I'm cautiously optimistic about finding flying for the 20 airframes in the Spring. Naturally most of the rumours focus on UAX flying out of Dulles, based on the RFP that went out. ASA may also choose to fly at-risk for Delta, something I understand Skywest Airlines is doing now for a portion of their fleet. I relatively confident those airframes will not be sent to the desert, but you never know. I doubt we'll know for sure for some months to come. United may tell Mesa to stop flying their 20 or so CRJ-200s tomorrow, and ASA may win the RFP, but I don't expect it to be announced right away.

As for the no-furlough clause, I am also confident that management will not cross this line unless things are extremely dire. It would be in violation of the contract, which is quite clear. This will precipitate a lawsuit and likely a court injunction, earning the company nothing but ill will and legal expenses in the short run. The only way around this is if the union grants relief, which I believe (hope) they would only do if things were truly catastrophic, like Delta threatening to pull our contract in 2010.

ASA may not be as beloved as SkyWest by Inc., but Inc. is a publicly traded company and has a definite vested interest in making ASA successful, and not just SkyWest Airlines.