I was very glad to hear about the results of the vote at the Council 44 meeting today. Thanks for attending and voting.

I hope the SkyWest pilots help each other out, but I have a feeling there are too many drinking the Jerry KoolAid.

 

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Sadly SKW only has about 35% unity. There is NO WAY this pilot group will EVER stand-up as a majority and protect their own. Sadly we are an airline full of Jerry's Kids... God help them if and when Jerry leaves.

 

i would say that is exactly the way it is at republic. unfortunately with these super regionals with so many on the list its tough to get a majority opinion on anything. you have a large chunk of guys that are real senior and could give a ****. they'll pick up OT and wouldnt consider droppin line values. you cant blame them, theyve been around the block are typically married with kids and have a mortgage along with car payments, you gotta do what you gotta do. another large chunk is guys that are there simply there to get there time and get out. they could care less how poorly they are treated and let the company routinely violate the contract on them cuz they dont wanna ruffle feathers, they just wanna do there time and move on. what they dont realize is that when they let crew scheduling do what they want it gives them a basis to do it again, at least to try it. it's called setting a precedent. once you've let the cat out of the bag its a pain in the rear to get it back in. the guys that are there that wanna make things better unfortunately only represent a minority amongst the total group, but you have to still appreciate there efforts. they are the ones that make this job tolerable. seeing that other people care does a lot to motivate others.

point is, until we find a way to sway the majority in one direction with a common goal that motivates all of us, things will never change. all we are left with is these ridiculous tangents on an internet message board, which is occurring past my bedtime so i'm done now.

 

Unfortunately, I am one to be laid off on May 15.

A lot of what has been said is close, but here are the actual facts:

- Skywest was not the main reason the decision was made. Delta TOLD skywest that they were taking over 100% of the ground ops in SLC. Skywest talked them down to 25%. So Delta is taking over that amount in order to consolidate their ops.

- Delta is not hiring us to pick up the slack. They already hired from within and from NW. They told Skywest that if any openings occur, that we can apply on Delta.com. In other words, Delta screwed us royally.

- These furloughs will go approximately 1.75 years back in the seniority list...so about summer of 2007 as the hire date.

- Furlough is for three years.

- Skywest is offering a generous severance package of $500 and 90 of travel benefits of Skywest planes only...not mainline Delta.

- I am really p**sed off and scared.

Lifter

 

I am very sorry to hear about your personal situation with Skywest and Delta in SLC.

I am an ORD Captain and I don't fly to SLC very much but when I do I have always had a very positive experience with all the hard work of the ground crews there.

Thank you for doing such a great job! Best wishes to you and your family.

Unfortunately this situation with Skywest and Delta in SLC illuminates only one thing - Skywest is not its own "airline".

We do not own our gates, we do not own our reservation/ticketing system, we do not have a stand-alone brand name that means anything to anyone except Delta/United/Midwest.

I seriously doubt Skywest will ever be able to become its own stand-alone airline and, for me personally, therefore is not a long term career interest. Taking any step by St. George to become our own "airline" will be immediately viewed as us biting the hands of the 800 lb. gorillas (Delta/United) that feed us.

People in these forums may accuse me of anything they want, but I think Jerry and the executives in St. George have done a great job with Skywest given what the realities of this industry give them to work with.

I just don't want to still be "dancing" here when the music stops for Skywest.

 

that is all true, and it's a good point. however, it's also true that people at their "own airlines" have been furloughed and screwed over many times, and in fact, much less so than here at skywest. skywest has never furloughed or laid people off so they could outsource the work to someone else. every mainline airline has done that. so it's 2 bad sides to the same coin.

 

You may want to ask yourself how long has SkyWest been operating, & how long have the Legacy's been operating? SkyWest will eventually furlough, as will all other carriers. Let's just hope that's a ways away. Always be prepared.

 

Yes SkyWest has never furloughed but SkyWest has also NEVER been as large as they currently are. A 10-15% reduction in SKW flying in the 70’s, 80's, 90's or even the early 00's is nothing compared to a 10-15% reduction today.

One day SKW will furlough, is that day coming in September? I have no idea but the company needs to reduce staffing for the fall. If the VLOA’s, PTL’s and attrition can obtain the cost savings they need then Jerry & Friends will continue to maintain their prefect record, at least for now, but the day will come.

 

True, two weeks ago everybody in SGU thought we were losing all the ground services in SLC. Word is that Jerry spent a week in ATL trying to salvage the situation.

In the past when SKW has taken over a ground station from another company (including DAL), they have hired the other company's people and even given them longevity. But somehow I didn't expect that from DAL.


Best of luck.