Quick question....as I re-read the new TA, where I see DOS-does that stand for date of signing? I'm just guessing. I'll wear the dunce cap as the forum sees fit.

 

It stands for "Dumptruck Of Suck". Thats what you guys got out of this deal.

 

You hit the nail on the head. I've been saying this for some time now. They allowed the regionals to happen in the first place yet blame YOU for taking (ahem) their jobs. Bunch of self-serving guys (not all, of course) who want it all and when things go wrong, it is *never* their fault - always someone else's.

 

Confirmed...

To: All Pinnacle Employees
From: John Spanjers
Subject: New SVP and Chief Operating Officer

I am pleased to announce that tomorrow, February 5, Ryan Gumm will join Pinnacle as the new Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Upon emergence from bankruptcy, Ryan will become president and chief executive officer, and I will retire.

Ryan brings with him a wealth of experience, both as a professional commercial airline pilot and an effective airline business leader. That experience is incredibly valuable as we strive to create a stronger and more viable airline. Ryan has also held several leadership and management positions, including senior leadership positions within Mesa Air Group, Comair and most recently, Delta Private Jets. He also holds an Airline Transport Pilot Certificate and a type rating on the EMB-145 regional jet for which he has served as a captain, line check airman and simulator proficiency check airman.

Ryan brings with him three additional leaders from Delta as consultants to help lead the company. Barry Wilbur, whose specialty is operations, is currently Managing Director of Flying Operations and a 767 First Officer, responsible for administrative management of over 12,000 Delta pilots. Also joining us is Loren Neuenschwander, whose specialty is finance. Loren has held a variety of roles with Delta, most recently in Paris as the managing director of Alliance Partnerships overseeing the joint venture with Air France and KLM. His previous assignment included oversight of the financial performance of the nine Delta Connection carriers. Mike Becker will be joining them as well. Mike was the head of human resources at Northwest Airlines and an executive vice president of Human Resources at Delta before retiring in 2010.

This is the second bankruptcy I’ve been through in my career, so I understood what was ahead and the difficulties we would encounter. When I accepted this position, I made a commitment to myself to get the company through bankruptcy and I fully intend to honor that commitment. With the recent approval of our agreements by the court, we are moving into the home stretch of exiting Chapter 11 and returning to normal operations.

I, like many of you, have logged many years in this business and have seen the many ups and downs of this industry. As I see Pinnacle moving toward emergence from bankruptcy, I feel like this is a good time for me to step down and retire. I will stay at Pinnacle and oversee the bankruptcy process until we emerge. During this period, Ryan will be focused on the day-to-day operations of the airlines as I transition my duties to him.

We have been through a lot together. We have all been involved in bringing together three airlines – Colgan, Mesaba and Pinnacle – into the airline we have today. Each airline was different, but all had the same overall commitment to safety and operating performance, which comes from its people. As I look back over the last 12 months, I'm especially proud of what this airline has accomplished. We have combined airlines, reorganized our SOC, transitioned fleets, navigated Chapter 11, restructured our entire operation and achieved consensual agreements with our labor groups. All of this was done while we continued to operate safely and reliably. All of these things are monumental achievements, especially in the face of adversity. It says a great deal about the character of our employees that when faced with these challenges, the response was to get focused and meet them. None of the things mentioned here could have been accomplished without this great team of people.

I also realize there are still a number of challenges for this company, including the headquarters move to Minnesota, the final phase of our FAA plan to bring these three airlines together, and the fleet transformation that lies ahead. I'm convinced the management team led by Ryan will have a huge advantage in meeting these challenges – the people of Pinnacle Airlines. You have proved that you can overcome any challenge and these will be no exception.

I’ll be around here until we emerge from Chapter 11, which is expected late April or early May. I look forward to working with each of you to set Pinnacle up for success in the future. I just wanted to take this time now to say thanks for all you have done. It has been my honor leading this team.

 

This is not a team brought in to "shut things down." It's there to built things up. This kind of horsepower does not leave a Delta job, uproot families and move from Atlanta / Paris to MN unless they know it is long term career advancement. There is an old management expression: "When you shine like a diamond in a goats a**, don't move" for a high risk or dead end job

Wilbur is a Naval Academy graduate, has a MBA, and commanded the largest air wing in the Navy. Neuenschwander is a MBA, CPA, "integration specialist" who was heavily involved in the NWA/Delta merger. Becker is returning to HR where he has also has expertise in "integration"

They are a HQ Delta team there to build Pinnacle (still awaiting name change) way beyond 80+ airplanes and will slowly erase separate identities between Delta and its "primary" regional.

 

Ftrop, what is your background? Are you a mainline guy? Just curious, you seem to have some good info if this is true.

 

Shutting Comair down was precisely the reason Ryan Gumm was brought there, and IMO, this is appearing similar.

Managers don't necessarily 'uproot their families and move'. Plenty of them negotiate positive-space passes into their employment contracts. No big deal.

Also, in the case of Ryan, was brought into Comair, then moved to DPJ, now shifted to the soon-to-be-wholly-owned 9E. At that level, if you do your job, go with the strategic flow and succeed, even if eventually 9E shuts down, I'm sure DL will have positions for him and the rest of that management team elsewhere. That's why we see so many recycled names throughout the company and the industry.

 

Never been an airline pilot, never worked for an airline, never owned any airline stock. I'm just a passionate observer and detached analyst who diligently researches then makes (IMHO) rational projections.

In a previous life I taught graduate level air carrier management courses at ERAU.

Other then that, I spend most of my time sailing, occasional glider flying, reading good books, listening to good music, reminiscing about my USAF flying days and wishing I was young again.

 

He didn't shut down Delta Private Jets.

There will be pessimists and optimists (myself). We will jut have to sit back and watch.

If you have a headache and take two Excedrin, the symptoms will disappear. If you have a brain tumor, the problem has not gone away. It takes a "surgeon" to cure the problem. This Delta management "team" will make "Pinnacle" healthy again.

 

Right. I was referring to his history at OH/F8....DPJ still is very much here.

Agree to disagree as you've said, but your posts are always interesting and a good read!