Don't want to negotiate in public, but curious what the cost of having a base is. I don't really need a V-file for my bid package and my pay check anymore, and there is always a FA in the one non-broken lounge chair. Just give me pairings that start where I live, and access to the Admirals lounge, or a hotel room when I need it.

+1 - inquiring minds want to know

I feel like it cant be that much given Skywest has like 20 of them.

I would think there is a difference in cost between establishing a new base vs. maintaining an existing base.

I think you’re right. However, the question I’m curious about is, is the cost of opening a base in LAX more than opening a base in IAH for example, assuming flying/gates stays the same?

The comment wasn’t addressed to Franke, but to the poster it responded to. High income people are increasingly bailing out of CA. That means the declining percentage of high income people there are going to see taxes rise to offset the lost tax revenue base. There are about 70 flights a day between LAS and SoCal. Alternatively, it’s a four and a half hour drive. Why would anyone want to pay the extra costs to live in Ca?

I agree. Total waste if you ask me. Would be awesome if they could just have virtual bases that sort of rotate each bid period. In addition to the current actual bases of course.

I asked management at my old airline about this a few years back. Has to do with the DOL supposedly. To be considered a crew domicile, which is where you generally pay your unemployment taxes if I’m not mistaken, there are minimum requirements per each state. Just pure speculation but I’d imagine most states, especially CA, would require some kind of dedicated sitting area and restroom for crews. And I be there are a ton of airport politics tied to that location.

Spirit wants no part of CA employment law.

Didn't consider that part, and if correct That Might Kill Cali. CDTFA is apparently not lenient. Might be cheaper to build pairings with waivable DHs on both ends, while still keeping our cheap NV base (hint).

(Frontier guy here) I was told this by someone in upper management at Frontier. Frontier looked at an ONT domicile, got into Cali employment law and said forget it