Bahamasflyer

When do you think FO's will be getting EWR again? 3-6 months?

JediCheese

6 months at the earliest and possibly longer. No international flying + Slot Program waiver = no EWR flying.

The company doesn't way to pay for a displacement bid in the hopes EWR comes back (and United is wanting flexibility). If United decides EWR is toast as a major hub, half that base is going to be displaced elsewhere.

jacburn

It all depends on a lot of moving pieces. A lot of timing to a lot of different parts and the targets are all moving.

I would say with the new DEN base, IAH continuing to grow with Mexico planned at the end of the quarter or first of the second quarter, International service not starting back up because the overseas countries are going back on lockdown, and the EWR time slots have been protected again, I would see sometime near the end of 2021 before EWR opens back up for new hires on a steady basis.

CLE to IAH

now there’s a blast from the past. Dude was a FB and crkpipe legend 😂

tothebigblue

We can thank the ASA rejects for that one...their sick calls drove our planes to go to skywest. I blame all our short comings and losses on those whiny bastards. I bet UAL selected commutair because of them too. They knew XJT wasnt going to be able to get rid of the lead weights unless they fired them, and they couldn't. So congrats to the lifers at ASA...you were always the thorn in our side. Advise EVERYONE at C5 to avoid hiring anyone with 'ASA' in their resume.

Flydafe

I was at Xjt and did not have the same experiences. Legacy ASA folks were cool. The airline was solid. All the things that made Xjt a good place to work were also the things that made that company expensive. Looking at the state of things now in the industry it is easy to see how one can become a lifer at any airline. We all may very well see another lost decade in the industry due to this pandemic’s effects.

Hedley

I’m thinking that the decision to go with C5 and shut down XJT had more to do with the planned size of the 145 fleet than any ASA/XJT issues. XJT was also the more expensive option. United is going to start phasing out the 50 seaters as contracts become due. The total 145 fleet will be much smaller than it was when XJT was around. C5 will add some of the former XJT planes, but not the majority of them. It stinks for the employees, but XJT was just one of the first to fall. Unless United decides to shuffle the 175’s and 550’s that they own or free up more 76 seaters with a new NB purchase, CommutAir and Air Wisconsin will eventually be in the same boat. Changes were already on the horizon, and COVID just added gas to the fire.

Flydafe

I agree and unless United has a trick up their sleeve it will be a rough ride for the 145. Looking on the Mesa forum it looks like they got more ejet flying coming. I got a friend who was hired by C5 and everything that he is saying about bases and fleet size sounds like the same line told to Xjt folks. I really hope C5 gets the 175 and develops in to United’s wholly owned operation like envoy.

Hedley

Mesa is only getting 175’s because they’re leasing the 700’s out for conversion. Once that is complete, there are no more available 175’s. If United were to actually order a new NB type, it would allow up to 70 more 76 seaters, but I’d bet that SkyWest, Mesa, or Republic would offer to buy the jets and fly them under long contracts for United. Maximizing those additional 76 seaters would also require a large number of 50 seaters to be retired, as well as significantly restrict available UAX block hours. I’d expect SkyWest to be the most aggressive in getting those jets since they are going to take such a big hit when the 200’s are eventually phased out. United has been consistent in their opposition to another fleet type, and we have zero input, so this is really just an internet game of what if.

Edit: United doesn’t need a trick up their selves for the 50 seaters. They can have as many as they want providing that UAX block remains less than UAL NB hours. They want to eliminate the 145 and 200 fleet and add a bunch of 175’s, but they want to do it without having to pay a price. Until Kirby decides what he wants to do, the 50 seat fleet continues to age and the backlog of possible replacement aircraft continues to grow.

Flydafe

You’re right.. playing internet what if but going forward the regional model has to change. The days of low pay is coming to an end. Starting pay must be higher than $50k without signing bonuses