Originally Posted by e6bpilot

That is a great interview by the way. Guy Raz also interviewed Herb. Also great.
Both are con men in their own way.
Nelleman is a start up CEO. He specializes in getting funding and investors together to start airlines quickly, a business that has a very high barrier to entry. He has had some success, mainly due to timing and location, but success nonetheless. He is, self admittedly, not a good day to day CEO and is easily bored with the day to day running of a stable company. It is why he left JetBlue and Azul.
Herb was kind of the opposite. He used blunt force to get Southwest on the map and flying airplanes. He then used the same blunt force approach to expand the network and make them a big airline. He loved the day to day and relished his role as CEO. He could also sell a ketchup popsicle to a lady in white gloves and made everyone around him believe that they were important. That is how he sold a bill of goods to thousands of employees and made them WANT to settle for less. They did it with a smile on their faces and a song in their hearts. All for Herb. He encouraged his employees to unionize and then used those very unions to further his aims. The guy was truly a genius, you have to admit. He knew people.
Breeze was a strange project. I am not convinced that this one will survive long term like JetBlue and Azul. JetBlue had the fortune of great timing and a JFK hub that was reeling in the early 2000s and needed revenue. Azul was perfectly launched to take advantage of a rising middle and wealthy class in Brazil who now could afford to take trips around the country (its huge!) and the world. Breeze was a Covid baby and it was launched with the intention of filling a vacuum that, quite frankly, didn't last quite as long as anyone thought it would. They are throwing jello at a wall trying to get it to stick with city pairs and routes. They don't have the capacity and pricing power to compete at scale and their product isn't unique at all unlike both JetBlue and Azul. They are definitely an acquisition target, but I don't know if they are quite to the point where they are ready to be bought and I know Southwest isn't at the point where they are willing to take on two new aircraft types and a bunch of struggling markets.
Sorry, I just don't see it happening. Not now.
All this what if about a merger is just ridiculous sh!t talk. Nobody is getting merged.

Originally Posted by bluespoon

Says the 10 year FO just broke 200k. Sounds like you guys really want that Breeze

Originally Posted by CA1900

I broke 200K as a 4th year FO, during COVID, under the old contract.

Originally Posted by bluespoon

Says the 10 year FO just broke 200k. Sounds like you guys really want that Breeze

Originally Posted by RJSAviator76

Uhhh... try as a hustling 2nd year FO, at the beginning of the old contract, 7 years ago.

And no, I don't think any pilot here particularly wants Breeze, or anyone else for that matter. In fact, I think the only attraction to Breeze is the new type and aircraft orders as line pukes are somehow terrified of stagnation. The problem is that with all your orders and options, it's still nowhere near enough airplanes, so I truly doubt we'll go through the effort and like it or not we'll most likely wait for MAX 7.

Originally Posted by WHACKMASTER

Uh, I would like Breeze. Or JBA or NK for that matter.

Originally Posted by bluespoon

You were doing so well till the part where you started talking about the Breeze business model. Obviously you don’t know much about it or how they operate. It has nothing to do with being a covid baby. Nobody knows what the future will hold, and Neeleman only has another decade before he hangs it up probably. One things for sure, people love to fly on Breeze, they keep begging for more routes.

Originally Posted by bluespoon

You were doing so well till the part where you started talking about the Breeze business model. Obviously you don’t know much about it or how they operate. It has nothing to do with being a covid baby. Nobody knows what the future will hold, and Neeleman only has another decade before he hangs it up probably. One things for sure, people love to fly on Breeze, they keep begging for more routes.

Originally Posted by WHACKMASTER

Uh, I would like Breeze. Or JBA or NK for that matter.

Originally Posted by bluespoon

As far as I understand it, mergers now have to keep your past % seniority. But it would involve equipment locks too. Theres only about 500 of us in relation to your list so it’s almost not a big deal. But don’t worry it won’t happen anytime soon.