PSA base at DFW
 

Is PSA opening a base at DFW anytime soon?

Nope. I wouldn’t hold my breath.

Were starting to do a few turns in and out of there, but nothing more than that. I mean it’s possible in a few years I suppose. From a pilot level understanding of the airline business it would make logical sense if one day AA decided to cancel the contract with Mesa, but I don’t think we’d have the staffing for it right now.

With 1900 pilots and not even 150 airframes yet, I don’t think staffing is an issue.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Probably depends on if AA wants to give that contract to them instead of Mesa in the future.

Asked of PSA President at recent meeting and specifically denied for near term. He expressed a hope that psa could earn some Dfw flying and a base in the future.

Current Dfw expansion is a scheduling trick to move more airframes through psa maintenance bases

Having this place go critical when it sprinkles in CLT or DC might suggest otherwise, as would my hellish reserve experience last month.

Mesa has a huge number of air frames in DFW (aka The Mothership) There’s no way we’re could pick up all that flying, at least not overnight. We’d have to have at least 200 CA and FO’s (400 total) to come close to what would be needed to replace the Mesa flying.

You know there's a PSA sub-forum where all these threads you've started would fit nicely.

;)




:cool:

I somewhat agree, but the biggest problem is we have so many reserves in our outstations and they’re rendered basically useless when poop hits the fan in the hubs since the company can’t get them into the hubs efficiently. I think the company just declares critical in all the bases hoping some of the pilots live near the hubs and might be willing to help out. When CLT and DCA shut down I’d estimate there’s 100-300 reserves in the outstations that don’t even get used even when they declare critical in all bases.

Also, Mesa currently is staffed for about 8 pilots for every airplane on property. PSA is around 14.2.

If AAG sent half of Mesa’s airplanes to PSA and none of their pilots came with them we would still be better staffed than Mesa is with their current operation. We would then have 9 pilots per airplane. At PSA’s current hiring pace I’d say it’s reasonable to assume we could reach 2300 total pilots by early spring 2020. With those numbers and a combined Mesa and PSA fleet we’d be staffed around 7.6 pilots per airplane. Not that I think anything that drastic is going to happen, but if AAG wanted it done it wouldn’t take much more of an effort from current hiring trends.

The two contacts require two different numbers of pilots per plane for the operation to function.

I totally agree. But it could still be done with not much of a change in hiring. I’ve spoken to numerous reserve pilots who have flown less than 5 hours a month for the past several months. I talked to a captain a few weeks ago that had to do his landing currency in the sim. Saying we are overstaffed is an understatement.

And what base were they in? Cause I’m sick of scheduling hacking up trips bypassing the bucket system and flying me 56-73 hrs a month

^^^^^This!!!! 😠^^^^

82 hours last month. Personal best in 8 years of regional flying.

Most of them are captains in outstations. The one that had to do his landing currency in the sim was CVG. These guys aren’t the norm but they certainly exist. Most of the reserve FOs I’ve flown with say they’ve been averaging around 20-30, also mostly CVG. I’ve heard most people are flying quite a bit until they consolidate then they rarely get used.

As of now OO is the only other CRJ operator with a DFW base besides Mesa. SGU will be licking their chops for that flying.

Psa dfw base potential
 

Anyone heard anything about a potential DFW crew base?

We don't have near enough departures a day out of DFW to justify a crew base, not happening in 2020.

It’s hard to agree with that. Since we have only 10-11 departures out of TYS a day, and currently 9 in DFW. So nothing would surprise me at this point.

There is a difference in outstation crew bases and hub bases when it comes to departure requirements that make the crew base financially viable, the cost of having a crew base in TYS is way less than DFW with the same amount of departures.....I was told by a VP that we needed around 40-50 departures a day out of a hub for it to make sense to be a crew base but believe what you want. We overnight 5 (4 7/9s and 1 200) planes a night in TYS, that's at least 10 crews that would need hotels (19 rooms) which they don't have to spend $ on. CLT, DCA, and PHL have enough departures that we need reserves there and currently DFW does not. Not all crew bases serve the same purpose.

Agreed, a lot of folks are letting their emotions getting in the way of trying to make sense which bases they want to see open and close.

We do not have nearly enough Departures in DFW to justify a crew base.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

For now


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The number of departures PSA currently operates ex-DFW is irrelevant to whether it will have a base there. That base would happen if AA decides to reallocate some current flights to PSA from another regional - then, shazam, there is enough volume to support a base.

(Also possible that the DFW growth could be allocated primarily to PSA which would organically grow a base over this summer)

With what airplanes?

The 16 CRJ900’s owned by AAG and operated by Mesa. Their contract is up this year and AAG could easily shift those to PSA.

Wonder where those UAX Mesa 700s are going after the 175s come in [emoji848]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

They are accounted for. They are going to Go-Jet.

correct, at a 1 for 1 rate starting May.

Yeah interesting looking into the summer of 2020 envoy takes over all flights from DFW-DAY , PSA apparently no longer has those this summer.

I think some of our DFW flying is not permanent. We are a placeholder until Envoy can do it. Not so sure we’ll end up opening a DFW base.

Do some more looking around, you guys might be picking up different routes and losing DAY. That stuff changes all the time

The word from the VPs in a recent upgrade class was no DFW base. Our DFW flying is primarily designed to route airplanes into the right place for overnight maintenance. We don't do anything west of DFW, and doing so would require us to go to 24 hour staffing in the SOC. Too much cost for too little benefit right now.

Bases do come and go, and the Mesa airplanes could really change the equation. But I'm saying that, not our execs.

That was an MD80 for years. Then a CRJ900 and 175. PSA and the Dayton base never was in place for any of the AA flying. It’ll continue to make sense and be around. It has long before I was at PSA and has been long since I have departed. Rumors never help anyone.

But you see, here you go trying to make sense of it. The only thing assured is we won’t see it coming. They’ve been playing the cards close to the vest this past year.

Which is why I don’t think a DFW base is coming..... Everyone here is trying to rationalize a DFW base lol. Remember how ORD worked out right?

Aww, don't make me sad again :(

Yeah, I personally don't see DFW coming.

PSA is doing 175 flying while the 175 handles Max routes. It’ll all change when the Max is back.

whats the difference between “175 flying” and 900 flying? They’re both 76 seat regional jets...

Have you ever sat for 2 hours in a 175 and then 2 hours in a 900 for comparison? There is no comparison. You can’t even bring your bags with you.

So a subjective approach based on your opinion. Still both are 76 seat regional jets. It just all depends on which carrier gets the flying for the month.

The cabin. Look I’m a 900 driver. Turbulence in the 175 is miserable. But it has the wider cabin and overhead bins like a “real” airliner.