Comair, pilots set talk date
But new talks come day after critical bidding deadline
BY ALEXANDER COOLIDGE | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Comair’s pilots union says it will sit down for new concession negotiations with management on Tuesday, the day after the regional airline faces a critical deadline to bid on handling regional flights for Delta.

The Erlanger-based regional airline is due on Monday to submit its bid for both existing and future flying for parent Delta Air Lines. Comair has been scrambling to cut labor costs by winning concession from its three unions to boost its chances in the bidding process to retain and add new aircraft to its fleet. If it doesn’t win those concessions by the time the bid is submitted Monday, the company has said it will not be able to submit a competitive bid.

While local Delta customers would not see a change in the flights available, losing the bid has dire implications for locally for Comair, which employs 6,500 – including 4,400 based at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. The company has estimated it could lose about 42 aircraft in its fleet – which could result in eliminating 850 pilot and flight attendant jobs.

Negotiations between the airline and pilots stalled last week when the pilots submitted a proposed contract offering $9.3 million worth of concessions and Comair negotiators told them to “try again,” union officials have said.

The union has charged the maneuver didn’t show flexibility on the company’s part.

The company’s last proposal suggested cuts of $16.3 million. Comair is also meeting today with its flight attendant and mechanic unions in separate negotiations.

Comair officials didn’t comment this morning on the implications of timing for the next round of talks. Comair’s current fleet of 168 aircraft is already being pared back by Delta to 142 jets by next spring.

Delta officials have indicated they will decide by the end of the year what regional airlines will win the bidding.

Union officials couldn’t be reached for comment this morning, but a message to rank-and-file pilots taped Wednesday night said the next round of discussions would take place Tuesday through Thursday.

souce? I can't find this anywhere on the web.

Please post a link.

Sad that the parent companies like DAl, and CAL feel as though their regional carriers are costing them too much, well hey why should they pay for quality regionals to do flying for them when they can have MESA, the whors of the industry fly for them, I mean who needs hotels, they will be more than happy to sleep in the Airplane

UAL and USAir have been doing this for years.

ask next ALPA candidate what his stance on this is?
as soon as a regional gets a good contract they become a liability to their brand name.
sad

fosters, that's funny. I just went to retrieve the link, and I can't find the article anymore on the Inquirer's web site. Hmmmm....