Originally Posted by
skywatch
I disagree. Of course the strike had a huge impact on Comair's future. It opened the door for CHQ, Pinnacle, Big Sky, Mesa, Freedom, and anyone else that wanted to fly for Delta (and could do it cheaper) to walk in and start taking business from Comair. Prior to the strike, there were three DC carriers - Skywest, Comair, ASA. Comair was huge, and the strike took out A LOT of the Delta Operation. After the strike, don't you think it occured to Delta that if they used a lot of different carriers, that any one striking regional airline could not take out 40% of the regional flights, maybe at most 20%? And in the process of adding these other carriers, they figured out that they could do it a lot cheaper?
Here, let me type this so you can read it over and over - there is no such thing as a career regional airline - there never should be. If you want to fly big planes and get paid big, go fly for a Major. period. All the contract did was ensure the ultimate demise, because "career" pilots (20 year captains) at regionals only raise costs ensuring you cannot compete with other regional airlines and ultimately shrink.
Here's an example for you of some third grade math from an accountants perspective - if you fly slower and save 400 lbs of jet fuel at $3 a gallon, that's 180 dollars of fuel you saved versus an extra 6 minutes of pay for a CA, FO, and FA that amounts to what, an extra $17-18 you paid the crew? So you actually save $160 on the leg? Did it occur to you that is what flying a cost index is all about? Did you know that every airplane in Delta's fleet uses cost index to fly? Maybe when they talk about expensive crews, they are talking about the 20 year FA and the 20 year CA in the Comair airplane vs. the 5 year FA and the 5 year CA in the Mesa airplane?
And as far as the big bloated GO that got built, you may want to revisit your timeline. That was designed and built by the same leaders you adore, the ones that innovated and brought in the jet.
Long story short - if you think the strike had no impact on Comair, rather Comair failed because of the big GO and PPAS, you are living in a dream world.
Interesting take.
Every business would love to keep longevity low, even mainline. Maybe I should rephrase that - 'every business would love to keep longevity
pay low'. If mainline could find a way to lop off the "bloated" pay of the top 50% of their pilots, they would do it in a heartbeat and not even be sorry about it. It just so happens that at Comair and other airlines to follow, such a mechanism exists.
You may consider the idea of a "career regional airline' an oxymoron, but do consider that many people enter the industry at a point other than that of one coming with a fresh four year degree at age 22.