FDX - F9 to discontinue service to MEM
 

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/080423/law052.html?.v=101

Maybe this will result in more non-stops to the west coast on Northwest (now Delta?) and a bigger deviation bank. :D:D:D 2 legs thru DEN were painful just to save the company a few shackles?

1 shekel = 0.288409 U.S. Dollars

Kinda suxs for all us Denver guys. F9 was way cool for the J/S. :(

NWA is adding some COS flights in June. Not perfect, but an option...

What was wrong with going through DEN? We have a nice airport, easy connections, places to eat, and F9 has a pretty good reputation for running on time. Plus, like USNFDX said, they were always great for a J/S if needed. Yeah, you don't get as big of a deviation bank, but it wasn't that big of a difference. Who wants to ride on NW, anyway? CRJs MEM-DEN vs EMB-170s (previously Airbus) on F9. I'll take F9, even with a lower deviation bank. Besides, NW sucks, I can only hope that DL closes MEM down when the time comes.

Disclaimer: I have several friends at Delta, don't know anyone at Northwest, so I will admit to being slightly biased. I think we all agree that MEM sucks, so anything that screws that city, i.e, loss of NW hub, is something to be celebrated.

Last time I looked, NWA was THE major passenger carrier into and out of Memphis. To hope that the new Delta actually "closes MEM down when the time comes", is rather shortsighted, to say the least. NWA, while not being the best carrier, still is/was very convenient for most guys who have to get to work or return home. It also allowed the company a lot of flexibility, due in large part to both NWA's sheer size in Memphis as well as their code share partners. This also made it easier for commuters as well as deadheading. Finally, while I'm not a big fan of Memphis, I see absolutely no reason to celebrate when something "screws that city."

JJ

I do, and they don't suck. They're good guys in a bad situation.

Memphis being a hub helps everyone, from commuters to guys who live in MEM trying to get to and from Guard/Reserve duty. Just ask the UPS commuters how easy it is to get to SDF.

Besides we can't all live in Denver. The MD-10 is already full every night with 4 guys in back and 2 up front. (And one on the ironing board)

Frontier pays their pilots squat. NWA is a strong union carrier. I go out of my way to buy union tickets.

Easy boss, my brothers at F9 are union members too. Let's not make this that kind of game.

This news is disappointing to say the least. I no longer commute DEN-MEM and haven't in two years but I liked having the option for jumpseats/deadheads.

Hopefully it's a good financial decision that will keep the F9 guys (union members if you don't pay attention) their jobs.

Well, I wish your "brothers" well, but I for one am not upset about losing Frontier D/Hs from Memphis. A dev bank of $320 from Mem to SF (or $230 Mem-Den) doesn't help when you want to deviate. These fares are lower than American and doesn't give you many options if you want to remain within your bank.

I don't think anyone wants bad things to happen to Frontier, but having them pull service from Memphis helps most of those that choose to deviate and those wishing for an easier trip to the west coast. It isn't a good deal for commuters to lose another jumpseat opportunity or to keep fares low in Memphis. As a matter of fact, NWA prices have already gone up after Frontier announced that they were "pulling out" of Memphis.

Well, I'm glad you commuters are benefitting. Sure sucks for those of us who live in the vicinity of Memphis (I say vicinity, because everyone I know is getting out of the city, proper), as ticket prices just went up for us and our families, if we want to get away from here for a few days.

Thanks, glad to know the "greater good" is your first concern.;)

Do yourself a favor and move. It's not worth it.

Yeah, if only the bean counters and marketing geniuses thought about the commuters and not the paying public.

Seriously, I commute, and if I had to watch a hub close, that would SUCK!

It's no secret that a merger between NW and Delta has been rumored for YEARS. Along with that rumor was which hub would close between CVG and MEM. Seems like MEM always got the nod, DL makes way too much money in CVG.

Someone once said that commuting is a 'personal choice'. I guess that works both ways.

Maybe if MEM closed as a hub and FedEx had no or too few options to DH folks on Monday mornings, maybe the start of the bid month would get shifted and we'd be able to eliminate a whole bunch of carry over!! ;)

I for one will gladly pay higher airfares for the one or two times I have to fly out of Memphis for personal reasons rather then put up with having to commute. When you do deadhead out of MEM (at least to the cities I can normally hold) its much easier to do it on NW than anybody else.

