope is not a plan but it is something real to many people.
Maybe that's a pipe dream, maybe not. Every contract cycle is the chance to find out. Personally, I don't think the pilots here at F9 have the necessary unity but I'm on record stating that I actually WANT to strike - one because I already know the POS TA that we'll end up getting won't be enough but also out of curiosity to see if the RLA is viable. But I have issues so . . . there's that.
As for now, given the years invested, that's all I can do until our new TA becomes an AIP and the math favors leaving. Then I will collect my retro check and leave.