Originally Posted by
sailingfun
The simple fact of the entire FAPA/SWA discussion is that FAPA felt SWA wanted the airline badly. They felt that in the end SWA would drop the clause requiring a pilot agreement from the purchase offer and would be the winning bidder. FAPA would then have access to binding arbitration under the new federal law. It was a gamble that back fired. If they looked at the Delta/NWA merger in which management at Delta made a similiar promise to the pilots and then stiffed them they may have felt that the outcome they hoped for was logical.
FAPA knows that the reality of the pilots at Frontier enjoying the same quality of life and pay at RAH verses SWA even with a staple at SWA is virtually nil. They gambled and it did not work out. Now its about spin.
I suppose that I will eventually give up trying to correct this misconception but for now I will keep banging my head against the proverbial wall.
Virtually every letter of the above post is inaccurate.
FAPA was not counting on arbitration. SWAPA ended the discussions and suggested that everyone meet again the next day. SWAPA was also going to request that SWA ask for an extension in the auction so that FAPA and SWAPA could meet and attempt to come to an agreement.
There was no gamble, as the two parties were in the middle of discussions. SWA never asked for an extension, they simply pulled their bid.
There was no gurantee if SWA dropped the labor restriction they would have prevailed in the auction.
There was no guarntee that SWAPA would have prevailed in the auction if FAPA accepted a staple.
You do reallize that RAH and FAPA were one of the two members of the UCC?
F9 the company had a responsibility to the UCC, and the UCC to their constituents, to recommend the "highest and best" bid.
SWA would have to almost double their $170 Million dollar bid to net the same benefit for the UCC. Even if they doubled their bid, F9 the company would have a difficult time establishing the elimination of virtually all the employees as the "best" bid.
FAPA negotiated until the SWA bid was pulled. That is pretty much the extent of FAPA's role in the process.