SKW bases closing and new one's opening
 

Hot of the press from MM, president of SAPA.

MKE closing JAN 2010: SFO, ORD, and DEN will absorb the majority of the draw down. (I know, not new)

SAN and SMF will be closing as crew domiciles October 1 2009. I was told for both the EMB & RJ.

LAX will open as an EMB line domicile.

SFO will open as CRJ line domicile.

I hope they increase the size of LAX as an EMB domicile or open up SFO as an EMB line domicile (currently only reserve). It would make my life a lot simpler now that I have a 2nd kid on the way. Yep, doctor’s appointment today confirmed my wife has a 1” bun in the oven. LOL! I have a nice picture of the little peanut........BTW if anyone sees my best friend tell him I'm looking for him. :D

Back on topic, LAX will go extremely senior with SAN closing and all 4 EMB SMF pilots (2 CA’s, 2 FO’s) will more than likely move to FAT.

Word is that LAX EMB spots will be offered to SAN folks first (the implication being it will not be a strictly open bid by seniority). Seems fair to me, but might tee off a few people currently driving to PSP.

Yes but they’re planning 19 initial lines and SAN only has 16 CA and 14 FO lines. So after the SAN pilots get first preference the award will be opened up for others. I’d also expect 1 or 2 of SAN pilots to opt for PSP.

Congrats on the Peanut. My wife just had ours and its a blast. Just don't expect to get much sleep for the first while. congrats again.

Thanks, we’re bouncing off the walls with excitement. Our first child was on a 1:30 cycle, meaning every hour and a half for 6 months straight she woke up for feeding.......brutal! But other than that she was an angle so I’d gladly live through that again than have a colicky baby.

As for SKW, I’m sure that I won’t be able to hold a line in LAX with SAN closing so I’ll be forced to continue my two leg commute to FAT. Regardless, come January 1st I’m only working 3 trips per month, that way I can be home 18-19 days per month.

Thats mixed news. I'd love to be SFO based and not have to drive to FAT, but with all the SMF guys and various commuters to DEN/SLC/LAX I doubt I'll be able to hold it.

You should be happy to have a job and active as your 'brethren' at ASA are hurtin in ONE domicile. Holding a line in a choice is MUCH better than displaced to FO after being a CA for years....

I am happy, I was just evaluating how this would affect my SkyWest situation :)

I don't think this has a bearing on anybody outside SKW, just a refocus of our overstaffing

Two more smaller, non-maintenance bases closing. I wonder if SBA, SBP and PDX are not far from the chopping block.

Not a chance of closing PDX with all the flying we have up there (OTH, MFR, LMT, EUG, RDM, SEA, GEG, and MWH). Plus add to it the transfer of SFO-RDM and SFO-MFO (no longer all EMB, the RJ has a few legs every day now). There are just not enough avenues to work crews north to cover all the PDX flying.

Also remember that SAN (LAX) and SMF (SFO) only serviced one hub. Whereas both SBA and SBP service LAX and SFO. SBA also services SJC which is a highly profitable route for SKW (according to Mgmnt).

FWIW I think all the SMF jet trips are through the SLC system and SAN guys flow up into the SLC system as well sometimes

Congrats JJ on the news of your soon to be new arrival to your family!

That's crazy, I've never had more than a half full flight of people when I've flown this route, and usually it's less than 10. Wonder if it's subsidized, or they just charge alot because I imagine it might be a "techie" commuter route. Sure is a nice flight to work though.

1 way base price ticket is around $400. From those who know, BPE on the route is around 3.5 PAX. If you have 10 on board at $400 a pop, that’s huge.

Yes, I believe you're right about SMF.

As for SAN crews, in order to flow up into the SLC system they must either go through SGU or deadhead. For August, there are 0 trips through SGU into the SLC system. They may sometimes flow up into the SLC system but almost every Socal domicile has a trip that flows through every now and again. But that will all end on September 1st when LAX-SGU is discontinued.

Any indications if CLD is closing?

It is a SAN co-domicile, so yes it is closing too.

Sorry, let me rephrase: Any indications that service to CLD will stop?
The reason I ask is based on some random comparisons of flights originating from SAN or CLD to the same round trip destination (i.e. FAT). The flights between LAX and FAT are the same, regardless if I originate at CLD or SAN. But departing from SAN is over $1K cheaper than CLD. This is a recent change in pricing, since I had always received the same price or cheaper when departing from CLD.

Theoretically, SKW was supposed to phase out the EMB120s and replace them with CRJ 700's. The KCRQ runway is less than 5000', so I'm not certain if we could even operate CRJ's there...it would be right on the line performance-wise. Also a 70 seat jet might be overkill for CRQ.

But there are also now rumors of UAL Q400's. I would suspect they will continue service there as long as they have airplanes which are capable of doing it. The Q400 has 70 seats too, but is a lot cheaper to operate than a jet.

Don't count on that... I know one who will probably quit! :)

SKW never had a complete phasing out plan for the EMB's, only a reduction plan with the assumption that they would be phased out over time. Now we have no reduction plans past the two that have already been sold and will come off line by year’s end. Meaning we will continue to operate 53 frames through 2010 and into 2011.

If we bring Q400’s on board they will not be and cannot be a complete replacement for the EMB-120. I would say that if the Q400 does come on property it will replace some of the EMB-120’s heavier routes (SBA, MRY, LAS, SAN, ACV, etc) and some of the CR2’s shorter routes. But airports like CRQ, ILP, NYL, SMX, CIC, MOD, CEC, OTH, LMT, etc either don’t have the yield or RWY to support the Q. In order for SKW to continue to operate more than 70% of its EMB routes it will need a smaller more economical Turbo-Prop. Keep in mind that the majority of these smaller routes are subsides by the city, state or military.

SkyWest is not ending service to CLD but the EMB will be losing SAN-LAX to the CRJ. No one can be too surprised about that decision as the loads on this route have always been ridiculously high. None the less, the memories of Saabs and Brasilias racing one another up and down the coast will remain fond memories.
Also, Horizon did not use the Q for OTH because of a circling limitation (similar to the CRJ). I presume this is a company-imposed limitation but SkyWest would probably comply with that restriction. Most of the year OTH doesn't yield high loads, but during the summer, with golfers headed to Bandon Dunes, it seems like the Q would be the perfect aircraft.