One way rental car was over $350 plus gas and tolls. Much more expensive than nonreving to Paris. I looked into it.
This way I got to have a couple glasses of wine in business class, wake up in Paris. Look around. Have a couple glasses of wine in business class, wake up home.

Got nothing to say about Expressjet one way or another. Just wanted to get that grammatically incorrect broken (or removed) link superseded on the Regional page.

You are the first person to comment on the Xjet forum in 10 days. You can tell a dying regional when no one asks any questions about it, no one complains about it, no one cares about it enough to even make a stupid comment.

I’d say morale here is probably at the lowest I’ve seen yet. I came back from 2 months off and it’s really almost to the point where it could be dangerous. Hate to say it because I’m guilty too.

Your airline had one foot in the grave and another on a banana peel before you even worked there yet. Things change in this industry. We were all convinced that Mesa was DONE about 5 years ago. Same with Air Wisconsin just ONE year ago. I’m not saying XJT has a bright future, or even ANY future, but forum activity is certainly not the determining factor. This place is circling the drain, but it’s not gone yet.

That’s a pretty dumb statement. Just because I’m aggravated with the company doesn’t mean I’m going to endanger anyone’s life. If anything, it makes it safer....ya know, flying fuel efficient and making sure you block out ten early, 14 late just to help the company keep up with performance numbers.....

I agree. But it doesn't mean it's not going on. And they say checklist noncompliance is basically at an all time high. When morale is low, pilots tend to drift from standards. Doesn't have to be all in flight. Sloppy uniforms, showing up late, lav overflowing (who cares go anyway), mx things that are overlooked to get to the hotel quicker, the list goes on.

I have heard that some employee groups are getting early retirement buyouts....

Is that true?

And if so-why? Why would the company want to reduce cost structure if they shut down soon?

A professional does their job to a certain standard, regardless of their emotional response to how screwed it seems we are. Or.....these people should leave. Compromising safety because you’re butt-hurt about working on the Titanic is really stupid. That path leads to an eventual loss of career or even lives.

Flight attendants are being offered retirement packages as we speak. I personally know several guys and gals retiring by June 1st. Not sure of other groups though. Haven’t heard.

I too don’t understand this. Guess they aren’t quitting as fast as the pilots.

It’s strange.

WH would the company care to get rid of ones at the top end? They can furlough for free.

I wonder if skyw is looking to sell the certificate or some such-and trying to make the work group which would come with it cheaper. Only explanation I can come up with.

Perhaps there is a merger in the works, and that work group isn’t coming with it. Just another rumor I’ve heard on the line, but rumors are a dime a dozen and RARELY have truth behind them.

Even so.....

Early retirements and buyouts aren’t cheap.

I know they aren’t doing this pit of the kindness of their hearts.
(We’ve seen exactly how kind their hearts are.)

If they’re eligible to retire, do they keep DL travel?

Because they aren't shutting down. People who believe XJT is shutting down are completely misinformed.

Yes, but one can see how it is reasonable to assume, when company X is spending money to shrink their employee group and company Y is spending money to recruit and grow, a certain outcome is pretty easy to deduce.

Care to inform us?

I agree. Part of being a professional is doing things right all the time even in the face of adversity, not just when it suits you. The aviation world is strewn with wreckage and dead bodies caused by pilots who were too cool to comply with procedures and checklists. I'll fly and dress the way the company wants me to until the last day.

The flight attendants didn’t get an integrated seniority list with the ERJ side, that’s why.

Supposedly the training department was instructed to create a transition course ERJ -> CRJ. That’s right, that’s not backwards. Heard recently from someone at AQP ground school.....

Probably because we are under 400 pilots (or will be soon), on the CRJ side.

I still don’t get it.

Furloughs cost $0

More of stealing from Peter to pay Paul. Anything to avoid a lawsuit by Delta I guess.

If the CRJ-700 finds a home somewhere with UAL operations, they have to open the bidding up to the whole list. That’s one possible scenario. I can’t imagine we would waste time training people for an operation that isn’t going to exist in 6 months.

BUT.......it is ExpressJet, so logic has no place in this discussion. My bad.

Has someone talked to upper mgmt or an ALPA rep lately?

Actually your statement about open the bid is not correct. There is a fence on the 700. The protection is through approx. Dec 1 2018.

Terry's update
 

Those plane will be placed with SKY mark my words and I did cross the t's and dot my i's Terry!

I don’t think Inc will have the pilots to fly them in addition to the 30+ new airplanes being delivered to them this year.

Does the company have to pay unemployment to those furloughed
employees?

ERJ Training for the dileverys will be done by summer.. the DL CRJ700’s won’t start transfer tell late summer/fall.. 2 separate training programs... Only cross effect is CRJ Captains going to the ERJ.. just ask a OO pilot next time you jumpseat to show you the revision discription that just came out for the opdated opspecs... ( aircraft tail numbers added to certificate)

Plus its not realy a net gain. OO AA 200’s going away. Only half going to UA.

I’m constantly blown away at all the former ASA planes flying around the SKYW system. I saw 4 of them in one shot sitting in Denver yesterday. Sad.

I don’t think so.

I think they pay unemployment taxes (insurance) for everyone through the years, but I don’t think they pay extra if furloughs happen.

They're showing up on our flow boards in maintenance.

They pay a pre determined rate based on successful unemployment claims, the higher the ratio of claims to active employees the higher the unemployment insurance taxes they pay. So no, they don't pay directly, but unemployment taxes will increase.

Didn't they come out and say they will not dispute any unemployment claims? If the company plans to be around for any reasonable amount of time this makes zero business sense.

I guess they can always be bankrupted-and they wouldn’t need to dispute anything.

Still hard to figure why they would pay any kind of severance if they just plan to bankrupt or liquidate

Does anyone have a verifiable person that actually received a severance package? It’s one thing to not dispute unemployment... but with an airline that gives $8 turkey vouchers as a holiday bonus, I am highly doubtful anyone received a severance package. Let’s be realistic here. Names/titles or it didn’t happen.

Early retirement.

(I’d consider that a severance package.)

What do you mean? You could retire whenever you want. Maybe another thing to retain travel benefits as a “retiree.” Penalty free 401k distributions start at 59-1/2. Allowing someone to retire is no big perk. If you’re financially set you can retire tomorrow. I’m talking severance, someone getting a fat check. That’s the only thing that matters and it probably hasn’t happened.

FAs are being offered some sort of pittance for early retirement. It’s like 2 months pay or something like that.

Federal WARN Act
 

If a company is conducting a mass layoff they have to give at least 60 days notice to employees affected, unless it's a liquidation or other urgent situation. Also, some states require that the state be notified of the mass layoff. Giving people severance is so they don't sue the company; as part of severance the employee usually signs a document waiving their rights to sue. Severance is not required by law in most states.

You can go to this website to see which employers in Georgia are conducting layoffs that require notice: WARN Website Data Listings - Georgia Department of Economic Development

I don't see Expressjet anywhere on there, which probably means that as of now there is no announced plan for widespread layoffs or shutdown of the business. The people who are being terminated are probably part of a smaller number of layoffs that doesn't trigger the thresholds for Federal WARN Act reporting.