nitefr8dog

They just increased the flying at ABX 30% per airframe. Also extra flying that pops up all goes into open time. Between guys picking it up and being JRM it all gets covered. In 16 and 17 everyone complained but it all got covered. Guys seem to come to work when they are getting double and triple pay.

AAfng

No wonder they dont have a new contract.

wjcandee

There are hot spares located in different parts of the country. Last time I looked, there were 3, I believe, but it may have changed.

sandman22

You don't want freighters? I'm curious as to why not. What makes pax flying so much better in your opinion? Genuinely curious

CFI Guy

If I may interject, I do not believe his comment was meant to spark a debate over pax vs cargo flying.

Omni is a small but profitable company. We have a niche that (IMHO) we do very well. This differentiation sets us apart from other carriers including those under the ATSG umbrella.

Putting all your proverbial eggs into the Amazon basket carries its own unique set of risks. I think the general sentiment at Omni is "if it ain't broke...".

On a personal note, I enjoy the varied type of flying we do that includes more than just cargo hubs in the middle of the night. Also, our rest rules actually allow us to enjoy some of the benefits of this job.

Sorry to hijack your thread.

CardboardCutout

Well said. The only thing I would add (which you alluded to) is that getting in to the freight game would also put us in to the whipsaw game.

Jurassic Jet

It’s coming.

nitefr8dog

It will not matter what Omni " wants" ...if Joe decides it will be to his advantage for whipsawing purposes...they will fly freight.

sandman22

No kidding. I wasn't interested in what Joe wants. I was asking an Omni pilot why he prefers pax over freight for my own curiosity.

wjcandee

ATSG promised investors that it was going to take a hands-off approach to Omni and its management, because it is generating a ton of cash with its passenger military and charter business and is very-well-run.

Omni used to also fly freight years ago, but whatever. They dumped it to focus on passengers, and have been successful with that business strategy.

Certainly it isn't lost on anyone that Omni is already certified to fly 777s, and has a pilot corps that is doing so, which means that if a substantial customer came along and wanted a bid for a significant amount of 777 freight flying, Omni management could (and probably should) at least consider doing so.

As to 767 cargo flying, I don't see it unless a huge opportunity came along that the other carriers wouldn't be able to handle in the necessary time frame, and maybe not even then.

Just as an aside, I think that it is very unfortunate that this nitwit Soaper has hamfistedly made statements to the ABX pilots that support the idea that a whipsaw is possible. It's an ineffective negotiating strategy and stupid to do. It is interesting that the other two ATSG carriers haven't played games like this and generally have good labor relations. The toxins that he produces over at ABX can ultimately ooze out and slime the perceptions of folks at the other carriers and make the jobs of management there more difficult, because employees see that the parent company is permitting this kind of conduct. It is puerile positional bargaining and, like at Atlas, that approach is never going to get the parties to an agreement. My 2 cents anyway.