Why the 50 seats though? I get they're not that great but they make a lot of money for the company by going into tiny markets. Short term I guess I understand but long term...are you telling me that 737s will be going into Hays, KS? Or that they're just going to give up towns like that? I don't buy it...

 

It will be the new DEN-ORD direct service on a Max 8 with stops in HYS-SLN-LNK and DSM.

 

I know it has been done in the past, but I don't see us rapidly parking an entire fleet type. We have quite a few 756s, 320s, and even 777s that are 25ish years old. I count 21 757s, 21 767s, 30 320s, and 5 777s that are hitting 25 years old or more as of right now. We could retire/part out older jets piecemeal as they approach heavy checks and such, including some problem children younger than 25 (any jet I've landed has probably never flown the same since).

It seems to me the benefit of slicing down fleets like this is that it reduces the number of potential displacements. That is, if we retired a dozen 756s tomorrow the number of CAs affected would be muted by retirements, and the junior FOs being displaced would only be able to bid to 320/737.

Having never witnessed this process first hand or being privy to fleet decision making considerations, this is just idle speculation on my part. I'd be very interested to learn more from folks with better insight or hard earned experience.

 

People in Hays can drive 2.5 hours to ICT. People in CLL drive to IAH........ Hays is so small that it could potentially be dropped. My relatives live in a small town about twice the size of Hays and they drive 2 hours to a bigger city if they need to fly.

 

Not a deal breaker for the one trip a year crowd but no business person (high yield) is doing that.

 

I agree. If $140/barrel didn’t kill the 50-seat market, they sure are viable in a $30/barrel world.

 

I wonder how much high yield traffic is in Hays. I’ve been through there numerous times and there isn’t that much there outside of a sale barn, other farm and ranch related businesses, and some restaurants. My town is twice the size of Hays and I drive 1.5 hrs to the closest airport.

 

Okay Oscar, I’m sure the Hundreds of pilots who just lost their jobs and the thousands more in jeopardy are smiling with you....

 

Call me cynical, but Kirby will use this crisis to his advantage. Don’t trust him!

I can see a scenario where a lot of 50 seaters are parked as he stated. Kirby then pleads to our MC, to give the company an equivalent number of 70/76 seaters to replace the lost feed, “otherwise we’ll have to furlough UAL pilots”.

It will be sold as a win-win (no furloughs) and the company gets their scope relief without spending a thin dime. Well, maybe they’ll throw a few bones in with it, but the damage will be done.

Hopefully it’s just my imagination, but after over two decades here, why would they let this crisis go to waste?

 

Right but if we can make money off of them, then we should. We've been doing that for years. Otherwise why would we fly to places like COS when they could just drive? To extort the market thats why