Republic is getting good at shutting down airlines with operating certificates. Just announced it will shut down Lynx and shutter all Q400 operations by mid-September. First cuts in early April. Feel very sorry for the Lynx people who are affected and can't latch on with Frontier or Republic.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Republ....html?x=0&.v=1

 

Republic Announces Plans for Lynx
Republic Airways today announced it will transition the regional service provided by Lynx Aviation Bombardier Q400 turboprop aircraft to Embraer 170 and 190 jet service provided by Republic Airlines. The Company will remove three Bombardier Q400 turboprop aircraft from service effective April 6. Another three aircraft will be removed from service on April 19. In addition, Republic will terminate the leases of seven smaller regional jets and return them to the lessor.

The transition to jet service will improve the Company’s ability to operate in highly-contested markets in which the Q400 operates at a competitive disadvantage to competitors’ jet service. The changeover, including the decision to terminate the leases on its seven remaining CRJ200 aircraft operated by Chautauqua, also will support the Company’s ongoing program to simplify and optimize its fleet resources across its entire network, improving aircraft utilization and cost efficiencies company- wide.

Service will continue to all current Lynx destinations with the exception of Fargo, N.D., and Tulsa, Okla., where the company will cease operations on April 5.

Republic expects operations at Lynx to be phased out by mid-September.

These changes will result in the reduction in April of approximately 175 positions at Lynx. All areas of the operation will be impacted, including flight crews, operations, customer service and support personnel. In September, when Lynx ceases operations, some customer service and maintenance employees will have the opportunity to continue with Republic or Frontier. The remaining positions will be eliminated and given hiring preference for open positions throughout the Republic Airways network.

“Lynx employees have done an outstanding job of providing service to a number of regional communities and have provided important passenger connections to Frontier’s network,” said Republic Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Wayne Heller. “Unfortunately, afterextensive analysis and months of efforts to grow the business, we concluded we could not efficiently operate a fleet of 11 Q400 aircraft. Converting service from the Q400 fleet to jet service allows us to better utilize our existing aircraft resources and lower our cost of operating and maintaining multiple fleet types, while providing our customers with outstanding jet service.”

Heller concluded, “These changes will better position the Company to sustain the kind of growth we’ve already begun and that our employees and customers expect as we continue our work to rebuild and expand the Frontier and Midwest networks.”

In another move related to the integration of Frontier’s operations into the Republic Airways Holdings, 142 Denver-based Frontier employees today received WARN notices related to previous announcements of consolidations and job relocations.

 

The Employee FAQ, is even worse:

Q Will Lynx flight crews be able to fly other Republic aircraft?
A Lynx pilots and flight attendants would be able to fly for other units of Republic after the pilot and flight attendant seniority lists for all Republic companies are integrated, as required by statute, and after all higher seniority pilots and flight attendants are recalled from furlough.

So that's why they have been recalling.

 

This doesn't surprise me.

 

In the 80's there was another CEO that followed a similar pattern of mergers, acquisitions, and taking apart companies. He was later banned forever from the airline industry. Mr. Bedford is on the same path, and history seems to be repeating itself.

I wonder how the Frontier guys feel about their decision now? After all and as I understand it, they decided to go with RAH instead of SWA because of job preservation at all levels....

 

Yeah, except pilots working under him ended up on strike. It seems as though everyone now is just completely apathetic.

 

IP

While I agree with you to a degree, one should never underestimate the pilots at any of the airlines associated with this debacle. If the reverend pushes hard enough, he might find resistance.

You getting recalled yet or what? After flying that light twin of yours , the jet is going to seem boring.

 

disgusting !

 

One thing that people do not understand is that is WAS going to be Republic no matter what the Frontier pilots decided....period. Menke was not going to let Southwest have Frontier unless he had no choice, but he did have a choice, so here we are. So placing blame on the Frontier pilots is null at this point. When Republic levied a $150mil claim for the cancellation of contract and then loaned Frontier $40mil, the deal was done.

 

I am truely sorry for all the Lynx crews. Best of luck in the future.