If you disagree with MatchPoint, then which regional operator is in a better position right now?

Wrong...
EMB-145's In Dallas to replace ATRs
CRJ-200 in LAX

And match point, you're a douche...
To those gloating about cannibalizing another carriers feed, :mad:

Yeah, I'm a douche and I hope everyone in the world except for me loses their job </sarcasm> I made this remark before I knew it was at the expense of AE. I was under the impression this was ADDITIONAL flying for AA, not a transfer from one regional to the other. Maybe I was naive.

I understand you're lashing out at me emotionally so I'm not gonna get my feathers ruffled, but the only reason I have a job is because I got lucky. This industry has NO crystal ball. It's just luck and timing. I was offered an interview at ComAir and ASA at the exact same time. For some reason I chose ASA and many of my friends chose ComAir. No one could have imagined what was to happen. I got lucky.

ExpressJet didn't necessarily underbid anybody. It's no secret AA is trying to spin off/draw down AE. XJT has NEVER bid on anything under cost and as regionals go, we're pretty expensive with a VERY senior pilot group (30 year captains and 6 year FOs). We did have the airplanes already (currently flying for Delta) and their contract is up, AA had someplace for us to put them. We're like a desperate college frat guy, stick it wherever we can.

Oh, P.S. it seems Eagle is hiring? Displacements suck, but looks like no one is losing their job. I feel less badly about that.

Which part is wrong? You're saying ExpressJet won't be operating CRJs out of DFW? I do agree that it is wrong to gloat about gaining flying while crews at another carrier are being displaced, but I think most of the anger is misplaced. This isn't a whipsaw in the traditional sense: Flying is being shifted to a higher paid pilot group. As pilots, the only control we have over the situation is the contract that we agree to work under. ExpressJet/ASA's current contract appears to better than Eagle's, so as pilots, we did not contribute to "stealing" the flying. If we took paycuts or something I could understand the anger, but as it is, anger directed at ExpressJet/Skywest crews is misplaced.

Dude, chill. Would never wish anyone to be out of a job. Looks like AE is hiring NOT furloughing. No one is losing their job, just their base. While that sucks, it's life at an airline. I don't feel too badly about that. I've never lived in base so I have no idea what that's like. I imagine it's something like the perfect job. Oh, and as todd1200 said, I DIDN'T TAKE AE FLYING, AA gave it to our company. If there's someone to be angry with, be angry at AA.

And no, no pizza party, but there were free nachos a few days ago for AceyDays

No, you're wrong...


CRJ 200s will be placed in DFW as a base for ASA. 11 CRJs transitioned out of ASAs delta system in November, with 5 starting in January and another 6 to follow in February. Thanks for playing though

This thread is full of Win! :rolleyes:

Duh man because it's about skywest

SkyWest Airlines Flight Attendant Contract Negotiations Update May 3, 2012
SIA has worked hard to ensure that our Flight Attendant contract is the best in the regional industry. We are the second-highest paid regional Flight Attendant group right behind Delta’s wholly-owned (and struggling) Comair and most of our competitors are working under expired contracts. SIA is proud of the role that we have played in pushing our pay packages to the highest levels of the industry.
The initial contract negotiation meetings with SkyWest senior management has revealed a great deal of research by the Company showing that SkyWest Flight Attendants are at the top of the regional industry, both in work rules and compensation. Their main point of argument is the question of how can SkyWest increase Flight Attendant pay scales while keeping current partners and acquiring new opportunities in the highly competitive regional airline business.
Based on this question, your SIA Board has spent a great deal of time researching and verifying the data given to us by SkyWest management, and we have compiled a series of charts and graphs for Flight Attendants to review and discuss. We have used the Profit and Loss statements as reported by the Department of Transportation (DOT) of all regional airlines to test and verify management’s claims.
In the months to come, we expect to have more information and insight to share. Included in the charts and graphs** below, you’ll find profiles for operating profits/losses, a graph of SkyWest’s recent performance and an industry-wide examination of labor costs. A comprehensive survey of Flight Attendant pay scales throughout the industry is available on SIA Central (www.siacentral.net).
Page 1 of 5
Figures 1 and 2 show the profit and loss of our peers and direct competitors in relationship to SkyWest through Q3 2011. While Q4 earnings for 2011 and Q1 for 2012 have been announced by most carriers, they have not yet been posted by the DOT. As this chart and graph show, SkyWest’s profits have declined despite steady top line growth (and increased overhead).
(Figure 1)
(Figure 2)
Page 2 of 5
Figure 3 shows SkyWest’s profits (in millions) for each year from 2003 through Q3 of 2011. Although the DOT has not yet posted the 2012 profit & loss statements, we know from the earnings call and subsequent postings by COO Chip Childs that SkyWest’s profit margin has dropped to that of the level of 2003. This is also the reason we have not seen a Financial Performance Reward payout for the last two quarters)
This chart in particular showed SIA that the data provided by the Company was accurate. SkyWest has grown yet the 2012 profits have come back to the 2003 level.
(Figure 3)
SIA next looked at the overall labor costs of all the regional carriers over the same time period. This includes all labor groups, salaried employees and additional compensation.
Figures 4 and 5 that SIA compiled are particularly eye-opening. Labor expenses directly impact SkyWest’s ability to compete for contract flying. Fuel, and provisioning of a major partner’s product will be roughly the same for all. The carriers who are able to underbid SkyWest on contracts are the carriers with much lower overhead costs, and labor costs often become the determining factor in competing for contracts. The charts show where SkyWest’s labor costs are compared to our competitors.
Page 3 of 5
(Figure 4)
Figure 5 provides a striking visual. The two carriers consistently underbidding SkyWest are Go Jet and Shuttle America. These are both very young companies. Shuttle America commenced operations in 1998 and Go Jet commenced operations in 2005. The majority of their workforce has less than six years of seniority. This keeps their overhead extremely low which allows them to underbid regional airlines like SkyWest that have been in business for 40 years, and SIA has been successful negotiating contract increases for many years with a much more senior workforce. Pinnacle comes nowhere close to SkyWest in terms of labor costs, yet they have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection/reorganization and undoubtedly they will emerge much leaner with potential to win contracts with lower costs per departure.
(Figure 5)
Page 4 of 5
Your SIA Board has also reviewed the state of the regional industry as a whole. Taking all of the above charts as well as other research into consideration, SIA cannot dispute the claim printed in many industry publications and cited by the Company that the current regional business model is evolving. It also gives much food for thought for SIA when determining the length of contract we should negotiate. With all of that said, what is in the immediate future for the regional industry and for SkyWest Airlines? Things could improve or they could get worse – either possibility must be considered.
The above information is just that – information. Coming to the table with an understanding of our position as it relates to our direct competitors helps your SIA Board make informed decisions about the direction to proceed with contract negotiations. We encourage you to take the time to look over this information, as well as the data the Company has provided. Please don’t hesitate to let us know if you have questions. Certainly your SIA Board would like to see an increase to our pay scales and work rules. Understanding where we stand today and what we’ve been able to deliver in past negotiations will ensure we come to the table on a realistic, fact-based platform that will allow us to get the best contract possible.
The focus and topic of the next discussion is our contract negotiations list.
\
**All data has been provided by the RITA (Research and Innovative Technology Administration) a division of the U.S. Department of Transportation which performs comprehensive transportation statistics research, analysis and reporting. SIA makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the contents and disclaims liability for errors and omissions.
Page 5 of 5

