chrisreedrules

It’s taken almost 4 years to set in, but the entire regional industry is a dumpster fire. It sucks pretty much everywhere, some places to a lesser degree than others. The mantra has always been, “do more with less” and that’s what it’s always gonna be. Get in and get out.

Skyhawk121

You may want to double check your info here. I am fairly certain that UA's pilot contract prevents them from owning a regional. You could ask some UA pilots, but I spoke to a UA pilot the other day and asked him what he thought about the possibility and he told me their contract prohibits UA from owning their own regional.

PhantomHawk

It’s the FA contract, not the pilot contract. It prevents UAL from owning a majority stake. Any upcoming sale would most likely be with other investors, or some other creative work-around. It’s also possible that the recent merging of the FAs with UAL has changed the rules in some way.

Skyhawk121

Got ya. He was is still a fairly new UA FO, and he just said "our contract prevents it" so I suppose he could have meant "our FA contract".

calmwinds

I heard it was still in the FA contract too. However, for SkyWest to lose the majority ownership stake could mean that United owns 50% and the CEO of United owns 1% and SkyWest owns 49%. It isn’t that hard to work around.

And, there is the possibility that it isn’t United buying Xjet at all.

DownInPetaluma

I’d say at least 51%

Nevjets

The FA contract does not prevent United from buying XJT. It simply prevents United from operating an airline that conducts
any commercial flight operations of the type historically performed by United Airlines Flight Attendants, unless it performs such work with Flight Attendants on the United Airlines System Seniority List. It also prohibits United from establishing or purchasing and alter ego airline. And it requires United to recognize the AFA as the exclusive bargaining representative for the Flight Attendants on any commuter airline (primary 135 carrier) which it establishes or purchases in whole or in significant part.

XJT, or any regional airline currently in existence, does not meet the definition of an alter ego airline, does not meet the definition of a commercial flight operation of the type historically performed by United flight attendants, and does not meet the definition of a commuter airline (primary 135 carrier). And even if it did meet any of those three things, it still does not prevent United from buying a regional. It simply needs to recognize the AFA as the union, and add them to the seniority list. Or it can come to an agreement with the AFA to get around anything they deem problematic.

Melit

That has been the case all along. United said they where looking at investing in Xjet NOT buying...Commutair will buy them funded by United.

calmwinds

United hasn’t said anything openly. It started with a Fortune magazine article saying ExpressJet was being BOUGHT by United, and fueled by the secret paragraph in the TA and conversations between United and ExpressJet management. The TA is still valid for 3 years even if CommutAir buys Xjet.

FlyingKat

Rumor floating around TSA is some big announcement Oct 1.