Comair updates?
09-14-2010 | 03:24 PM
Line Holder
Joined: Sep 2008
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From: FO
Skywest to absorb the rest of mesa after they furlough? Is this true? Friend there said they're taking Mesa and Freedom 700 and 900 with pilots...? I'm on my phone and don't want to read through all the post.
09-14-2010 | 03:52 PM
Line Holder
Joined: Jul 2008
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Thanks. Believe me, I wish I didn't have to write things like that. There was a time post-9/11, and post-strike, when Comair was growing, successful, and the "go-to" airline whenever Delta had a tough challenge to solve.
Comair labor was, back in those days, even higher relative to the competition than it is today, yet somehow Delta knew which regional carrier could get the job done.
Unfortunately, the "everything for nothing" Wal-Mart mentality Delta has managed Comair with over the last five years has over time begun to reflect that old saying "you get what you pay for", as completion factor, on-time performance, and other metrics have suffered as talent has been driven away.
Don't tell me crew costs are too high when Comair has been the only carrier in the Delta Connection network to be paid to fly their airplanes slow. How many times over the last five years have you heard the following on a center frequency?
"Freedom XXXX, say speed?"
"Mach point seven-seven, Freedom XXXX."
"Chautauqua XXXX, say speed?"
"Mach point seven-six, Chautauqua XXXX."
"Comair XXXX, say speed?"
"Mach point six-four, Comair XXXX."
Duh, of course crew costs are going to be higher. Even if book rates were the exact same, when you expect your pilots to fly 10% slower than any other pilot in the DCI network, guess what? Your Comair pilots are going to be 10% less productive, or viewed another way, 10% more expensive.
Sad to write this, but perhaps Comair would be best served by replacing the 50-seaters with elephants. That would be more fitting for the circus Delta has made, or allowed local "management" to make, of what used to be a quite competent airline.
Comair labor was, back in those days, even higher relative to the competition than it is today, yet somehow Delta knew which regional carrier could get the job done.
Unfortunately, the "everything for nothing" Wal-Mart mentality Delta has managed Comair with over the last five years has over time begun to reflect that old saying "you get what you pay for", as completion factor, on-time performance, and other metrics have suffered as talent has been driven away.
Don't tell me crew costs are too high when Comair has been the only carrier in the Delta Connection network to be paid to fly their airplanes slow. How many times over the last five years have you heard the following on a center frequency?
"Freedom XXXX, say speed?"
"Mach point seven-seven, Freedom XXXX."
"Chautauqua XXXX, say speed?"
"Mach point seven-six, Chautauqua XXXX."
"Comair XXXX, say speed?"
"Mach point six-four, Comair XXXX."
Duh, of course crew costs are going to be higher. Even if book rates were the exact same, when you expect your pilots to fly 10% slower than any other pilot in the DCI network, guess what? Your Comair pilots are going to be 10% less productive, or viewed another way, 10% more expensive.
Sad to write this, but perhaps Comair would be best served by replacing the 50-seaters with elephants. That would be more fitting for the circus Delta has made, or allowed local "management" to make, of what used to be a quite competent airline.
09-14-2010 | 05:35 PM
What's A Weekend?
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 803
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From: Big...So Big
Freedom had no -900's....well, they once did, but they were taken away by DAL when they canceled their 900 contract about a year and a half ago. The only thing Freedom had when they shut down was a bunch of crappy ERJ-145's (without the w&b mod).
09-15-2010 | 07:08 AM
Line Holder
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 87
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From: FO
Ok, so Freedom did not have 900's but they still technically have pilots. Mesa has 900's though and that's what I was getting at. Either was sounds like Skywest is going to grow some more if this is who they want and they actually get it.
09-16-2010 | 03:53 AM
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 229
Likes: 0
From: CRJ, CR7, A320, B737
"Mach point six-four, Comair XXXX."
Duh, of course crew costs are going to be higher. Even if book rates were the exact same, when you expect your pilots to fly 10% slower than any other pilot in the DCI network, guess what? Your Comair pilots are going to be 10% less productive, or viewed another way, 10% more expensive.
Sad to write this, but perhaps Comair would be best served by replacing the 50-seaters with elephants. That would be more fitting for the circus Delta has made, or allowed local "management" to make, of what used to be a quite competent airline.
09-16-2010 | 06:03 AM
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Joined: Jul 2010
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omg.....i love it . its so true cause i believe that is what is going to happen too.....yet another large carrot dangled in front of a comair pilot and none of it will come true but less money, once again, and a job with mesa, or some other regional.
