So one company--ours--accounts for 60% of the entire industries' very profitable year and CEO shows us his empty pockets and pleads poverty.

The money is there for a contract.

 

Even IFthey brought in Southwest's management What would give anyone the Idea that Southwest (post Herb) is all that well Run? When they fly Internationally?? Then they have something TO TELL! Until THEN?? Anything they Could say is "Moot" and Not worth Listening to..

 

CHICAGO, Jan. 26, 2012 -- United Continental Holdings, Inc. today reported full-year 2011 net income of $1.3 billion or $3.49 per diluted share, excluding $483 million of special items consisting primarily of integration-related costs. Including special items, UAL reported full-year 2011 net income of $840 million or $2.26 per diluted share. UAL reported fourth-quarter net income of $109 million or $0.30 per diluted share, excluding $247 million of special items. Including special items, UAL reported a fourth-quarter 2011 net loss of $138 million or $0.42 loss per share.

UAL ended 2011 with $8.3 billion in unrestricted cash, cash equivalents and short term investments and undrawn lines of credit.

 

2010 total PS amount was $224M. In 2011 total PS is $265M. A $41M increase. Our 2010 payout was 5.9% of earnings vs 5% for 2011 a decrease of .9% on a higher pool...All going into my strike fund anyways, hopefully others will do the same....I know that on Valentines day, , Jeff, Jay, Fred and his friends will be in a celebratory mood and we will all have an opportunity to view pictures of the uniforms holding the bags of cash. Hoping that we ignore the pictures and stay focused on the the bigger pot, an industry leading JCBA.

 

And that's why the company was desperate to give us PS. We were totally bamboozled by the company on this. Feb 14 will be a day of mourning for me for the pilot unity that has once again eluded us. $3000. Geez.

 

$337M in ancillary fees alone, in one quarter. $1.3B through four quarters.

U.S. Airline Ancillary Fee Revenue: Summary - Bloomberg

And why are we taking so long on a JCBA? They could cover the $1B negotiating gap in these fees alone, without even touching ticket revenue.

 

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Given the rash of headlines about pilot meltdowns, usurious baggage fees and toddlers popping up on TSA no-fly lists, you’d think the airline industry is spiraling into another vicious crisis cycle.

Not entirely. Despite a barrage of negative publicity, most airlines are doing fine. And with oil prices tumbling Wednesday below $90 a barrel in New York for the first time in seven months, their prospects just got a little brighter.

Fuel has long been one of the industry’s biggest costs, typically second only to personnel outlays. So just as the industry gears up for peak summer travel, the commodities market is handing over a timely windfall. July crude-oil in New York closed at $89.91 a barrel Wednesday, topping off a stunning 14% retreat in less than a month.

This comes on top of strong spring bookings for the industry. A note from Deutsche Bank Wednesday points out that consolidated-passenger-unit revenue for U.S. airlines rose 8.4% in April from a year ago, better than most analysts expected. This follows a 6.7% increase in February and an 8.2% increase in March. So momentum clearly has been building.

At the same time, years of industry consolidation and seating-capacity cuts have finally made it possible for airlines to jack up fares and make them stick. These higher prices and lower costs raise the likelihood of top-line revenue growth for many carriers, which will help them pay for all the new, more fuel-efficient jets they’ve ordered.

It’s impossible to know how all this will shake out over the next few months. But heading into Memorial Day, the unofficial kickoff of summer, airlines are probably feeling more confident about their prospects than they were a month ago.

And that confidence is spilling over to investors. The NYSE Arca Airline Index is up 8.7% so far this year, compared with a 1.2% decline by the Dow Transport Average and a 0.8% drop by the S&P 500 Index.

US Airways has led percentage gainers in the group, up a whopping 113% so far this year, followed by a 32% advance by Delta Air Lines and nearly 17% increase for United Continental — all strong showings when stacked up against the broader equities market.

 

Just like that, $600M freed up two weeks before the 15 June "deadline." Union needs to put out a publicity release regrading our this serendipitous event!

Q. Does this mean we won’t build the rest of the Terminal B project?
A. We have commenced the first phase, so it’s too late to stop. However, this decision puts the need for the remaining $600 million investment in significant doubt. Future demand will ultimately determine whether we can justify proceeding with the remainder of the project.

 

What a load of crap! They operated terminal B with XJET since 2003ish and have grown so big they built a turboprop extension in A and use the remaining A gates for Q400's, and built a monstrosity of a extended gate system at B84A-Q. They are hoping by cutting of their nose to spite their face that the city of IAH with throw them some dollars to finish to new terminal.

 

True, but Jeff said the've got $600m of found money. We can't let him now plead poverty at the negotiating table.