I see you've already deleted your original comment, so let me put it back up and refute it:

Quote:
Originally Posted by MatchPoint
No there was no memo, SkyWest does not have the highest labor cost. Plus there are many areas that SkyWest is able to save money compared to its competitors which helps them maintain a more competitive CPASM.
I thought they handed this out with the cool aid on the side.

http://www.****************/forum/at...6&d=1347509462



Originally Posted by rickt86:
Date: 9.12.12

To: SkyWest Airlines Team Members

From: Chip Childs

Re: A New Partnership with American Airlines; CRJ200 transition

Team,

Today I’m pleased to announce that SkyWest Airlines will begin flying as an American Airlines partner this fall. Our new American partnership makes a total of five and the third major partnership SkyWest Airlines has secured in less than two years! That’s a pretty phenomenal accomplishment by any measurement and it’s a credit to your great work.

SkyWest, Inc. has announced a four-year Capacity Purchase Agreement (CPA) with American Airlines to operate 23 CRJ200 aircraft. As part of that agreement, SkyWest Airlines will begin flying 12 of those aircraft Nov. 15, 2012. Part of American’s restructuring plan is to diversify its American Eagle product, so we will operate these aircraft as part of the new American Eagle brand. We will fly out of American’s LAX hub to 11 cities: ABQ, FAT, ELP, MRY, PHX, RNO, SAF, SMF, SAN, SJC, SLC, SBA and TUS – almost all cities where we have solid operating experience.

Where will the CRJ200s come from? You’ll recall that we recently agreed to reduce the number of contract CRJ200 aircraft in exchange for larger CRJ700 and CRJ900 flying with Delta. This transition has already begun, and the 11 CRJ200 aircraft that have begun transitioning from our Delta fleet will be utilized to accomplish our partnership with American. The 12th aircraft will be a spare in the American system. I’ve included some details of the implementation below:

– The aircraft will be maintained at our TUS, FAT and SLC maintenance bases and we will begin repainting these aircraft in the American Eagle livery next month.

– Our American Eagle flying will be done primarily by our LAX-based crews, so there will likely be some domicile transfer opportunities there with the increased LAX flying.

– American Eagle, American’s wholly-owned subsidiary, will perform the ground handling for these flights.

Clearly we have an aggressive implementation plan for a successful Nov. 15 launch. Our recent accomplishments and strong track record prove that we’re more than capable of delivering beyond American’s expectations. The questions and answers accompanying this memo will help provide further detail on the launch; watch for specifics from your department leadership in the coming weeks as well. I want to congratulate each of you on this accomplishment and thank you for delivering SkyWest-caliber quality in some of our industry’s most challenging times. Each of our partnerships solidifies our position in the industry and makes us a stronger competitor, and SkyWest Airlines remains extremely well positioned as we continue working together for long-term success.

[End of letter]

From me: FYI for those non-conversant in airport code:

ABQ: Albuquerque
FAT: Fresno, Calif.
ELP: El Paso
MRY: Monterey, Calif.
PHX: Phoenix
RNO: Reno, Nev.
SAF: Santa Fe, N.M.
SMF: Sacremento, Calif.
SAN: San Diego
SJC: San Jose, Calif.
SLC: Salt Lake City
SBA: Santa Barbara, Calif.
TUS: Tucson, Ariz.
LAX: Los Angeles International (but everyone knew that one, right?)



Me:
Now how does this memo support your original remarks?

"Didnt skywest send out a memo to one of your employee groups saying that you guys had the highest employee costs in the industry, with Eagle being second, and had the second highest revenue, with Eagle being first. I do not want to open the door to this being another Eagle doom/gloom blah blah comment, but not sure your number 1."

Did you not read it or something? There is nothing in that memo to support your accusations. Try again my friend.