Hypothetically speaking I’m curious what might happen to QX if Alaska was bought out by say JetBlue, or whoever, or had a merger?

 

My 8 ball says:

175’s go to SkyWest
Q400’s go to Africa
Pilots go the way of the Compass pilot

 

Yep.

filler

 

Hopefully if/when there's another M&A in the industry it involved a regional being absorbed with its wholly owned. I would agree with TeamSasquatch if Skywest could fill those E175 seats. But from the grapevine it seems like they are having issues just as everyone else. With that said, what does Delta/United/American or whoever do with AS if they just buy mainline? There will be huge restructuring that would have to happen unless as all the legacies decided to ditch the ops model for a more point to point style of the lower cost carriers. For this model to continue every regional pilot would need to be consolidated and work as a team for all the big 3. Its impossible, imo regionals will be absorbed and then there's no more scope but just pay rate per seating capacity of aircraft. 76 and less size planes will eventually die off to the 220's and E190/195's of the world. Boeing better get back on that Embraer deal before China decides to take it over.

*Disclaimer* I'm talking out my rear-end

 

Horizon flying Africa cities to Seattle. Remember, you heard it here first. 🤣

 

But, with QX’s E175s having an 89k MTOW, that would fall outside of scope clauses other airlines have with OO. They could fly them for AS for now, but if they get their scope clause…

 

I have seen ex-compass airplanes operated by OO ( Delta colors) 89K MTOW doing just fine.

 

Because Compass was originally part of Northwest Airlines and was incorporated into Delta scope at the higher MTOW at the time of the merger. But all it would reallly take to bring the aircraft into compliance is paperwork from Embraer derating the MTOW which is relatively cheap and easy.

 

Nothing a little piece of paper changing the max TO weight wouldn’t fix… (oh and a placard….)

 

That’s a valid point.