labbats

No it's a "narrowbody rate".

Who cares though. I'm not bidding into that question mark and neither is 98% of the rest of the pilots.

Fishfreighter

Are you kidding? Why would there be? If there was, there would be additional training costs.

ridinhigh

Good one.....
Let me try.

and pilots might earn what they are worth!

Fishfreighter

Not in a non-Union shop. They only earn what the boss thinks will keep them working.

Woodbourne

Probably a stupid question, but are you guys hedged and if so on crude/ heating oil/ crack spread? How did you weather the last oil run up so well?

Thanks

pipercub

We have not fuel hedged in the past. During the last run up we just reduced flights to most of the markets to push up demand and ticket prices. We were profitable throughout the run up. It was the lowest profit margin we have seen but a profit.

Woodbourne

Piper Cub,

Thank you for the response. I am thinking of applying but the ramp worker layoffs I just read about bothers me. Are you guys currently under a union drive? I understand when the airline is profitable that management is more likely to treat the pilots well; but what they are doing to a non-unionized group is scary...?

Do you think the above will hurt the operation? If you prefer not to discuss on this forum I would appreciate a pm.

Thanks in advance

3XLoser

Do you mean outsourcing the ramp?

When this happened at Midwest, we had 1400 hours of delays the first weekend after the Milwaukee ramp was laid off. They had to shut down the hammerhead at MKE, and just try to get one flight out at a time; what a disaster! They had months to staff the replacements, but there's very high attrition at Taco Bell wages. The highest attrition was on day two of indoc, in anticipation of the drug test; I guess half the new-hires forgot to study for it.

We had lots of accidents, including two 717s that were pushed into each other, and lots of $maller incidents. We almost ran over a tug when our marshaller gave us the signal to proceed. Captain couldn't see the tug; I was heads-down, but still saw it and yelled stop. Damage costs in the first six months exceeded the couple million in payroll savings. Genious!

There were so many little things that we just take for granted, like how I had to actually show a ramper how to hook up the pc air, or how I found an airplane with tow-bar attached but steering not by-passed, potentially dangerous. The rampers would nap in the cargo bins, and one got an unexpected ride to PHL; lucky he was in the forward cargo and not the aft. Even had a guy walk off the job in the middle of a push-back after he got us jacked around at a weird angle. He just got out of the tug and walked away. We were sitting in the alley, engines running, jack-knifed tug, waiting for a supervizer to come out and try to straighten us out.

Apparently no one is capable of learning from others' mistakes. The thirty-year-old MBAs just always have to learn the hard way. Even the replacement rampers eventually learned, and after they announced that the pilots were going to be replaced, the rampers lost the CEO's luggage both times that he flew. Coincidence? I can only say thanks guys, and I would've given you my last paycheck if you left a turd in his suitcase too.

pipercub

All most all our stations are contract people. Las was the biggest one that was not. Only a couple small stations that will currently have Allegiant people.

Swedish Blender

Sweet...maybe I can get hired as a captain >tic<