Unfortunately, it does nothing to speed the timeline along. If anything, its a signal that we are quite a ways away from an agreement. Nothing has changed, 2024-2025 is still likely.

 

With all the contracts the regionals updated last summer, how are they staffing this place?

 

I have no idea, it's amazing to me that people sign up to come here. Pretty much an RJ operator had better work rules and Pay. Sometimes people have to see to believe.

 

Also you’ve got pilots picking up open time & VFN’s en masse. Company moves reserves around the system from base to base to fill in the gaps. They get by, barely maybe but they get by.

So far.

 

Management has decided to shrink to profitability - aka, reduce the flying and focus on margins.

If you go back 6-12 months and read through this forum, you'll see the usual crowd on here saying it was impossible to "shrink to profitability" and that wall street would punish us for not growing.

Instead ALGT is up almost 50% in the last three months... management is doing exactly what they told us they would do and it is working for them. we have enough lifers here, and enough pilots coming for the type rating, to staff this place with our reduced flying. its not what anybody wants to hear, but the truth is that this place isn't gonna shut down due to attrition.

The retention bonus/accrual is gonna keep a lot of pilots here knowing that they can wait out the contract negotiations. A lot of people on here are gonna be sad that their doomsday scenarios did not play out...

 

I agree….the airline’s not growing but not really shrinking. It’s profitable. Among the lowest pilot costs in the industry. Sunseeker’s about to open. Of course they don’t want a contract - not the part about changing all the work rules anyway.

Still betting on 2025.

 

The've been bringing EXPATS in from a few countries as well as hiring very low time pilots and giving them ATPs from what I gather. But like some mentioned, many pilots been doing a lot of the covering. So even if we're severly short staffed, there's a pool of willing to "help" keep this place understaffed.

 

Management will be happy as long as margins stay up. Betting on attrition to provide leverage for a contract was always shortsighted.

 

Most of the attrition has been from the bottom of the list. A lot of bluster from the rest but mostly they're still here.

 

yeah I know. I’m one of the ones that left quickly. I know a handful of junior captains that have left but most stay.

I can’t see any motivation for the company to want a contract.

Im glad I was able to leave but still desire to see improvement at G4.