rumors are cheap...and generally worth what you pay for them.

but I have to believe they are working hard TRYING to get something and BELIEVE they can pull it off .

TSH is too damn cheap to keep the extra overhead if they didn’t have a plan to make money with it.

Agree 100%.




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Do tell, Big Rooshki!

Well, this is interesting...

"The case for a United "Pilot B Roster" pilot group

The goals of every business should be a stable plan for growth, expanding their network and creating brand loyalty. The airline business is no exception to these basic business principles, however, there are times when a business can find its potential growth choked off by its own contractual restrictions. In this scenario, I'm referring to the scope clause limiting the number of regional airlines operating under the UnitedExpress banner to 255 aircraft. A number of these aircraft are 50 seat CRJ 200's which lack passenger comfort and don't create any brand loyalty, especially in markets where the competition offers the larger and more comfortable Embraer 175's.

For United Airlines to meet its annual growth forecast of 4-6% by 2020, the United pilot union has proposed a solution to give some relief to the scope clause that is choking its potential growth. The first is to add additional narrow body aircraft such as Embraer 195-E2's or Airbus A220's to their fleet, to replace the aging Boeing 737-700 and the Airbus A319's which are nearing retirement, and secondly, move the operation of all 70-76 seat aircraft to their mainline operation. This concession would allow the number of aircraft operated by their regional partners to increase to from 255 to 325 airframes.

The downside of such a move is that the overhead cost per passenger seat would incrementally increase with the existing "Pilot A Roster" flying a 76 seat aircraft, and finding pilots that want to transition from larger to smaller aircraft will be a hard sell. Bringing in the current operators of the Embraer 175 to the mainline operation would be complicated if not impossible because the United Express flights are currently operated by regional airlines which are independent profit driven contractors, and buying any of them may not be financially prudent.

A possible solution would be to create a "Pilot B Roster" who would then operate the larger Embraer 195-E2 to replace the afore mentioned aging aircraft in the United Airlines fleet. This could be possible if a trained group of pilots were readily available and a company that currently operates, manages and maintains aircraft in the same family as the Embraer 195 were available for acquisition.

In writing this article, I reached out to a pilot group that works for one of these operators that could be a possible targeted United Airlines acquisition. One pilot came forward, wanting to remain anonymous, asking only to be identified as "Richard Astley". Mr. Astley stated "it has been reported by a flight attendant that the management team for [his current employer] has been reportedly traveling to a city known for pizza, mobs and airline executives, and they appear very happy and optimistic." Mr. Astley also mentioned "...that they were expecting a big announcement next Friday."

From an efficiency standpoint, United Airlines making the move to bring the 100 seat aircraft into their fleet would open up smaller markets and routes that they are currently loosing to other low cost carriers. In a statement from the United Pilots Union, “For many months, United’s senior leadership has publicly expressed their desire to change our [contractual] regional jet scope limitations. In response to this rhetoric, the United pilots have stated loud and clear we have no interest in allowing management to expand their reliance on an outdated and flawed strategy of outsourcing.” Will the United management decide to take back some of the routes and revenues that are currently being fed to the regional operators? This is a decision that they are being forced to make, and with competition increasing for their market share, they may need to act fast. - Sally Gleason



Sally Gleason is a freelance reporter for the 10th Stage Bypass, one of the hottest magazines for turbine pilots. Sally has worked as a regional and a corporate pilot and is currently working as an aviation business analyst for the law firm of Dewy, Landem and Howe."







.

Had me until Mr. Astley...

I mean... Despite the wild Rick Rolling going on in that "article", perhaps there's some truth? Take a look at the APC quicktake.....:eek:

Haha it doesn’t say that now. Great rumor mill though. But again... could we trust our leadership who can’t even get rid of an echo (or are intentionally doing it) to land a deal that massive and sensitive?


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If our company was intentionally trolling us on the company calls... genius.

Ahahahaha Imagine MW Meowing at the table while Rob keeps a straight faces, asking if she has a cat [emoji23]


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This one had me rolling :D