SkyWest to furlough?
 

Heard it from one of your peeps in your training department that it's on the table right now as a heavily weighed option with the way Delta cut backs are going.

Hope for the best.

Looks like you're up to your old tricks again.

No, not gonna happen especially since they are still running classes. Delta can't cut anymore

DL can cut more flying and they will as they've recently addressed an additional 10% cut back to all DCI carriers. DL must pay SKYW the difference for any lost revenue per the contracts bottom line.

You wish this was just a rumor...

You don't seem to remember your aviation history that well. In the mid 90's at least two commuters were running new hire classes as fast as they could. Right up to the day they sent them home from training. And furloughed some also.
IM

The contract limits them from cutting anymore without paying the 150 million. They can cut Comair and Expressjet at will, they can't cut skywest or republic. That is why you saw those 12 crj-700s that were transfered last year. Besides Skywest is still getting 4 more crj 900s this year for delta and is happily moving 50 seaters from delta to midwest and ual. By the end of the year skywest will only have about 40 left for slc.

If I were you merit I would worry more about your airline with its 270 overpriced 50 seaters not skywest.

Another rose colored glasses guy who thinks contracts can't be violated or voided. Or renegotiated. And just what are those limits? 80% of DCI flying or an actual hard block hour limit? Who is actively tracking these numbers? If it's just 80%, Delta just has to cut every DCI provider by a certain percentage and Skywest is still 80%. I'm not trying to pee in your wheaties, but if you aren't planning for the worst, you are just setting yourself up for a bigger fall. Either way, in the end, only you can be responsible for if you are prepared or not.

Does SkyWest now employ tiny marshmallow chickens?

Was just in SLC for my PC check and yes I think they are considering it. It was a hot discussion item among the sim instructors that day. Apparently R.W. is holding fast right now to not furlough anyone, as he doesn't want it to happen on his watch. However, if cutbacks keep coming, we'll all have to hold our breath. Just look at how many reserve lines there are for the next month among the major bases (especially SLC). We are way overstaffed. Typically it picks up again in the summertime, but who knows right now. We just lost Bellingham and Bismark I think on the Delta side.....

Well, the regional's are experiencing a pilot shortage. Plus, they don't complain about the crew meals that consist only of bread and grains.:D

I'd rather see DL cut off Freedom. That would get rid of 36 50 seater RJ's and DL could redistribute the -900's to SkyWest and Comair.

you see, that makes sense..meaning they wont do it.

It is that time of year!

Seriously, I think merit is just pointing how the legacy carrier can mess your airline's contract. He does not wish any harm on Skywest pilots. I don't either. We've been jerked around by CAL and it's hurting us. I think it was more of a beware than a "Ha! Gotcha!"

The industry as we all know is cyclical. Lets just hope this is the bottom and there will be little or no job loss as a result. In the meantime, what is driving oil up this high?? Don't give me that supply and demand BS..

I think pilot cutbacks are a real possibility at SKW as well as some others in the industry. As oil skyrockets and the economy slows the first capacity cuts are coming at the regionals. It appears that cutbacks are already outpacing pilot attrition, and from all news accounts we have only seen the start of this process.

Of course!:rolleyes: Comair will get the shaft again, since we are DL's red headed step children!:mad:

I would like to think that if it's coming to this, which it might be, they'd go the voluntary leave of absence route as opposed to furloughing. If they furloughed, they'd be cutting guys at the bottom of the payscale, but if they offer leaves of absence, maybe they'd save some money in the middle of the payscale.

I'd be all over that if they let me. Then I could keep my number, get a real job, and make real money.

And by the way, I don't think oil is going to stay this expensive for very long. Part of the reason it's so high is that it's one of few decent investment options. It may take a year, but at some point people are going to be speculating on things other than oil. Also, the weak dollar hasn't helped things too much, either. I think the whole world, save some tourists, is just about fed up with the weak dollar. I'd expect the slide to stop, if not reverse itself, in the near future. That ought to help oil prices come down some.

I guess my point is that it's rough out there, but the sky isn't falling just yet.

would they still do this even with no financial trouble...I mean how come express jet isn't letting people go and they are losing millions with no end in sight...?

Ha!! Nice. You ever put a peep in the microwave? Awesome.

Your right, they won't because there can only be 36 (i think that number's right) 900's (configured to a max of 76 seats) in service per the DAL scope clause.

It's pretty cool to microwave peeps, but the result is nowhere near as satisfying as when you've got silverware in the microwave.

To think that SKW will never furlough is ridiculous. If DAL cuts them back below their guarantees then we'll gain $125M plus lost revenue unless Jerry renegotiates the contract; but I can only see him doing this if, in the long run, it better cements SKW Inc position with DAL.
Also remember that SKW has more UAL departures than DAL and UAL’s not cutting us back like DAL is……………………..yet. SKW has just over 1700 departures and almost 1100 of them are for UAL, unless you through ASA into the mix which takes us up to around 2550 total departures. If Merit you are meaning SKW Inc then the thread should reflect the "Inc" so that it includes possible furloughs at ASA.