That said, I do hope that MEM remains a hub and that NW/DAL service isn't diminished too much if the merger goes through.

FJ

And it's yours? Like it or not, MEM is our main domicile and HQ. While high MEM ticket prices may be great for commuters, it's not for the folks who live near Memphis, the company's bottom line, or the public (including the thousands of non-pilot FDX employees) in general. :)

You said I am glad it is benefitting commuters. I said thanks.

Guess I should have known you didn't really want to help the majority of Fedex pilots.

Just mentioning the downside of a situation that inadvertantly benefits you.

And again, you commute so obviously you want stuff that benefits you. Do you care if it hurts the large (but less than a majority) group of pilots that live in domicile?

Does it matter what he thinks?

Are any decisions being made by our caring?

So, who cares?

Back to the draft...

Careful what you wish for. Losing pax flights in and out of Memphis may not help commuters with bigger deviation banks. If inexpensive tickets disappear, it could once again become cheaper for the company to leave crews in place over the weekend. Wouldn't expect it to put a dent in the international DH's, but the domestic DDH's could diminish.

I almost hate to get involved in this commuter p*ssing contest but ... for years we've heard that if commuting was causing too much pain that maybe we commuters should just move (Maybe to MEM? Yuck!). Now, a little bit of that pain might just bite some of the MEM dwellers and they are whining their arses off. Whaaaaaaah! :eek:

I certainly don't wish the F9 guys any bad luck and I certainly don't wish the NWA/Delta bubbas any bad luck either. I really hope the "new" Delta keeps a hub in MEM as it makes almost all of our lives easier in regard to commuting and d/h's. :D

You get what is eating the commuters right?

When an issue falls on the side of the local Memphonian, you'all say suck it up or move to Memphis.

But when one issue might have a bright side for the commuter all we hear is complaining. Not "Good for you commuters, you deserve a break every once in awhile."

Go ahead and complain. But we all know the in domicile guys live better with more benefits. The optimizer is working to make that truer every month.

I live in Memphis and I am not complaining. I fly more deadheads than personal travel. Let's just how Southwest doesn't start flying into Memphis or our deviation banks go poof like a fart in the wind....

Uhhh, I believe I started my first post with "Well, I'm glad you commuters are benefitting." I freely admitted that that is the upside.

I just stated that it sucks for those who are actually buying tickets with their own money for personal reasons. As a member of the ticket buying public, higher prices hurt me. It's a simple fact. If you call that complaining, you are way too sensitive. As a MEM based FDX deadheader, it doesn't make a darn bit of difference, as I rarely deviate, except on the backend to get home sooner, usually on one of our jumpseats.

Before you keep reading, know this: I commute and always plan to.

Personal choice.

However, if the pax carriers don't ever get their act together and start charging $1 for $0.90 of service, rather than charging $1 for $2 worth of service, this industry is screwed, and the pilots along with it, as in the end, unlike our journeyman management (other than Fred Smith, of course) we have the most to lose.

This affects all of us, pax or cargo, as the perceived worth of our profession is predicated upon our respective companies actually turning a profit or at least breaking even.

In the long run, we are all better off with a healthy air transportation industry. If that makes my commute harder or forces me to shell out a few bucks every month to cover my bank, so be it.

The big picture is more important.

Shekels Mark, those funny things are shekels. Didn't they teach you that in AS-150 ??? A.C. Tacker didn't do his job, I guess.

You don't remember that from going out in Tel Aviv-to Joey's or M.A.S.H. (More Alcohol Served Here).

Just pulling your chain...cheers,

FF

Funny
 

Let me preface this by stating that I used to be a commuter that swore I wouldn't move to Memphis even if someone put a gun to my head. I WOULD NOT do that to my family.

Situations changed and eventually I did move to the area and so far, no one has put a gun to my head...but dear wife and I did get carry permits just in case.:D

That being said, while I was commuting, even though I hated being in the Memphis area, I pondered how nice it'd be to live in domicile and was desperately hoping the company would open a domicile anywhere else in the country, (preferably the gulf coast:D). In my mind, the "Holy Grail", was B-Reserve in domicile.....but alas, it would never be for me.

