Bloomberg

Article says they'll cease UAX flying Aug1. Not sure how much and where they do that. Any significant impact or minor?

 

How many planes is that on the UAX flying and what airframes are they?

 

62ish, Saabs and Q400s

 

Plus they are ending the 16 -900 flying in ATL.

 

They haven't stopped flying UAX yet. Therefore, it is subject to negotiation.

 

UAX drawdown begins in May and ends in Nov. For the Saabs, it ends earlier (Aug). I'll be interested in what replaces that flying.

 

It's Colgan flying. Sounds like Colgan will be shuttered.

 

So they are winding down and shedding the Q400 operation? The plane with supposedly lower operating costs, esp. with current fuel prices, but yet they are keeping the 50-seat CRJ200s? Scratching my head over this one. Not that I am sad to see the "bigger" smaller contracted planes go away from our operation. Though as was mentioned before, this is probably all up for renegotiation and United could take over the Q400s and release them back to Pinnacle/Colgan or another airline. With how those planes are used in the United system now I can't see United letting them vanish completely.

This is from a Pinnacle employee Q&A:

4. What changes are going to happen to our operations?
-We intend to complete the wind-down of EAS flying with US Airways.
-Beginning in May, we will begin the wind-down of our Colgan Q400 and Saab 340 operations with United Airlines. The Saab 340 wind-down is planned to be completed by the end of July and the Q-400 operation will come to an end in November.
-We will continue to operate all CRJ200s and the former Mesaba CRJ-900 aircrafts.
-Beginning in January 2013, we will wind down the 16 Pinnacle CRJ-900 aircrafts over a period of five months.
-PinnPro ground-handling associated with the Colgan Saab 340 operation will wind down in coordination with air service termination to specified cities.

5. How many planes will be taken out of service, and when?
[3] Saab 340 aircraft associated with the US Airways EAS flying will conclude operations in June 2012.
[24] Saab 340 aircraft associated with United Express service will wind down between May and July 2012.
[31] Q400 aircraft associated with United Express service will wind down between May and November 2012.
[16] CRJ900 aircraft associated with Delta Connection service will wind down between January and May 2013.

 

Not so good for the line pilots. But this is great news for the industry. Maybe this will spark a change in the crappy contracts rj operators a are signing for at a loss.

 

Not sure about that. I fear that they will just farm it out to a crappier RJ operator at even LOWER costs. Of course, they will go to labor to make up the difference.