Not really sure what you're getting at here... I don't really think we got whipsawed by CAL. They said "do it for this" we said "go F&%K yourselves". Which is how it should be. In all reality, if CAL removes more airplanes from their CPA it releases ExpressJet from a lot of contractual hog-ties. And with so many companies tired of bottom feeders like Mesa, I would not be surprised if those airplanes found homes as soon as they were released, either on the branded side, the charter side or with another CPA at another carrier. If CAL wants to keep the airplanes working for them, thats fine too. Honestly, I think CAL learned their lesson with the Cha-bacle. Colgan with those Q400s up in EWR is another sh!t storm waiting to happen. I think CAL will be thinking long and hard about turning down our services again.

 

smisik (sp) has stated that CAL wants 3-4 regional flying for them, and he wasn't talking about props either.

whippsawed??? you lost 25% or your CAL flying because you wouldn't do it cheaper. if CAL is hog tieing you guys why not just get more airplanes to do what you want to.

and just so you know i hope you don't lose more flying but it won't suprise me it it happens.

 

I'm not sure you're getting it...Our management DID NOT allow our company to get whipsawed (Whipsawed = being played off against another carrier where you each lower your bid in order to secure flying, generally at the expense of the regional and its employees and for the benefit of the mainline carrier and its shareholders). CAL said we want you to do it cheaper or we are bringing in another carrier to do our flying. XJT management said this is our price. Don't like it? Go F&%K yourself!. Er go...NO whipsawing occurred. And its not like we LOST flying, its just on our own terms now, not CAL's. And its not doing so badly either. The charter stuff is a cash cow, the branded stuff is doing better than any one expected and Delta can't get their hands on enough airplanes. So please, explain to me how a "whipsaw" occurred.

CAL has 3-4 regionals flying for them right now (XJT, CHQ, Colgan, Commutair). Having 3-4 jet regionals might have originally been the idea cooked up by Bean Counter Larry and his herd of morons but I don't know that they will stick to that plan after the melt down that was CHQ here in Houston. It was a mess operationally because CAL is used to a seamless system between XJT and mainline where they have a lot of operational control and we know how each other operate (because we operate the same way). They don't have that with CHQ and it has cost CAL dearly, both in term of money and customer satisfaction.

If CAL releases another 25% of the fleet from the CPA, it REMOVES several hog ties in the current CPA with CAL such as a non-compete clause which would allow us to fly into CLE, EWR and IAH for other carriers, it would allow us to charge different carriers different rates (right now Delta is paying the same rate for us as CAL is) and it would allow us to have more than 10 airplanes in another CPA with another carrier (thats why 10 of Delta's planes are CPA and the other 8 are in a revenue sharing agreement).

 

here you go. CAL came in a said do it cheaper or we're taking 25% of your flying. you said no and lost the flying to someone who would do it cheaper. whether you lowered the cost or not is a mute point because you still lost the flying. you found somewhere else to put those airplanes, just like everyone else who has been whipsawed but you still lost the flying.

smisiks comments were made in the past year and they said they knew there would be "growing pain" with doing it but in the long run it would benefit CAL in case something would happen in a single carrier type operation which expressjet used to be. think of comair and the strike in cinnci. if you think airline management is going to do the right thing they wouldn't have sold off expressjet in the first place.

do you really think losing another 25% of your flying is worth the 3 extra airports you get to fly into with another company?