Airsupport

yeah.. thats what pinnacle was saying 5 years ago, and what mesaba was saying 10 years ago. give it time my man. you will be built up, you will be sold, you will be beat down, and the cycle will repeat itself.

and don't get to high and mighty about your little 900,, god i can smell the sjs here, and it makes me want to puke!!! even the 900's delta is making us buy will serve hot meals in first class, dual fms, hf radios, all the bells and whistles.. thing is the pinnacle pilots did NOTHING TO GET THESE PLANES.. we didn't take a pay cut, we didn't sign a concessionary contract, we didn't fall for the bull and WE STILL GOT THE PLANES!!! imagine how much better your life would have been if you didn't take a concessionary contract, you would have still gotten the planes once they bought you guys.

i agree. mesabas future is bright for the next 5-7 years. but come contract time things will change like they always do. just look at 9e's and xj's history with nwa and you will see the cycle is the same every time.

XJPILOT1

Well... i've been around a long time. I'm imune to SJS. I fly the SAAB and I like it. Watch what you say here 'cause I could go nut's on why 9E is having soo many problems right now.

About our concesions? We rocked! Many of us received tens of thousands of dollars in the bankruptcy claim and we have 'snap back'!! What exactly did we give up for these new planes.

Airsupport

hey, i could care less if you go off on pinnacle. i am not in love with them. i may like working here because of the qol i have, but i am also willing to stfd when the time comes. oh yeah,, and snap back means nothing. and like the guy above me said, flow through is what eagles problem is, all this means is you are a safety net for the guys when the 9 is taken off line.

and i think it is ridiculous that we are flying 900's mainline style for regional pay. who gives a crap if they have hot first class meals, and fly longer legs. thats not what a regional is supposed to do. they are supposed to fly the small stuff to the big guys.

JoeyMeatballs

Brilliant post, I wish people would realize this.................

dojetdriver

Hey dude, that's great and all. But unless those hot meals are being served by bikini laden goddesses back there that are willing to give you a happy ending on the over night, you are STILL flying a replacement jet at REGIONAL pilot wages.

Does that make sense?

F-90 Driver

XJT does alot of short legs.......right.......

Ftrooppilot

There are many definitions of a Regional Airline. What they do is what the company management and stock owners decide they do. I don't know of any rule that limits them to "small stuff." Union agreements may impose restrictions but that's limitation on a specific company not an industry.

If regional crewmember pay was equal to mainline pay on a 90 seat aircraft, how many would complain "that's not what a regional is supposed to do ?"

JoeyMeatballs

Yeah they can afford to serve "Hot Meals" because of what you are getting paid!!!!!!!!!!!!! "NWA spared no expense" Are you kidding??? take a look at the moral over there!!!!!!!!!!!! This is the type of attitude that is ruining the industry............. Who cares whats going on in the back of the airplane!!!!!!!!!!!! what is most important, seems to be of little importance to you!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT YOU ARE GETTING PAID I Think this is SJS at its best, or should I say worst..................................If these airplanes are so great than maybe you should be getting paid more................after all your airplanes have first class.................and Hot meals and all

PS Wether or not MESABAH is a great place to work is not the issue, the issue is when you get tired of the "HOT MEALS" and the obnoxious pax in the tiny First class you have..................at the end of the day you will be making poor wages while NWA is making a killing for what they charge............Ya see its ssimple, they don't charge pax any less because its a regional jet, yet they can pay you less because its a regional jet.................ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

Ftrooppilot

SAAB: Good customer relations. Stay calm.

For what it is worth, here are some definitions from "How Airlines Work."

Not all airlines are created equal. As in most businesses, there is a sort of stratification of airlines, at least within the United States. U.S. airlines are either publicly or privately owned -- however, in many countries, the government owns the airlines. A U.S. airline's rank is determined by the amount of revenue it generates. It is then classified by the U.S. federal government and placed in one of three categories: major, national or regional
If you've flown before, it may be easy for you to tell the difference between the three categories. Each of the three types of airlines has distinguishable routes. Typically, the larger airlines offer more destinations and longer routes. Let's take a closer look at these airline categories.

Major airlines - These are the heavyweights of the airline industry, and you will often hear about them in the news. A major airline is defined as an airline that generates more than $1-billion in revenue annually. There were 12 major airlines as of 2000: Alaska, America West, American, American Eagle, American Trans Air, Continental, Delta, Northwest, Southwest, Trans World, United and US Airways. Typically, these are also the largest employers among airlines. For instance, United Airlines employed more than 97,000 people in 2000. American employed 93,000, and Delta employed more than 77,000. However, there are also some major airlines that don't employ large numbers, such as Alaska, which employs only 9,600 people.

National airlines - Just one step down from the major airlines, these are scheduled airlines with annual operating revenues between $100-million and $1-billion. These airlines might serve certain regions of the country, but may also provide long-distance routes and some international destinations. They operate medium- and large-sized jets. Examples of national airlines include Aloha, Atlas Air, Airtran, Emery Worldwide, Evergreen, Hawaiian and Midwest Express. Because these are smaller airlines, you can expect them to have a smaller number of employees. For example, Airtran employs just more than 3,700 people, and Midwest Express employs about 2,500.

Regional airlines - As the name suggests, these airlines service particular regions of the United States, filling the niche markets that the major and national airlines may overlook. This is the fastest growing segment of the airline industry, according to the Air Transport Association of America (ATA). Regionals are divided into three subgroups:

Large regionals - These are scheduled carriers with $20-million to $100-million in annual revenue. They operate aircraft that can accommodate more than 60 passengers.

Medium regionals - These airlines operate on a smaller scale, with operating revenues of under $20-million, and often use only small aircraft.

Small regionals - These airlines don't have a set revenue definition, but are usually referred to as "commuter airlines." They use small aircraft with less than 61 seats.

The airline industry is just like any other business, meaning that there are numerous types of airlines because their customers have different needs. If you are going overseas, you're likely to use a major airline because it has more destinations overseas. A business person travelling between two small cities is likely to fly on a regional airline, because he doesn't want to have to stop at a major-airline hub for a layover.

AirTran, American Eagle, Comair, Mesa, Express Jet, Sky West and others are by definition (revenue generated) National Airlines not Regional Airlines.

IHateMgmt

Whole lotta Mesaba bashin' going on here... where's the love, guys?

Serously, now I don't agree with everything XJ pilot said (NWA "spared no expense" on a CRJ is like getting a Yugo fully loaded and calling it a luxery sedan) but Mesaba pilots have long been a respectable group and don't deserve the sh*t thats being laid on their laps by mgmt or by some of you other pilots here on the boards. I'm sorry, but a pinnicle pilot lecturing a XJ pilot about SJS... I hope you're joking.