I have a scheduling question. I am on NOE waiting for my OE, but this month I bid my reserve line and got the 1-13 as X days. Can they schedule me for an OE during my X Days?

 

Shoot, it hasn't been that many years ago that I did HNL - ANC. It may have been a little thin for a 757-300 (our only ETOPS 757 at the time) but I'll bet we could fill up a -200 with little problem now if we wanted to. Oh, and don't get me started on PDX - HNL.

"Once an Eagle said, when he saw the fashion of the shaft. It is by our own hands, not by others, we are now stricken."

 

I am looking beyond just the immedeate threat of our flying, I am looking at the precedent set by stating the holding companies are not air carriers. That plays in to both of these airlines. Same holds true for Delta Air Elite.

Simply put, anything with the DAL code, and or managed in some way by DAL Holdings and or DAL airlines is bound by our section one. This stance would include anything DAL Holdings chooses to do, which may include DAL Air Elite, Sky Team, A stake in a foreign carrier, etc. Remember I am talking about a holding company, not an airline.
Currently DAL Airlines owns DAL holdings, but a simple paperwork filing can change that Org Chart.

Wrt to ALK, I agree that the best solution for the DAL pilots to acquire ALK before they buy an airline like Hawaiian and then have WB expectations. That frankly would hurt our career the most.

Wrt to RJET, frankly nothing surprises me any more, and I see them as trying to make themselves attractive to the majors. In any outcome, our Section One and PWA as a whole needs to transcend the airline itself and hold a holding company and a alliance to its limits.

 

My question is how do we get the word out? If every DAL poster and the lurkers here influenced ten non-APC types, would that be enough to move scope up the priority list of the majority? I think more and more are becoming aware of it, but is it enough that we can throw back the juicy payrates and scope giveaway we may be handed by ALPA next year?

 

Poor form to quote myself, but if ALPA wont put the word out, someone has to.

 

Well I can tell you that when I walk in the crew room, I would say that at least five pilots are looking at this board.

It is simple. We have trips together that have overnights. Educate yourself, and then talk amongst your crew when you are on the layo.

I have been very encouraged by the pilots I have talked to. All of them see scope as crucial to any long term contractual gains.

 

Lets look at how this announcement reads. Looks like the holding company is determining capacity of its branded operation.....


Republic Airways Cuts Capacity Outlook to Unchanged on Fuel
By Mary Schlangenstein - May 3, 2011 12:35 PM ET


Republic Airways Holdings Inc. (RJET), the operator of Frontier Airlines, slashed capacity growth plans this year to unchanged from an expansion of as much as 5 percent because of surging fuel costs.

The company, which also flies regional routes for larger carriers, is working to reduce Frontier expenses by $100 million to have “a sustainable business model,” Chief Executive Officer Bryan Bedford said on a conference call today.

“It’s an aggressive plan and we’ve got to get the rest of the way there,” he said. “It’s certainly necessary work to ensure we have a viable and sustainable franchise.”

Republic, based in Indianapolis, joins four of the five biggest U.S. carriers in trimming growth plans for the year in response to a 32 percent rise in fuel prices since the end of 2010. U.S. carriers also have boosted fares to help offset the increased costs.

Republic fell 8 cents, or 1.5 percent, to $5.27 at 12:34 p.m. New York time in Nasdaq Stock Market trading. The shares declined 27 percent this year before today.

The company bought Frontier out of bankruptcy in 2009 shortly after acquiring Midwest Air Group Inc. The Frontier purchase added a new business to its traditional operation of ferrying passengers to hub airports for carriers such as Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL) and United Continental Holdings Inc.

“Over the next few months we’ll be engaging all of our business partners to achieve meaningful expense savings,” Bedford said.
Quarterly Loss

Republic today also reported a first-quarter loss excluding some items of $18.6 million, or 39 cents a share. That was wider than the 36-cent average of seven analysts’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Sales rose 8.3 percent to $659.1 million.

Republic said rising jet-fuel prices will add about $90 million to its costs this year, and forecast a second- quarter loss. The average of seven analysts’ estimates was for an adjusted profit of 29 cents.

Republic is moving six Embraer E170 aircraft to flying for Delta, joining eight of the planes already at the bigger carrier. Republic wants to move three remaining E170s into fixed-fee service by the end of this year, Bedford said.

