a panicked overreaction.

remember when they said we will be a 4,500 pilot “boutique” airline

 

Conversely, if the small CVG 73N category were still open, our profit last year would’ve been the same (within a hundredth of a percent).

It was a Covid-era overreaction.

 

COVID.

filler….


But srsly, they had no intention of closing it (or dumping the 777 or the 88 especially the 90) until they started running numbers for a 6000 pilot (money losing) airline.

They did nothing for way too long then panicked because they realized that absent a massive gov bailout (no one at the time thought it would be that generous or that the recovery would be that fast and severe) and suddenly found themselves in the unenviable position of just having to make a decision and “do something” because doing nothing was guaranteed not to work.

IMO if COVID hadn’t happened it would still be open. While it was a very small base as domiciles went, its 737 base was on par with other 737 bases. While I’d be interested in the numbers for it and BOS, I think BOS better supports a NB base if not two. Especially since its already one now.

I’d be surprised if we see one on an imminent AE, but once the MAX starts arriving (lol yeah I know) they’ll have a better look at where network wants things and they can better look at 320 vs 737 and then I strongly feel one will be based there and just maybe both.

 

I am going to assume you never saw CVG in its heyday. It’s a ghost town now compared to then. 23 million passengers in 2005. 2 million last year.

 

I don't believe our choice in pilot bases provides all our profits. But my point to you was.. don't look at how other airlines do things to say we should do it here. We make money (a metric *hit ton) because the entire airline makes choices that add up to maximize profit. Other airlines make some pretty bad choices and they are losing money.. in JB's terms.. an incredible ton. I'd be worried if I was working there. A large downturn in the economy because of a war... well.. look who went under in 1990-91..

Would I prefer the base 30 minutes from my house have WB flying? Sure.. but Networks put the airplanes where it's most profitable and apparently this base is not it.

 

I thought it was 7000, but yeah.

 

Lol, you're a riot.

I'll have been here longer than you when I retire. I was hired not long after you. Yes I remember. I was based there. Not talking about back then.

Im talking about the time leading up to the closing and after. We didn't change the flying.

It was merely a point to gloopy. He's talking BOS narrow body opening, we have about the same NB flying into CVG still on NB as BOS (maybe slightly more favoring BOS but not much) yet we shut the pilot base down.


Anyway, we have no control over how network operates and what or where they are planning to open or close pilot bases. The speculation though is entertaining

 

at one point it was "we're going down to 7000, even less if we could, take a paycut you greedy bastards!"

Anyway, it was made up, we didnt fall for it, we will probably see 20k pilots here before we goto 7k or less.

 

IIRC the post VEOP bid had them go down to less than 9000 active pilots with 7,000 via continued attrition as their stated goal. They then said further reductions were likely and I thought they cited the 4,500 number. It was during negotiations with ALPA to get us to take a pay cut so they were saying a lot.

either way. Panic is the reason we don’t have a CVG base.

 

You and the rest act like I wasn't living here.

Yes, I'm well aware.

Thats my point to Gloopy. We open/close bases but the amount of flying there is only a very small piece of the calculus used.