I knew my family life would be better by being able to spend time at home and felt a little guilty about being gone so much and used the crime rate and negative racial biases in Memphis to justify staying on the coast and rationalized that "this was as good as it was going to get". It was easy to harbour a little jealously/resentment about the "good deal" that Domicile living guys had (in that little place in my heart that I didn't talk about at cocktail parties).

Though I never conciously encouraged the concept, I just accepted as fact that those who lived in Memphis were either from there originally and too ignorant to know that there was life outside of Midtown. Too cowardly to sail, dive, or fish in the ocean. Too fat to hike. Had married someone there and between the Guard, FDX and church, were too entrenched. Or were just too greedy to care that their family was living in a crime-ridden horrible environment while they were busy slopping at the trough.

The truth of the matter, is that aside from the lack of desireable geographic features such as non-muddy water, mountains, and beaches, day to day life if you live in the Burbs is much easier. When I first moved to the area, I used to be amazed that "It didn't suck as much as I thought it would". Over-all it has been a good move especially since the increase in the optimizer and the un-anticipated juniority due to age 60.

I don't know about the evil MEM MD-11 guys, and I don't know a whole bunch of people in the school house, but the guys I know that live there are a lot like me. I bid reserve, rarely with carry over, (if I get the line with carry-over, it is only because I needed a certain day off). I usually protect min days off and am not tempted by disputed pairings, because it's too easy to pick a plum in open time. I don't have to figure out how I'm going to commute or turn to it. Usually these pairings are ones that are undesireable to a commuter precisely because it doesn't turn and usually begin, end , or both during daytime. I rarely deviate, because the bank becomes a non-issue, and time at home is plentiful. I don't use the company jumpseat because now sleep and time off are not mutually exclusive and I realize commuters really need those seats. I will move from the area and someday I will commute again.

The folks I have talked to about the necessity of not picking up disputed pairings have all been commuters. Either "good guys" I know (one from my old commuting town who complained that "we used to fly this before it was disputed") or folks on the dp I was given a reserve assignment to.

I do not deny that there are MEM guys in domicile that are probably picking up dp's....I just don't know anyone who does. I also know that not all commuters use sick as a scheduling tool or deviate improperly and lie about check-in or take bogus mil leave over holidays. I never did. To tell the truth, though I hate the concept of the ND's going back up front, I just find it hard in practice to harbor any actual animousity against the good guys I fly with whom are getting a chance to improve the quality of their lives and paycheck. I also know that DW and the MEC are not motivated by evil and don't wear rings once owned by Gollum....well I don't know that, but I suspect and want to believe that they dont.:D

The bottom line is that it's easy to paint with a broad brush when your ox is getting gored. We are all in this together and this is a silly thing to divide us, especially since it is really not germane to the problems at hand. I was a commuter. I will be again. I live in domicile, and someday (God-willing) I will be over 60. One of the reasons this system works for us is that commuters and non-commuters actually have a symbiotic relationship.

Disclaimer: The dp flyers however, much as they want to think of themselves as "cleaner fish", really are more like tape worms, living in our system and eating away at our health.

In the language that is familiar to those in the area, I look forward to the day that a crewmember will be judged by the content of their character and not the number of their zipcode.

Sorry, just had to get this off my chest. Rant over

From a commuter... Good post LJ!

LJ, thoughtful post. I have lived all over the world and will again but currently find myself in MEM due to QOL. As a MEMphian, I appreciate the guys who first fly and do the double deadheads. I prefer the occasional weekend layover. One of the best things about FedEx is the diversity of flying, reserve, training, cubicle commandoing, etc... Enjoy it!

Not me man...I friggin HATE Memphis guys. Especially captains. Especially captains who left the gulf coast. And guys who flew special ops. And guys who if displaced will end up on top of me (again) on a list somewhere. Man..those guys make me sick. :D

But here's a thought: An upgrade isn't a payraise. So that means a displacement really isn't a pay cut either. I'm sure you'll sleep better knowing that...

Brother, those guys make me sick too.......

(you teed it up again...) Ok, I'll lay off now. Thanks for your availability and your willingness to get in the fray.

Ni Hao

Makin' the F-15 bubbas proud! Keep up the good work...and the quotes!:D