Originally Posted by
MAXforwardspeed
That may be the future of Eagle. But I also don’t think Eagle will get any new airplanes until the APA contract is finished. Why would AMR buy “fast efficient Q400’s” when they can try to get E-190’s out of APA.
I do think AMR, AA, and AE will change when APA is finished with the next contract. It is up to AA pilots (APA) on how that will be done.
Don’t GIVE UP SCOPE!!!
On a second note…
I would love to have an AA AE staple but would also be ecstatic for an AE preferential hiring at AA. That way you would weed out all the eaglefly’s. I shouldn’t be wishing for things on your contract! Good luck guys! Don’t give up scope!
Max
Yes, I think you're correct. Until the contract is settled AMR isn't going to do anything with AE. AMR doesn't want AE/other outsourcers to be just feeders. They want them to gradually replace a good part of narrow body domestic flying.
As far as a staple or any other integration, I can't see that happening ever. There's still a very big number of AA pilots on furlough and I can't see them being bypassed in favor of AE pilots when the flying AE does is permitted is by exception to the APAs scope.
As far as preferential hiring, AMR isn't going to go for that because it limits their flexibility to hire perhaps more experienced civil and military pilots when available and doubles training costs (cost of replacing an AE flowup). We saw how absurd the flow-thru program deteriorated into with just a trickle of flow-thrus allowed by AMR.
A lot hinges on this next contract. I think it will either be the turning point to the good for the profession, or the defeat of the concept of the professional pilot.