DFW
 

Looks like all the DEN based TX commuters are happy with the commute!

I don't know why this needs a thread...

Well it was certainly surprising how few DEN captains left for DFW

Yeah, we will probably see more leaving in the coming months

It’s never really that surprising to see holdouts on the first bid or two. I’m sure they’re trying to see what kind of dog sh!t trips they can expect before pulling the trigger. Or they have preferred vacation weeks already awarded.

Most junior FO in DFW was an August 2021 hire. Curious to see how DFW grows/changes things up. No one in my class (Aug 2022) could touch TPA until this bid, with a few people moving out we finally have a few that can hold TPA.

How many gates are we sporting in DFW now? I'm guessing that'll be an indication on if it'll be ATL or PHL size, or TPA, MIA size.

Heard today from a pretty reliable source in the company that DFW was eventually going to be the largest base at F9. Biggest reasons was because of the terminal growth and being centrally located in the country and can reach all F9 destinations with a 321 NEO or XLR.

What does your source say about MDW?

I don’t see how they can speculate that until we see how the demand for our product is there first. Look at Miami and how that has turned out. I remember them saying something similar.

Miami (and FLL) growth was based on F9/NK merger. Strategy has now changed. But I agree it’s pointless to speculate until the company sees how our product works in DFW on a larger scale. And how JB works DFW post NK merger.

Im sure DFW will be the biggest base. Just like DEN was never supposed to shrink, and we are the pilot's choice of airline.

Im not really sure why anyone puts any stock in what F9 mgt says. It will certainly change - depending on the economy, demand, gate space/costs, etc. F9 sways as the wind blows. MCO is hot, let focus there. Oh wait, Vegas is poppin now. Let see what that’s about. Now it’s Miami. Now Dallas.

Just go to the base you want as soon as you want. If they displace you out of there due to reduction, they have to pay to move you. Else, you’re where you wanna be.

That aligns with BB’s supposed recent move to the Dallas area.

AA is prepared to aquire Frontier. The back room deals are done.

Biffle will get a seat on the board and a possible C suit job depending on how the rest of the board votes, hence the move to TX.

The deal will take so long to get approved there will likely be a republican DOJ by then and they will be far more likely than the current administration to approve the deal.

The JCBA will be very challenging and AA will likely file for chapter 11 before we reach a TA, forcing us to work under our current pay rates for the better part of a decade.

AA wins by getting our order book of 321NEOs which is perfect plane for them. They also aquire over 2000 Airbus typed pilots and will be able to force them to work at below market pay for a long time.

Indigo wins by turning a 36 million dollar investment into 3.6 Billion.

Haha, that’s so crazy that it could be real

I'm afraid so.

Indigo tried to create a big airline with Spirit but that didn't pan out. So, screw it, just sell it. They've owned us for almost 10 years now, starting to face challenges with acquiring enough pilots to grow the way they want, so screw it, just sell it.

Franke is old and tired. Biffle isn't the genius Franke is, so screw it, just sell it.

When the deal is good enough, you take it.

You forgot how we get TWA'd.

Maybe. But if I had to choose between ALPA and APA, I'd take ALPA

Omg…now I’m not gonna sleep tonight.,,

Everyone is entitled to their delusions.

I wouldn’t be shocked to see F9 for sale, but I highly doubt that the largest airline on earth (AA) would be allowed by regulators to buy it.

I could see the strategy for UAL to buy. AA and Delta have 19.5% and 16.3% domestic market share, respectively, along with WN’s 17%. UAL sits near 12-13%. I could see acquiring F9 and their 3.5% as a sound strategy to achieve parity with the others. A young fleet of NEOs would also fit right into their plans of a fleet refresh, not to mention an influx of pilots, and giving another leg up in their battle with WN over Denver.

I don’t think Delta has any need to purchase. WN, maybe??

Fun to speculate, but in reality I highly doubt any of these would happen. Maybe F9 and G4 find a way to play together? Who knows, but it does seem like there will be some big moves in the industry at some point soon.

I couldnt imagine being bought by a worse company than AA... they are the last legacy I would wanna work for.

Definitely

How are you substantiating this Aero?
As far as Biffle buying a ranch in Texas.
He’s from there so it’s not really a shocker…

Buying the ranch in Texas isn’t really the shocker so much as him selling his home near Denver to do it. That’s the head scratcher.

I'm pulling it out of my a$s.

But B.L. is telling new hires that we are going to merge or be acquired, Biffle is moving to Texas, and Indigo is probably done with us. Plus, we have exactly what AA wants. We've been a thorn in their side for a while now and we have the planes and pilots they want

Wait, what? He is really saying that?

Additionally AA is retiring roughly 1000 pilots a year for the next 3 years...all we would be is a buffer to keep their regionals alive. The government doesn't want to have all the small communities lose all their air service.

Really?? How in the world would the SVP of Flt ops not find himself getting questioned by the SEC for even hinting such a thing. If you’re being sarcastic then, okay, fine😂

Yes, it's definitely illegal for him to be doing that. But I'm sure he thinks he could just tell them that he's joking around. Otherwise it would be insider trading.

But hes a clown so who knows what he's thinking

The closest I ever heard was vague corporate speak. He came and did his little Q&A during the wing dinner during ground school. Of course someone asked about spirit, something about mergers, I don’t remember exactly what. But in typical corporatespeak, he gave a non-answer to the tune of “the company is always looking at blah blah blah and indigo is looking at investment opportunities blah blah.” Imagine any CEO or chairman at a quarterly investor meeting. Clear as mud, so it could easily be interpreted as doubleplusgood or doubleplusungood. Oceania has always sought merger with Eurasia! Oceania has always sought merger with Eastasia!

Yes he is. I heard it from multiple people in the recent class

I also heard he said this to a recurrent class and then a CA upgrade class both within the last 3 months.

It's totally ridiculous. I think he's saying it to try and get people to not bail for a legacy.

But also, it could be because he knows we are about to be bought by AA!

Great rumor to spread… especially to get new hire class numbers up…

Well, once again, I was actually in a recent class and he said no such thing. Just vague non-answers you could interpret one way or the other, if you were so inclined to search for a bias. They’re not revealing corporate secrets and strategy in new hire classes.

I have heard this same rumor as well. @Broccoli Aero is referring to recurrent and upgrade classes.

I would suspect it’s just to get people on the fence to hang on just a little while longer until a new contract negotiation begins. After all why would you leave here with anything over a year seniority just to start over at a company that might buy us when you could have retained that relative seniority? Clever, like the bonus, but it’s just to buy time is my guess.

I still think something big will happen this year but it will be more like a regional collapses or regionals end up on their legacy SL or something of the sort. Their turnover and assets sitting in the ground are stunning.

Never thought I’d see that in this forum, where the clock routinely strikes thirteen…

BL must crack up laughing reading this forum.