In negotiations you always shoot for the moon in the initial round.

 

Here's a prediction:
A the company's request, "negotiations" will be kept confidential. That will serve two purposes.
1. Pilots will be less inclined to jump ship because they optimistically think that something good is coming.
2. Not telling the pilot group what is happening will cause distrust among the membership and the MEC. What are they hiding? Will be the word on the line. Disunity will be the result.
Ask yourself: If you were the company and something was really happening, wouldn't you want to shout it from the top of the mountain, and thus stem the tide of exodus? Sure you would. Because it will save you the time and expense of hiring replacement pilots.
If nothing is really happening, management has nothing to say. And all of the well-intentioned optimism on the East Coast won't change that.
If our MEC had any b-lls, they would take an all for one, and one for all approach, and refuse to keep anything secret.
Tell us all, or tell no one.
Solidarity for a change!

 

Will our MEC Chairman play management's secrecy game, and thus protect the cushy schedule awarded to him by the company, or will he raise the torch of solidarity?

My money's on the schedule.

 

Whatever you think of BF, running your mouth about him being on full time leave and having a cushy schedule is F'd up when in reality he had life threatening health issues and surgery and is out on medical. Grow up

 

Oh, because he had medical issues recently everything he does/says is okay. Ha! Check his history before running your mouth.
With the exception of medical leave, his viewpoint has always been directly related to his ability to get time off. That's the way it has always worked here at PDT. Give a little, get a little.

Wake up, kid.

 

Yes folks this place sucks, and to top it off there are more than a few people like this (survivor) you will be lucky enough to fly with. What a joke.

 

During the '07-'08 timeframe the MECC flew a full schedule and ALPA days were at a premium for all MEC and committee members. Not sure when BF got off the line or for what reason, but after the MECC election in '06 the company was extremely disagreeable with ALPA days. Prior to that it was doable, but no picnic.

 

It would be enormously expensive to re-fleet PDT with the EJet when there are plenty of FFD operators out there with the programs already up and running.. And that would be wayyyyyy out of character and management style of Kirby and friends. Your talking full type ratings for all 300 + pilots, training for check airmen and sim instructors, training for all mechanics..a complete rework of dispatch systems, proving runs, a totally different route and base structure, etc etc etc...Not only does this make no sense financially it makes no sense logistically either.

Anyone who thinks AAG will EVER place Ejets at PDT is simply not in touch with reality. PDT's only hope on its own is LTP scope relief and a re-flteet with Q400's. Otherwise its a merge with PSA, Envoy or an outright shutdown. Those are the economic realities of it all.

 

And please explain to everyone how this is any different than other regional that has refleeted?? Uhh didn't mesa and skywest just get e-170's? Training hundreds of pilots, mechanics, proving runs blah blah blah what was psa flying before jets? shuttle america? Every other airline out there has gone through this, it does make sense if you get it for the right price and that's exactly what aag management is going to toy with. How low will pdt pilots go to fly these. In the long run if it's the right contract all that training and other stuff is a drop in the bucket.

 

they 'had' to do it to keep running, airways doesn't "have" to do anything in regards to pdt flying