As for the cut in flying, this is industry wide and it will affect everyone, SKW Inc isn't DAL's only 50 seat operator.

Also if SKW can work their way around furloughing then they will. Especially when you think that most of the new hires have ended up on the EMB, we are incredibly short staffed on the EMB and our flying on the EMB is NOT BEING CUT due to its profitability. If SKW furloughed they will have to boot some JR RJ FO's down to the EMB and this will cost them a lot of money but if the numbers are right it could happen.

You can rest assure they’ll do the number crunching and they’ll do what's best for the company, but I'd expect them to try to carry as many of us as possible and use some of that $900+M they have in the bank.

Why do I think they will do this instead of furloughing? Well that’s what they did after Sept. 11th and it’s how they’ve been able to keep the Kool-Aid flowing.

Is there anything to stop SKW from just letting people go, without going through a furlough?

Oh, you must mean our contract, right?

Why is it that regional pilots are squabbling amongst each other like little kids saying his airline is better than the other's?

Fact of the matter is if this fuel price keeps soaring out of control like it is right now, Majors like DAL , UAL, CO, USAir, and NWA will be forced to cut back on RJ flying, both 50 seat RJs and 76 seat RJs (E175s and CRJ900s). Where they will get this cut will be anybody's guess. No one here has access to the DAL, UAL, NWA, Continental Airlines boardroom conversations.

It is naive to think that contracts will protect one better than the other.
If NWA/DAL merges, and followed by UAL/Continental merges, all bets are off. Typically, an airline CEO is a beancounter and surrounds himself with an army of well paid lawyers whose sole purpose in life is to find loopholes in contracts so they can break it if they need to. Now, I am not privy to the Skywest Contract with DAL, but I'll bet my money that the DAL lawyers have drafted a language in there for a multiple potential loopholes. After all, the contract was drawn up in favor of the DAL. Skywest is a subcontractor for DAL, just like Comair, and other regionals, let's not forget that.

Thats a bit refreshing to read as a new hire even if it's just your opinion.

In over 35 years SKW has never furloughed. What about your company? I'm not saying it won’t happen but they've looked out for their pilots more than any other regional airline has.

Oh and those pilots have contracts. :p

In over 35 years SKW has never furloughed, that should tell you something and it should help you breathe a little better.

Also know that in almost 30 years of operation, ASA has only furloughed 2 pilots.

But then again, we do have a contract. *shrug*

Time will tell.

Yes, RAH has furloughed. Management is contractually obligated to furlough pilots instead of just kicking them to the curb. Is there anything that forces SKW to do the same? The "we've never done it before" argument doesn't really hold water, as I'm more interested in something concrete.

Neither has ASA but I wouldn't be feeling warm and fuzzy if I was a new hire there either. Although, an ASA furloughee would have recall rights in writing.

You're right, it's much better to pick fights in the Majors forum and challenge other users' academic credentials.

Well, lets see... Delta went 60 something years before furloughing the first time in the 90's. I guess it just gets easier the 2nd/3rd time. Never say Never.

Read the entire entries before jumping the gun. Nipping is not called for.

Agree. It seems premature to be talking about furloughs, though.

I understand you argument and I wanted a union here for many reasons, this one included. But our Mgmnt team sticks to our agreement, if they don't then there will be a union on property shortly afterwards. Jerry and friends will do anything to keep us union free including not detour from our agreement. That’s a small price to pay for increased savings down the road. Mark my words, they will stay the course.

If I get the axe, big deal. That's aviation. Get on with life and stop crying.

PS It's 274 overpriced 50 seaters.

Wow.. Maybe Meritflyer was not BS'ing here.

I mean you offense but can you read. Where did I say NEVER! I'll help; here are my postings without the water:

I'm not going to defend it but just look at it. Do we have to be near (near meaning with in $1 or 2) the top in TOTAL compensation? No but they do it anyway. We could be the HIGHEST paid but we’ve argued that and I can safely say the horse is dead.

Also I'm in no threat of being furloughed. They'd have to cut our RJ's by over 140 just for me to sweat, and if they did furlough me, bid deal, I can afford an extra long vacation.

The only problem is that 99% of the other pilots don’t have my kind of financial flexibility/freedom.

i posted this on another thread but this statement is not true. i personally know several people who were hired at skywest, 6 guys to be exact, that had passed their checkrides and were on the bro when 9/11 hit. they were sent packing and all came back to my school their in slc and were re hired as instructors till they were called to go back. i should know since the took a few of my students. it was 6 weeks before they were called back.

of course 9/11 was a different story than what we are dealing with now, but the fact remains they were hired and on the line when they were told to go back home and they would be called back later.

Although the oil price keeps increasing, the U.S. $ keeps loosing its value while Euro and other world currencies increase their value.