Problem here is that you only read us the second half of the Cliff Notes. In the beginning there was Express Airlines I. They were a small regional turboprop airline flying regional routes. Then along came Northwest who, in an attempt to destroy scope, acquired Express I with the sole purpose of being the launch customer for the shiny new CRJ, I think about 40 of them if I'm correct. Sound familiar?

In all seriousness I for one am aware of how the Q400's were acquired. I'm sure most of my co-workers know it too, however we can't be expected to continuously kiss the ring. Ok we get it, "I benefited because of the sacrifices and financial losses of another pilot". I promise you that every airline pilot, at one point in his career, will be able to make that statement at least once.

An old TWA captain told me one time, "Remember one thing in this business, some days your the windshield and some days your the bug!"

 

Why do you guys squabble over such things? If you are not a major shareholder and your not chillin in the country club right now smoking a cuban and trying to figure out who your going to buy next then you are just as much a loser as the next guy...be it 9E, 9L, ABC, 123 or who ever else you can get a code for!

 

ADJWINGS, apparently you didn't read my other post so I put it here for you. It says exactly what you said I left out....I didn't have to read the history of it, I lived it. Believe it or not some of us have been in this industry more than 2-3 years. Plus if you want to get picky, in the beginning there was express airlines I and express airlines II. sound familiar? Nobody on here has said to "keep kissing the ring." Just don't act like there was nothing wrong with the Q transaction.

An old BNSF engineer once told me "sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel is another train"

Don't mean to come off harsh I havent woke up yet...

 

it goes back to the "my POS regional is better than your POS regional and my poop stinks less than your poop" days...

 

ok my bad. So you did read us the first half of the cliff notes.

The point I am trying to make is that everyone has one way or another benefited "off the backs" of another pilot group. But no one wants to go around recognizing it all the time because in the end no one cares about anyone else but themselves and rightfully so. People make decisions based on what is best for them. Did everyone really expect people not to go to Colgan because it was not fair to the Pinnacle pilots how the Qs were acquired?

This has absolutely nothing to do with the pilots at Colgan. We are just doing our jobs and doing what is best for our families and ourselves. The sale way EVERYONE acts in this business. Anyone who thinks that they make careers decisions based on the good of all is 100% full of you know what.

This is my last post on the topic. The way that the Q 400s were acquired really sucked and it screwed the hard working pilots at Pinnacle. This was a decision by the management of both companies and they are the ones that should be held responsible. As a Colgan pilot I will never answer to anyone but myself or my family with regards to decisions I have made in MY career.

So to Mooney and the rest of the Pinnacle pilot group I sincerely appreciate the sacrifices you guys had to endure by working without a contract for so long while your management went ahead and spent money, that should have gone towards pilot pay raises, on new Q400s for my company. This action has directly affected my career in a positive way and for this I say thank you.

Lets put this behind us and work together on a new contract that can benefit all of us moving forward. I am genuinely looking forward to working along side the very experienced and professional pilots of Pinnacle and Mesaba.

I suggest a joint keg party when all is said and done. 9L pilots picks up the tab.

 

Those are illegal, sir!!

Doesn't anyone respect trade embargos? Come on!!!

 

I'm speaking to no one in particular here....(and may be venturing off thread)

You can not in any way shape or form argue that a 9L pilot should have less relative seniority than a 9E pilot after the merger because of what the 9E pilots did or did not do years ago. 9L pilots voted in ALPA, and therefore agreed to ALPA's merger policy which is percentage based. Howabout that "informational picketing" in EWR?

 

The policy does not stipulate any set method(s) in SLI, this includes percentage based integration. The merger committees will decide the best course of integration during negotiations.

Remember, the Integration and Fragmentation policy was changed last year. Many people keep reverting back to the language of the previous policy which is not relevant anymore.

 

so just hypothetically lets do this. I am a little above the middle of the pack here at pinnacle. It has taken me 5 years to get to that point.

lets say a guy at the middle of the pack at colgan has only been there for 2.5 years. Do you think he/she deserves to jump to my seniority level just because he or she belongs to a smaller more junior pilot group?

I would be in the 500's at mesaba which is where I am here at pinnacle. So seniority integration there will be easy and fair. Integrating colgan into our seniority lists is going to be a mess.

I honestly think it should be straight date of hire. that would be the fairest way. I would still end up with 500 guys at mesba senior to me and who knows how many at colgan senior to me. But their date of hire is before mine and they deserve to be ahead of me also. I dont think that will happen though.

 

ha ha what's really funny is that I was gonna say y'all can be appreciative or not after I got halfway through your post we all get screwed together in this industry, as long as you buy me a beer.....then I got to your last sentence! Great minds think alike You buy the Guinness I'll pick up the Keystone tab...