Yeah, the guys running this weren't part of the catastrophic team who ran skybus... Bill Diffendorfer (CEO), Ken Gile (COO), and Mike Hodge(CFO) where the three top players in SX for over 9 months into the company's last days. They took the control of the company from Weikle in a boardroom coup, siting among other things, his cosy relationship with the pilots. Weikle, who had planned a MUCH slower and low profile growth for the company and wanted to stick religiously to the Ryanair model, give huge incentives to his pilots and run in routes that the majors or large LCC's wouldn't touch due to economies of scale...

They on the other hand took the company from him, immediately alienated the pilots with a major change in how pay was going to work (thus the stories of the $60K/yr CA's).. and other interesting episodes of anti-pilot behavior ensued (like the buy your own water and coffee).. This along with completely going off the business plan with 2 times the growth rate originally planned, changes to routes, trans-cons, and high oil sealed it for SX..

Diffendorfer is a former EAL and CAL lawyer turned Airline Exec who needs to be barred from ever working in aviation, Ken Gile is a WN former DO who had no spine, and Hodge is a Hedge fund manager (the bane of aviation).

Weikle is a 25 year Abex operaions man; also UPS Airlines, and also owned a chain of UPS Stores. He has been trying to found an airline for a while, SX being the closest he got to success, but again, it was stolen from him.. literally a couple of weeks into the airlines beginning of operations.
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I personally don't like the fact this "Start-Up" doesn't even have there own a/c. They have to wet-lease. Each flight will be run as a charter...I dunno...kinda sounds like a regional to me... As soon as Delta hear's wind of this up in DTW, rates will drop up there, that's how it always works at TOL. A new route starts in TOL, DTW drops to match.

 

Jet America was a decent company back in the 80's and hopefully these folk's won't tarnish the name like that fella did with Pan Am.

 

I've got no problem with this airline as long as they keep wet-leasing from Miami Air. I can't exactly complain - their pilots are making more than I am at 14 years!

UAL 320 Cap

 

Delta get wind of it? I'm pretty sure they were well in the loop before we the public were

 

Well, when I meant "Get Wind", I was meaning load capacity and such. If the lane is actually making money or not. I don't think it will.

 

They started running tv ads about them, cheap cheap fares, not sure when they are supposed to start, if they haven't already.

 

I hear them on the radio. They are great. At the very end, they have a guy speed talking all the other acesorial fees like the $20 booking fee and the Baggage Fee and that the flights are operated under Miami Air.

 

Start date is July 13th...date this shuts down...November 9th.

 

I wonder if Republic will end up buying them too?