BlueSkiesAhead

I haven't head a word about it from anyone on property here at AWAC. I can only give you my opinion, and that would be that there is a 0% chance of this rumor being true. This company has given me no reason whatsoever in the last few years that they want to grow and be around long term. I hope that I'm wrong for the sake of all the great employees at this airline.

BoilerUP

The Amigos are already rich...they don't need to sell AWAC to retire that way.

When you're a private company like AWAC is, you don't need to show constant revenue growth to keep shareholders happy like a public company does...you can simply collect your FFD profits and be satisfied with that income.

In hindsight, AWAC not getting the Midwest flying was a blessing. ****ed off though the employee groups were, I'm sure the Amigos knew something we all didn't.

Those guys are a lot of things...but financially stupid isn't one of them.

DryMotorBoatin

How much of the "growth" the past 5 years at Skywest, rah, expressjet and Asa have been taken and flown at a loss because they have planes sitting around? Awac is happy making a nice lil profit off their measly 71 planes. Why grow just to lose money? Not growing and not wanting to stay in business are two totally different things.

dashdriver22

You are sure waiting for those 900s to come to express jet.

Cessnan1315efw

The company isn't going anywhere... Have we grown? No not really but the company is stable and provides one of the best compensation and QOL a regional pilot can get. The owners of this company are not stupid. They know how to make money and they're damn good at it. With the way they're making money they ain't going to just fold in 2015 if that really even is the deadline year. If it was then why would they buy another plane to support the operation, why would they be repainting half the fleet now with about 2 years to go? Why would they be retrofitting the HQ in ATW with new rugs, walls, and paint in retro AWAC colors? I was in recurrent ground school last month and the chief pilot has said that Jim Rankin and his finance people personally said that right now we are in a better situation than ever for potential growth/ new airplanes.... On a side note... Getting the pinnacle 900s? Now that's new and something I heard for the first time today. Maybe that rumor is going around over there but not at AWAC.

BTpilot

Agree 100%.. Those guys aren't looking to end their money train..

I heard the 900's rumor the other day from a Mesaba guy. Who knows man.

slammer1906

I've heard about 900's, from a flight mgr at that. But, this whole pncl thingy is not swirling around awac.
Bigger planes will come.....although, I don't think we have pay rates for the 900.
If tits up in 2015, this was a good place to work at least.

saab2000

I doubt very much it's ending in 2015. They make too much money in this business and have for decades. I also think there will still be some market for 50-seaters, especially since by that time many will be paid for outright or on very favorable lease terms. NWA made money like crazy flying 'out of date' DC-9s.

Everyone knows that things need to change here eventually. That's not a secret but you can't just go out and order airplanes without a contract in place to fly them.

As to the CRJ-900 rumors? Well, they've been talked about for years. I know for a fact that years ago they began to put together a syllabus for the training department for the CR9 but nothing ever came of it. I will believe it when I see it on the ramp or hear the announcement from the company. There is no payscale for the CRJ-900 at the moment anyway or even for a 76-seat airplane.

chucknorris

Well, having seen the AWAC operation from the inside and outside, I stick by analysis. I wish nothing more then AWAC to be around for 30 more years, I just don't see it. Good luck dudes.

saab2000

Hard to say. The whole industry will look very different in 5 years, let alone 30 years.

The number of retirements, the ATP requirement and the new duty and rest regulations will change things a lot.