I don't know what was said, but can't you see just a little irony of a furloughed AA pilot talking about how their scope provided job security??

 

I'm all set on the Camp Creek thing. I've got my "Worldport" sticker and I'm ready to do some parkin'. Plus, I used to live just off Camp Creek back in the dark ages when I was a ramper...in the OLD terminal.

 

Can you see the irony in promoting outsourcing to provide job security?

 

Looks like every one of those flights were flown by rj's.

 

Longest block of my life was a snow storm in ATL in like 2002. Hopefully our winter ops don't rub off too quickly, I need all the OT I can get at these rates.

 

He is that guy, and he as I pointed out is also the guy who increased the gross weight in the scope clause and brought the E170/175 to the mainline. The single biggest scope mistake ever made by DALPA

 

After reading the letter it appears to me that the last APA will award displaced pilots positions first......

 

Would you care to explain how him being jobless has to do with their better scope protection & NOTHING to do with how AMR bought TWA & parked/sold just about every airplane TWA had?

I'm pretty sure the latter has everything to do with his furlough, & their scope protection has NOTHING to do with it. But maybe you can explain it.

 

The feeling in the industry and from anaylists is that AMR is unable to provide feed at a competitive cost structure and it is hurting their core product. This has occurred for several reasons not just scope but it is huge issue. JFK is a example. AMR should be the king of JFK and flying to Europe from NYC. They have a better facility and have had a longer large term presence in the NYC market them most others. They are however unable to feed their operation and can't get the load factors they need.
The question for AMR now is do they give up on JFK. That is why the rumors are starting about a terminal swap in JFK with Delta. I doubt that is going to happen but I never thought USAIR would give up their terminal in LGA. The relationship between feeders and the mainlines will always be a large grey area. When you outsource flying you lose jobs at the mainline if that route would have been operated by the mainline absent the outsourcing. If the route can't be operated by the mainline at a competitive cost structure with other passenger options then you lose jobs at the mainline. Where you draw the line on where that cost break is becomes the hardest point to find. I think that Delta has shifted that point to far in the direction of regional feed. I think the E170/175 class of aircraft should be the battle line. I think American has kept the scope clause to tight and as a result can't compete in many markets with their core product. Profit or loss on routes comes down to can you get the last 10 or 15 passengers on the aircraft. Without cost effective feed you lose the mainline flight.

If tomorrow every major airline could take over all its feed the problem would be solved since the cost structures would all go up. Thats not likely however. AMR has a tight scope clause and a high cost feeder in American Eagle that also has scope. They are handcuffed as a airline at the moment because of those two issues. There is no right and wrong answer on where the scope line should fall. Its a moving target that changes with industry conditions. In the mid 90's I think anything over 50 seats could have been flown at the mainline. With the leverage the court system has given managements under Bush judges the last 10 years the line has been moved. Moving it back will take effort and time. You can't strangle your mainline fleet and mainline jobs in a attempt to take it back in one giant leap. It has to be phased in and your competitors have to follow suit.

 

And before we say the battle is lost, the fact is that CAL and AMR have decent scope protections. The ones that have sold it are DAL, UAUA and LCC. Now LCC is shrinking their regional footprint with this LGA deal, and UAUA is in talks to bring CRJ900 flying to the mainline.
To me it looks like the tide is changing is the correct direction. I say keep the fight up, a few more correct moves and what you say sailing may just happen. Throwing are arms up in defeat is not the answer.