VegassBus

Have there been many junior (or not so junior) CAs leaving for AA,DAL, UAL?

I work for Spirit and make less as a 5th year CA than a 3rd year Legacy F/O. Currently in contract negotiations but see it dragging out. Have my apps out and just trying to see if anyone else in the left seat trying to bail

(JetBlues junior CA rates are significantly higher than Spirits) I'm also getting the feeling our N/C doesn't want to fix it.

Great job, Good QOL, love the pilot group etc, but I go to work to get paid.

ugleeual

If your wanting to go down that path do it sooner rather than later… hiring boom won't last forever. Big question is will more consolidation occur… which will result in seniority list integration… how will that possibly impact a pilot at a LCC?

GogglesPisano

I doubt very much there will be any consolidation at the legacy level. There's no way the DOJ would allow it (a Republican administration might make it a bit more likely.) The LCC level is an entirely different story.

VegassBus

I think that's what he meant.

It's frustrating because I'm in the top 40-ish % but having 30 years left Its a lot easier for Spirit to go away than a legacy.

Aero1900

The legacies certainly can't consolidate with each other, but what about a big 3 buying frontier, spirit or virgin? That's still a real possibility, right?

As far as captains at the LCC leaving, I know that one frontier guy did, but he had recall rights

GogglesPisano

I can't envision the DOJ allowing a legacy to acquire a LCC. The people have rights to low-cost seats!

candlerman

I think a lot of guys think about this.. How long does it take to recoup $200k a year starting over at a legacy? Not just make $200k at a legacy, but make up the difference in those first couple of years.

A320ULCC

Not according to Chuck Schumer. He wants pax airline seats to have a min of 35". If he got his way, airlines would have to raise their ticket prices because there would be less seats.
The guy is a class A a-hole.

full of luv

IMHO...

Why would a legacy buy one of the LCC carriers? If the LCC's have any valuable slots into NYC or other slot controlled airport, the DOT makes them give some away to make the deal go through. Realistically, that would be the main reason to merge with a LCC. If you do it to stifle competition, it's pointless, another one will spring up out of the ether to take it's place. Money's cheap, oils low, and barriers to entry are minimal.

So in the end, if any of the legacies wanted to go into the LCC business (tried to before, doesn't work because your a legacy cost structure selling tickets at a LCC price point) they could just buy a gaggle of airbus and saturate a bunch of point to point vacation markets.

By and large, the LCC's and Legacies are aiming for different customers and different segments of the traveling market.

Traditionally with oil this low for a period of time, the whole industry would go on a expansion fever, trying to garner that elusive market share. Then just as all the new jets and employees would be taking to the sky, the economy would turn only to leave the companies with huge capital outflows and minimal revenues.

This latest era of the industry has shown management that they don't need to recklessly pursue marketshare, but instead can get rich by increasing the companies profit margin through consolidations, limiting growth, and using JV's.

Also, the huge retirements at the legacies also make it increasingly hard to hire and train enough people to replace those who are leaving, let alone try and grow at any appreciable clip.

VegassBus

Agreed 100%


I also don't expect a legacy to buy a LCC. No reason to