From Fred's Mouth
 

In the interview I read with Fred Deleeuw (Probably butchered that) he stated they were in talks with the DOT about ceasing only the east coast EAS flying but the DOT told them no. If they shut down some of the EAS flying they have to take down all the flying. He went on to say he was hopeful they would allow them to continue their EAS flyinf out west while a new carrier was selected. Best of luck to all involved. Tough situation.

well i dont wanna say that i saw this coming but the writing has been on the wall for a while now and rumors of something bad have been circulating for weeks. i dont think anyone thought it was going to be this drastic and this sudden but thats just the way it is.

as for myself, i had been preparing to leave anyway and currently have offers on the table for a jan 7 class at AWAC and a jan 9 class at Republic. just trying to decide on which one is a better fit for me overall. as with nearly all the FO's i worked with noone should have trouble finding a job at another regional. its the CA's that were just short of the 1000 TPIC that i feel bad for and the montana guys that have been with the company for years and years and never planned on leaving. either way at the end of the day i know everyone will land on their feet no matter where they end up.

word in cvg is that comair is, apparently a memo just came out, and my friend is doing the bigsky bgr flights, which we just picked up like a few days ago

By Gregory Polek

December 20, 2007
Air Transport and Cargo



MAIR Holdings announced yesterday that its Big Sky Airlines subsidiary will end all its Delta Connection service on the East Coast as of midnight on January 7. The company will then attempt to “transition” its Billings, Mont.-based operation to another airline, distribute any remaining cash to shareholders and completely liquidate sometime next year, said MAIR president Paul Foley during a conference call this morning. Delta has recruited wholly owned subsidiary Comair to assume responsibility for part of the 16-city Eastern network.

Meanwhile, MAIR has entered negotiations with another carrier, reportedly Cheyenne, Wyo.-based Great Lakes Aviation, to assume control of Big Sky’s Billings-based EAS markets. Foley attributed the decision to shut down to unusually bad weather, high fuel costs and “disappointing” revenue from the Boston-based operation, established in April in an effort to counter losses generated by its Western network.

I'm confused. Is the ENTIRE Big Sky operation shutting down or just the East coast stuff? I was under the impression that it was just the Delta flying out of Boston that was on the chopping block. Why would that affect the guys out in Montana that have been with Big Sky for years?

Looks like Kansas answered the question while I was typing.:D Thanks for the update.

No prob Bob...here's the link to the article for those that would like to see it firsthand: http://www.ainonline.com/news/single...ash=53c8ec5430

Guess I won't be applying to them.......

I bet the rest of you are glad you didn't have to attempt to overcome the impossible like deLeeuw and Foley had to overcome with factors such as "bad weather" and "high fuel costs". :rolleyes: :mad:

Tonight on the 6 o'clock news here in Montana they announced that Big Sky will cease all operation by Feburary. Sad news I have a lot of buddies out of work with this announcement.

I heard that there were news cameras all over northeast New York today following us around. Ha, we should have put passengers on the news vans, I bet they got to more of our destinations than we did. (BOS WX sucked today)

Sorry to hear for the BOS based guys, I feel for ya.

I said the Chief Pilot made me feel less than welcomed, the H.R. lady as well as the young F.O. that interviewed me made me feel very welcomed.
Again, I wish all at Big Sky the best, I also heard that Mair is selling Big Sky, true?

I would say so - Press Release in another thread...

welllll, i guess this answers my bigsky pic or jet sic delema......:rolleyes:

mesaba and colgan are also hiring street CA.

I saw on another thread that Big Sky has been listed as COD for deicing and fuel because of outstanding bills.

"If there is a pasenger with a Black AmEx card, please come forward. Our CEO would like to talk with you, and then we will be ready to board the flight."

This is going to be a rough month or two for y'all.

Best of luck Big Skyers.

and this is why i will never be returning to work there!

Makes sense
 

Wow, pretty amazing how fast Paul Foley and Deleuew transitioned their company proceeds to be covered by Great Lakes. Break's down Big Sky's pilot union. Gives the flying to their competition and possibly the resources of planes and pilots at a cheaper rate. Remember when Great Lakes announced they didn't have enough pilots or planes to cover their new EAS routes. Seems like a match made in heaven for management. Funny how the announcement they were closing was made the 19th and worked out in the media by the 20th (fast even for the news companies). Spit out the kool-aid gentlemen there was a reason why management never fixed things in Boston and broke the company in less than a year. Most our planes were full in Boston, IMO. I think there is a lot more we will never know. I feel really bad for the Billings guys . . . nice to see Great Lakes offering them jobs at their pay-rates (20% less). Nothing against the Great Lake guys, totally makes sense for their management. Plus you Lakers are definitely busting your butts at that pay.

Sorry to hear about your guys' situation. Hope something comes along for all of you. The pay here definitely doesn't match the work we do, but for an EAS carrier that's been in the biz for 20+ years, at least we don't have to worry about our small checks bouncing. Helps to be a Colo. native. Really helps the quality of life, more time at home.
PS. Training Dept helps too.

Looking back
 

Looking back I wish I would have got on with Skywest or Lakes and stayed there for the duration and moved on when I reached 1000PIC. Like they say, looking back is always 20/20!!! :) I am also a Colorado guy. Wish I were in your shoes EMB120IP.

Actually QOL isnt bad, the people are pretty cool and pay isnt bad for driving a 1900. Dont bother though, they are closing up shop. I just got my furlough letter a couple of days ago.

Time to brush up the resume. I hate interviewing

Not having to commute is very nice for sure. Hindsight IS always 20/20, but at the same time, if we all knew the outcome of life, we'd all win the lotto and be rich. Big Brother surely won't let that happen, so this is just going to have to be the way it is.