A crew domicile isn’t the same as a hub. Cleveland is a crew domicile but not a hub.

 

I heard a rumor that the company already hired/selected chief pilot staff for an Orlando base. There is also a hiring event in Orlando coming up, so maybe there will be an announcement? I would wager that its central FL to fill the biggest hole in our network, or maybe the northeast to make up for JFK and take some pressure off EWR.

 

DEN and ORD 777

 

Kirby is also ex-AA who owns the Caribbean out of Miami and sjo. I see more islands originating out of a Florida airport in our future. You turn a no revenue florida airport into a medium revenue island hub with high revenue south america as a kicker. Plus we draw more pilots who will only highly value working for an airline with fl bases.

 

Just curious, how would a new domicile help with unfilled CA seat? If MCO were to open, for example, it would be staffed with a very large number of EWR commuters, making EWR even more unfilled. Right?

 

Pilots are the commodity. This will be game changing for our recruiting and will further sink retention at the Florida carriers. Throw Mil and 91/135 in there as well. Market share will be gained later by a function of who can staff the pilots

 

this is exactly what I think. There are loads of pilots who will never move to one of our bases (I’m one of them). The southeast is a major hole in our network, and the LCCs will be really hurting if we grab those fence-sitting pilots who are in MCO/FLL but don’t want to commute to Newark.

 

Check Airman’s notes from Kirby at last weeks standards meeting.

“Hubs getting fuller...space will be had by getting rid of RJs over the next few years...EWR to go to only ~50 RJs/day by few yrs.

• DEN will be biggest hub shortly and fastest grower

• IAD will double in size

• SFO LAX constrained ( getting gates at new terminal 9 alax)

• ORD constrained till AMR shrinks there (and he thinks they will soon)

• 80% chance of new crew base in.......”a warm state” ( that’s all he’d say😏 ) announce probably eoy

• RJ end game probably 250 76 seaters and 50 or so 550s.....no 50 seaters.

• JetBlue spirit and JFK slots”

From Zackary Shapiro (crew resources) same meeting.

“We r not going back to normal”.....we’re a different airline, so...

• Monthly flying minimizes in Feb, maxes in July then Sep to Dec it’s between peak and trough

• United “Next” will be peak all year plus!

• CREW BASES...presently looking at new bases...due to not new or extra flying but to add to the United Next growth plan

• Large non hub spokes w many RON and transiting pilots...and the old considerations of RON $ and min # lines etc....new paradigm brings new needs
• BOS MCO TPA FLL PHX VEGAS SAN SEA (zip code search) RESEARCH ONLY NOT TO BE ASSUMED!!

 

If FL, then probably so. But we don’t know where or how many bases we’re talking about. Also, until very recently I would have thought 1 year upgrades & unfilled CA slots would be a pipe dream.

Bottom line, know your contract & bid what you want. Never pull a bid you want just because you think you won’t get it.

 

MCO is the #1 convention destination. I could see that happening. We've got a MX hangar there. Are there enough gates?