That's interesting.
JB: "Take another 10% pay cut across the board and Delta will give you preferential hiring."
Comair Pilot <3 years on property: "That sounds great! Sign me up!"
Comair Pilot >3 years on property: "Wait a minute. You promised us growth in exchange for concessions in 2005. That didn't happen. You promised we'd be "competitive" if we took concessions during bankruptcy in the year you testified under oath we were projected to earn $50 million. In exchange for those concessions, you got rid of half the fleet we were operating at the time."
JB: "That was like six Presidents ago. I'm on your side. After all, you can see how much better things have gotten since I came here nearly two years ago."
Comair Pilot <3 years on property: "You senior pilots are just in my way. You need to move on so I can upgrade and flow through to Delta. JB has always looked out for our best interest."
JB during subsequent phone call to Atlanta: "Just look at these idiots. We've got them fighting among themselves. There is no unity to worry about. In just a few months, they'll vote anything in."
Six months later......
JB: "Well folks, thanks for the concessions you agreed to in order to be competitive. As a result, we were able to sell the company to Mesa."
Comair Pilot <3 years: "What about my flowthrough?"
JB: "We're looking into that. Word is Delta is going to take the most senior fifty."
Comair Pilot <3 years: "But you made that agreement with all of us!"
JB: "That's true, but it doesn't matter, because I just do what Atlanta tells me to. By the way, I just got promoted to be the Vice President in charge of Delta Connection. Aren't you happy for me?"
Comair Pilot >3 years: "**********, when are we going to stop selling our skills and abilities short?"
Comair Pilot <3 years: "Shut up. Just be thankful I haven't pushed you down the aircraft stairs yet to get you out of the way of my upgrade."
JB: "Take another 10% pay cut across the board and Delta will give you preferential hiring."
Comair Pilot <3 years on property: "That sounds great! Sign me up!"
Comair Pilot >3 years on property: "Wait a minute. You promised us growth in exchange for concessions in 2005. That didn't happen. You promised we'd be "competitive" if we took concessions during bankruptcy in the year you testified under oath we were projected to earn $50 million. In exchange for those concessions, you got rid of half the fleet we were operating at the time."
JB: "That was like six Presidents ago. I'm on your side. After all, you can see how much better things have gotten since I came here nearly two years ago."
Comair Pilot <3 years on property: "You senior pilots are just in my way. You need to move on so I can upgrade and flow through to Delta. JB has always looked out for our best interest."
JB during subsequent phone call to Atlanta: "Just look at these idiots. We've got them fighting among themselves. There is no unity to worry about. In just a few months, they'll vote anything in."
Six months later......
JB: "Well folks, thanks for the concessions you agreed to in order to be competitive. As a result, we were able to sell the company to Mesa."
Comair Pilot <3 years: "What about my flowthrough?"
JB: "We're looking into that. Word is Delta is going to take the most senior fifty."
Comair Pilot <3 years: "But you made that agreement with all of us!"
JB: "That's true, but it doesn't matter, because I just do what Atlanta tells me to. By the way, I just got promoted to be the Vice President in charge of Delta Connection. Aren't you happy for me?"
Comair Pilot >3 years: "**********, when are we going to stop selling our skills and abilities short?"
Comair Pilot <3 years: "Shut up. Just be thankful I haven't pushed you down the aircraft stairs yet to get you out of the way of my upgrade."
09-16-2010 | 06:07 AM
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Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 25
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copied from an earlier post......this is great!
How many times should pilots be expected to pay to practice their profession?
Half the seniority list at Comair already earns less than what a cab driver in New York City does...a person who barely speaks English, hasn't taken a shower in a week, and has skills no greater than 99% of the rest of the U.S. adult population. I use that as a benchmark because recently 35% of Comair's pilot group was based at JFK. Seems valid, especially considering the tarnished "brass ring" of the Legacy airline job is unlikely to be reached by the overwhelming majority of regional pilots.
How many times should pilots be expected to pay to practice their profession?
Half the seniority list at Comair already earns less than what a cab driver in New York City does...a person who barely speaks English, hasn't taken a shower in a week, and has skills no greater than 99% of the rest of the U.S. adult population. I use that as a benchmark because recently 35% of Comair's pilot group was based at JFK. Seems valid, especially considering the tarnished "brass ring" of the Legacy airline job is unlikely to be reached by the overwhelming majority of regional pilots.
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