I personally do not see them dragging it out. UA pilots on a day to day basis are pretty motivated. If RJ Kirby upsets the apple cart things will not go well. Oscar does not want this.

Record earnings in every sector across the USA. A massive tax cut that UA now has billions to play with. RJ Kirby can want all he wants, just like he wanted at AA. Put UA pilots in 76 seat jets. Grow the airline. Fix a bunch of other things and everyone is happy.

UA has gotten no benefit from the tax cut. They’re still taking carry forward tax losses from the lost decade. When those run out UA will actually have to pay taxes.

Yup. And now the carry forwards will last even longer.

Taxes: On December 22, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was signed into federal law, which, among other changes, reduces the federal corporate tax rate to 21%. The tax rate change will reduce the Company’s federal income tax liability in future years beginning with 2018. The Company expects a tax rate of approximately 22% to 24% for the full year of 2018. The Company’s net operating loss carryforwards are expected to offset taxable income and no material cash taxes are expected to be paid in 2018.

I don't know if that will ever happen but, if it did, they wouldn't be 76 seaters anymore.

The only reason the E-175 has 76 seats is that it is SCOPE-limited to 76 seats. They put 12 first class seats in it because of the extra room. If configured for mainline, there would be no limit so they'd likely trade six FC seats for as many as 12 E+/E seats. That would put it up to about 82 seats. That would help a little bit with the economics.

You are most most likely correct and with the fuel efficiency of those 175-E2's it could be a CASM machine.

I'm not convinced that they'd operate the 175-sized airplane at mainline. It wouldn't cost that much more to do the 195/CS100-sized airplane and that would have lower CASM.

The problem is our management is looking to solve a "today" problem, but we are going to have these jets for 30 years possibly. There is no reason not to just buy a 100 seat jet, and fly it to markets where they might only fill 76 seats now, but they will grow into 100 seat markets in the future, or shift to markets where it makes sense.

The smallest plane we fly right now is the 737-700 which has between 118-126 seats depending on configuration. We have a big hole in our plane capacity from 76-118, which is a lot of small and medium cities. A 90-100 seat jet would go a long way to filling that hole. Its a strategy thats working for Delta right now.

Our management is SO short-sighted it is amazing.

Dear United-Continental Pilots,

Please don't give up the SCOPE! The future of pilot careers in the industry depends on you guys holding the line.

You already have my gratitude for keeping the scope limited better than your peers at AAL and DAL.

Signed,
An FO who flies 76-seat RJs for an "airline" owned by an airline

If that isn’t a rallying-cry, charter, and creed, I don’t know what is.

Ex ore infantium.

Amen we will hold the line. Attachment 3566