First off AA has as almost as much money as any other legacy carrier out there something upwards of 6,000,000,000. Second the lump sum is from a separate pot of money and they want to eliminate the lump sum option but the AA pilots will still get their money to the tunes of six figures a year! They want to eliminate the option to reduce the amount of AA pilot who will retire once AMR emerges at the end of the 1st qt 2013. AA will not have hundreds of large RJs flying for them, they will obtain large RJ but will do the bulk of domestic flights with NB aircraft as is Delta, United and the rest of the LCC, just because they want it on a contract doesn't mean they will do it, they want as much as possible for the possibility and flexibility and negotiating power down the road. The 50 sweaters are the lest economical airplanes out there with the 65 and 76 seaters not far behind. It cost more to run RJs than to run NB with the fuel prices!

 

uh hah.....

 

Easy buddy, no need to pop a blood vessel. A 12th year CA makes more than a 6th year CA, that’s simple math, and a first year FO makes less than a 6th year FO. Now how Eagle stacks up against its competitors like SKW is another discussion and is a comparison I never mentioned, regardless I’m certain that when it comes to labor cost both airlines are pretty close to each other. Where SkyWest saves money is in "other" areas and those savings decrease our overall cost. Yes we have a higher CASM than some, that’s why we lost 12 CR7’s to GoJet about 2 years ago, but our "others" is what enabled us to gain our Alaska, US & AA flying within that same period. However removing 800+ CA’s form the top of your list will reduce your cost thus making you a bit more competitive (meaning you were never not competitive but after 800+ on top leave you will be more so than before).

It sounds like you're one of those pilots who think our cost to the bottom line doesn't change overtime, please don’t be that fool. The number one cost to an airline is fuel, number 2 is labor of which we are their highest paid labor group so since mainline picks up the tab for fuel it stands to reason that labor is number 1 to our airline. Keep in mind we are no longer “regional airlines,” we are “contract carriers” and in an industry where mainline wants cheap reliable feed every penny matters.

 

Very insightful...







NOT!

 

You still missed my point, we are told that we are so senior and thus expensive at the larger regionals (eagle, SKW, pinnacle and rah but we compose the large majority of the feed. RAH has the worse contract from the above mentioned but as far as seniority there is not a huge difference. And no I am not one of those pilots who think that out cost changes don't affect the bottom line, we saw that at Eagle last year and we will see it next year. There is a reason why AMR finalized the agreement ofthe 824 just prior to bankruptcy, they want to move senior folks over! I agree regionals that make up about 20% of the feed are cheaper but you need to stop allowing your self to be compared to them as they don't affect the industry average as much. During Eagle's BK hearings SKW was left out of the equation when doing cost! Why is that? Because SKW alone is more than 60% larger than Transtates Holding and it would shift the balance back towards the real middle. It is happening at Pinnacle now!

 

the only carriers eagle was compared to (with alpa's blessing) by management was Pinnacle and either TSA or MESA. No one else, so the comparison was rigged.

basically the union leaders lied and kept secret. The info came out in the Pinnacle BK by a lawyer who represents both Pinnacle and Eagle management in BK.

Company got the cuts it wanted and now the outsourcing of the AE feed to AA has begun and increasing. More outsourcing of AE feed coming this month.
So yeah come on to AE and find out what furlough is like.

 

Ya.. I think maybe he is right. All the "big Regionals" (SKW/RP ect..) are "majors" acording to the DOT.... So "no Regionals" is not to far off....

 

just want to point out one other item of cost that has never been mentioned by management or our mec reps at eagle. that is the cost of our dumb management team. eagle has at least twice as many managers, directors and vp's than any other regional. now these people who actually generate no income for the company, there cost are overlooked by everyone.

if eagle got rid of half the managers, directors and vp's and combined there separate deppartments accordingly, ae would be cost effective with anyone.

last time aa was fat and got rid of managers (for show) they all found jobs at eagle within the new departments that developed for them.

eagles costs, no-one knows because there are no books to look at. eagle is a private entity within a public corporation part of the airline division. there are no financial numbers published by eagle, just load factors and capacity. so the true cost of ae no-one knows.

but if you want to be on reserve for life or furloughed, please come to eagle. you know the company that advertises, divestiture, uncertainty of future, and the continous to the loss of feed for aa to other regionals. yeap, come on down.

eagle is loosing feed and no way to gain new feed contracts. eagle is contracting like someone who is anorexic.

 

I believe that Skywest just canceled all classes and put all new hires that were scheduled for class into a pool.

 

Class's were pushed back until march. We're really pilot heavy right now with reduced block hrs jan/feb.