A disruption of supplies from Japan has caused a two-month delay in planned deliveries to Frontier of six new Embraer E190s to fill the void, he said. The airline now expects to have three to four of the planes flying in 2011.

To contact the reporter on this story: Mary Schlangenstein in Dallas at [email protected]

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Ed Dufner at [email protected]

 

Interesting.....

Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV)’s new acquisition, AirTran, initially will retain practices such as bag fees and seat assignments that have been shunned at the largest discount carrier.

Southwest got an initial look at proprietary AirTran data today when it closed the $1 billion purchase of the smaller airline and is deferring any shift in operations pending a more- thorough review, Chief Executive Officer Gary Kelly said.

“Today’s the beginning,” Kelly said on a flight to Atlanta from Southwest’s Dallas headquarters for a celebration with employees. “We have much we want to learn before we start to make changes. For some months, there won’t be any changes.”

Buying AirTran gives Southwest access to Atlanta, the world’s busiest airport. It also puts Southwest in the position of owning an airline that charges to check luggage and rebook flights, policies for which it has lampooned rivals in television commercials.

“We’re literally on a different system for everything,” said Bob Jordan, the Southwest executive vice president who has been appointed president of Orlando, Florida-based AirTran. “At some point, AirTran’s fees are going to go away.”

Southwest fell 14 cents, or 1.2 percent, to $11.61 at 4:02 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The shares have declined 13 percent since Sept. 27, when Southwest agreed to buy AirTran for $3.75 cash and 0.321 Southwest share for each share of AirTran Holdings Inc. (AAI)
Debt Ratings

Including AirTran debt and capitalized aircraft operating leases, the transaction is valued at about $3.2 billion, the airlines said. Standard & Poor’s cut Southwest’s credit rating today to BBB-, the lowest investment grade, from BBB, citing the assumption of AirTran debt and leases. S&P raised AirTran to BBB- from B-.

Passengers won’t start to see many changes until late 2011 or early 2012, according to Southwest. The airlines expect to receive regulatory approval to operate as one carrier early in 2012, and the most substantive changes will occur after that.

Southwest and AirTran will continue to operate separate flight schedules, reservation systems and websites. AirTran’s planes will retain a first-class section and their current paint scheme.
‘Support That Brand’

“AirTran continues to be a brand, and we will support that brand, just as we support the Southwest brand,” Kelly said.

While Southwest and AirTran have both focused on low fares as central to their appeal to travelers, their approaches differ. Southwest jets have only one class of service, for example, and AirTran has coach and business-class cabins. AirTran also charges extra for seats on the aisle, next to a window or with extra legroom.

Southwest will examine all of AirTran’s operations, learning things such as how the airline operates a hub-and-spoke flight system and its Boeing Co. (BA) 717s. Southwest flies an all Boeing 737 fleet, which it has long described as a pivotal move in holding down maintenance expenses.

Southwest will compete directly in Atlanta with Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL), the world’s second-largest carrier. Delta controls 75 percent of passengers at Atlanta, now the biggest airport for AirTran.

The acquisition also will give Southwest more gates at New York’s LaGuardia and its first service at Washington’s Reagan National. Southwest is the fourth-largest U.S. airline by traffic, after United Continental Holdings Inc., Delta and AMR Corp. (AMR)’s American Airlines.

Buying AirTran will allow Southwest to resume growth in seating capacity for the first time since the end of 2008, and will add about $3 billion a year in revenue.

To contact the reporters on this story: Mary Schlangenstein in Dallas at [email protected]; Mary Jane Credeur in Atlanta at [email protected]

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Ed Dufner at [email protected]

 

A-freaking-men. RAH was served up on a silver platter imho by the NMB in their single status ruling on 07APR and if we don't do anything about it we're giving a green light to the most blatant scope erosion to date.

If this gets tabled its absolutely egregious action by the group hired to represent us. If, however, they do as they're hinting at and ensure that all holdings companies are now considered STS, then it's... doing what your supposed to do and plugging the holes on a leaky ship called the PWA.

 

Before the merger, Delta had a limited code share with Alaska, the current expanded code share was inherited from the Northwest contract. That is how Northwest fed their A-330 base in SEA.