See you by the pool bassman!

I know study will be our middle name by the time we are done!

Ok to put some of your minds at ease that are waiting to figure out whats next, hope this helps.

Got the drug test form today via email which was via a phone call first from HR. I will be going to Orlando for mine. HR stated we should get hotel reservations by Friday at the latest.

+1 on everything.... Even Orlando...

According to the SOCC manager I talked to last week up north, IAD will not be the crew base, the outstations will, similar to how our CLE operation runs. ATL probably will be a crew base, SJU will be a TDY base for the time being, will probably become a full crew base as the operation expands in the future. No idea how the seniority picture will play out, since the Saab will be at many bases for us. Since we are putting new-hires on the Saab apparently, I really don't know how this will shake out. It used to be that the senior pilots in their respective seats were going to the Saab, but now that seems to have evolved. Also no word on when they will start parking the 1900s, so that could be years from now before it starts. My guess would be that TPA and FLL would remain senior bases, but like BIL, it all depends on where people want to be relative to their families and relatives. There are quite a few people in BIL who could hold Florida bases if they were so inclined. Same goes for BFD, DUJ and PKB. But plan on FLL and TPA remaining senior, since that is the track record here.

As line pilots, we try to get the best info we can from management whenever they stop by to visit. They know how many rumors are flying around among the pilot group so they try to keep us apprised as best they can.

I can see ATL being outstation based as well. The destinations served have lengthy van (more like crappy taxi) rides to a less than stellar hotels thatare not exactly nice parts of the towns.

If those go to outstation basing which I don't for see not many people are going to want them. Adding that extra leg to your commute is a pain. You can bet I wont be bidding for them if that's the case, but I doubt they'll go that way.

Remember the company doesn't care about pilot's commute or quality of life. It is cheaper to overnite and fuel a/c at outstations. They can also save on hotel rooms for those early departures. Did you know BIL was going to be outstationed also but noone could find housing in those remote little MT towns so they had no choice. I agree noone will bid Lewisburg WV or Greenville MS so jr guys will get displaced there when they open. I hear maybe ATL hope you are right but I doubt it.

If you check the contract fuel pricing we received not long ago you can tell that it's much cheaper to buy fuel in CLE than it is the outstations. The bulk purchasing and contract we have make it that way and I'm sure it would be the same in ATL or IAD. Fuel savings alone is to the tune of a few bucks a gallon heck one top off will more than pay for the crew hotel rooms. Plus it's much easier to have staffing coverage in one base rather than a reserve Captain and FO in each outstaion.

Yeah, for the entire time I've been up north, we've done top-offs in CLE (loads permitting), even though we burn more fuel by tankering more than we need on every leg. Since BFD is one of the most expensive places for fuel in the NE, we usually don't bother fueling here for the first flight of the day, since the fuel brought in the night before is typically enough to get us to JHW which is much cheaper.

In years past, when previous companies like Colgan did these routes to CLE, JHW was the crew base rather than BFD. Shorter runway, heated hangar and cheaper fuel. But the JHW chamber of commerce wanted to advertise more direct flights to CLE, so BFD has been the base since 3M started up here in 2008. Fuel is more expensive, and the hangar is unheated. We have to de-ice in the morning a lot since the ice accumulated coming in the night before doesn't melt.

Ah, the joys of Northern Ops.

If you couple the price of fuel and easier staffing model I think we will see that ATL and IAD will be our bases rather than the outstation, but that's just me speculating.