Management is buying time to see what we are going to do on scope. So is everyone else. The C Series is bound to be a very popular airplane, but no one wants to commit - is it going to be a mainline, or regional, jet? Jerry Atkin is talking like the 2011 to 2012 time frame will be when he hopes to expand SkyWest to 100 seat jets and as we all know know, Republic just announced they have broken the 100 seat barrier.

It takes, at a minimum, 18 months to order and take delivery of a jet.

Well Jerry Atkin has been saying for 7 years that he thinks scope clauses will be gone within a couple of years. He was spouting off in 2002 about how he saw that scope clauses would not even exist within a couple of years and you can see how that has worked out. Sure they have been relaxed due to CH11 and the 1113 deal, but they are still there. He is a smart guy and he runs a good airline, but he's dreaming to think SkyWest will operate anything larger than a 76 seat jet for Delta. If DALPA would let the group vote on all scope related issues including LOA's from now on, I'd be willing to be that scope will not be relaxed anymore at Delta. There is nothing they can offer me short of a winning lottery ticket that would tempt me to vote for anything that further relaxes scope. I think they know that and I'd be willing to bet they are attempting a run-around of Section 1 with this RAH thing. Hopefully we can come up with a way to stop it.

Agreed 100%

And hopefully we can get individuals elected to the various LEC's and MEC that understand how important scope is and will not back down or cave.

That goes without saying...right?

No.

This MEC recently voted down (take no action) on a resolution written not to give one more inch, pound, seat on Scope.

Of course the MEC does not like being told what to do (gasp - by the pilots they were elected by to represent), and this would tie their hands in negotiating.

Hmmm. So this means there is something that they would be willing to negotiate past 76 seats on? :eek:

As was famously/notoriusly said by a former LEC Ch of ours during BK, at some point you are going to trade work rules (Scope) for pay increases.

Keep in mind the single most critical change in scope was the weight increase that allowed the E170 at the mainline. That change came under a different MEC administration. The current MEC is very aware of scope and its priority. The recent LOA was a smart thing to do given the circumstances. You want to fight smart not stupid. That LOA is looking better and better now that we have a surplus of pilots. The economic portion of it may just keep a furlough from happening at Delta.

See... that is the problem!

We have the attitude that if our future is guaranteed then we should change scope for short term gains.


The senior guys are thinking like this, "I will not be affected by the E190 at the regionals" ... let's change the scope in return for XXXX


Start thinking long term!

Work to improve the status of our profession!

Right!?

And we ask... why is our profession is going downhill.

ACL65 is right!

A fleet of two is not economically viable. Impossible to perform scheduled maintenance, not to mention unscheduled maintenance when one deferred pack means half of your capacity can't make it on its routes to the coast.

This is just turning up the heat on us slowly, as it has always been done.
Year 2000: 93 RJ's (with options to 500)
Year 2002: 19 CRJ 700's
.....
Year 2008, no more than 255 (no, make that 263 large RJ's)
Year 2009, yeah we modified the E170's in violation of Section 1, but we did not change the manuals, so it is OK.
Year 2009, just a couple 100 seaters that don't really fly our code... well indirectly they do and we sell their tickets... but that doesn't matter. Just sit back, relax, enjoy the warm water and the bubbles.