Atlas acquisition
 

I know the rumor pops up frequently but it kind of seems like a required fit at this point. We aren't hiring and have no plans too which will quickly lead to us being way behind in manning. Additionally, a new contract with retirement improvements will likely lead to a huge chunk of senior guys leaving, many on the 777. On the airframe side of the equation we have a questionable MD-11 return schedule, aging Airbus and 757, and no significant future airframe orders. Even if we announced a huge order tomorrow the airplanes would trickle in for years. Taking in Atlas brings 13 777s and 25 767s with crew and 747s we can throw at the orange freight pallet market that we keep saying we want to expand into. Hopefully the new agreed scope section has some protections for us if this comes to pass.

Section 1.D.3 and 4 has merger and acquisition language in that circumstance.

Par for the course for this dog sh** company. If I was at Atlas I would leave before this happens.

Atlas guy here. The vast majority of the 40ish Giant customers are locked in to long term contracts. Purchasing the airline doesn't give FedEx immediate access to the aircraft. It won't immediately solve your fleet and corporate problems.

Just my take here, but I think our CEO is quite happy raking in hundreds of millions of dollars in profits without giving up control of a tremendously successful company. He is focused on growth, focused on controlling the market, and doing that in-house.

And you all probably want to get your labor house in order before expecting our 2800 pilots to be happy being bought out and being thrust into the dysfunction that seems to exist.

Hiring was estimated to resume towards the end of this year. Get your apps in. New Hire training in MIA during the winter will be pleasant, and yes, AQP had arrived and is currently being phased in.

My info isn’t the most up to date, since I left Atlas several years ago…but I’m pretty sure the 767 fleet is down to 10 or less, 5 of which are passenger planes. Atlas used to operate a bunch of 767F’s for Amazon and DHL, but they didn’t renew those contracts and those aircraft are operated by other ACMI carriers now.

Nobody who knows anything is going to say anything meaningful. We are for sale, however.

I hear the same silly thing at Brown at least once per rotation. Of course never say never because the airline biz be nuts (and if it were to happen, it would be marginally more likely to happen there than here, I think), but realistically you're gonna fold ~2800 pilots and a bunch of airplanes you don't already operate into a "shrink to profitability" structure? That's setting aside the various competition issues referenced above. Atlas is doing just fine according to all of the SEC filings I can find (you may ask whether in the current political environment those are terribly meaningful, and fair dinkum, but still). I think we're all going to just keep doin what we're doin unless and until the Orange One pops out another random, economy-shattering Edict, and markets seem to be getting pretty tired of those.

I am only being half serious. Nobody wants to work for Atlas. We are all concerned that we are becoming Atlas. Your 2800 pilots would be thrilled if FedEx bought you. That’s what all my first officers who came from Atlas tell me.

Im still surprised people think this will actually happen in a meaningful number. A guy who has enough vacation and sick time to work less than half the year isn’t going to be in that much of a hurry to give that up after getting a $100k a year raise. Time will tell though.

You would be surprised on actually how many would not like that a single bit. I’d hate to work for JD again.