Lol, oh yea sfo that’s a smooth operation.

 

This makes no sense. Are you forgetting about the 787 base in LAX that is the same size if not larger than the previous 777 and 747 bases combined? Did I miss that we are parking 777s? There is no flying being lost, there are no airplanes being lost. Now EWR will fly the 777 to LAX and it sounds like HNL is going seasonally to the 756. And the rest of the year it will be flown by EWR or SFO. Closing an 18 pilot base that only flies 777s domestically is far from a tragedy.

We have been doing nothing but expanding. The entire 787 bid packet is expansion. LAX-MEL/SIN, SFO-CTU/ ZRH/SIN/MUC/TLV 2nd PVG, DEN-NRT/LHR, IAH-SYD.... that’s just one fleet.

You want to see a tragedy go read the DL thread about the MD80s getting parked and the 70 CAs that will lose a stripe involuntarily and the hundreds that will be forced Into commuting unless they downgrade themselves.

 

Its amazing how many airline MBA types think you can shrink to profitability.

 

Tragedy? Not that it’s awesome for them but wouldn’t those people be the 1-2yr upgrades and wouldn’t they probably be sliding from reserve on that to a pretty equal paying spot somewhere? Don’t know all the details...

 

Yep toast just like IAH 787.

 

It did go away and only came back because one hand wasn't talking to the other. You already know the story.

 

I do not work for United, but what the hell is happening? My father put in a very proud 30+ years at CO and my spouse has almost 20 at CO/UA. I cannot understand why United Continental seems to be having such a tough time getting it together??

 

Gosh, can we dredge-up some armchair quarterbacking on the following closures?

ANC
MIA
JFK
HNL

Not to mention the wholesale "rightsizing" of the pre-merger UA Guppy fleet?

My point is that airline management will always make decisions that affect pilot's upward mobility, pay, and convenience...and never in a good way. The only effective countermeasure is to make base closures contractually as expensive as possible so they don't pull a Houston 787 drill on a whim. I'd imagine after the IAH787 fiasco, base closures get a bit more scrutiny (you'd hope), but they'll continue to happen.

Tuck any displacement away, and ask yourself when you read the next contract TA if you think it adequately protects you in the event of a closure.

I've been through enough base closures to know they suck. They suck even more when you realize that small bases rarely have enough clout at the MEC to sway any votes. I think the only way to address it really is though the hypothetical that would affect every pilot, and then write those protections into the contract.

 

This isn’t news, there’s a grand total of 36 pilots on the thing. As was mentioned the 787LAX fleet is growing like crazy.

The 36 left we’re just the ones with the patience to hold out for a displacement bid.

 

Ever been displaced and ever think that some of those 36 didn't want the displacement? I've been displaced three times and none were enjoyable even though it might work out for some of the 36 or so.

United has been fling heavy equipment from LAX to HNL for decades so yes, it is sort of a big deal to see us flying 737's with an occasional 757 to a spot we once used to fly with 747's and DC-10s only to do it in the future with 737s and an occasional 757.