scambo1

Poor form to quote myself, but if ALPA wont put the word out, someone has to.

acl65pilot

Well I can tell you that when I walk in the crew room, I would say that at least five pilots are looking at this board.

It is simple. We have trips together that have overnights. Educate yourself, and then talk amongst your crew when you are on the layo.

I have been very encouraged by the pilots I have talked to. All of them see scope as crucial to any long term contractual gains.

acl65pilot

Lets look at how this announcement reads. Looks like the holding company is determining capacity of its branded operation.....


Republic Airways Cuts Capacity Outlook to Unchanged on Fuel
By Mary Schlangenstein - May 3, 2011 12:35 PM ET


Republic Airways Holdings Inc. (RJET), the operator of Frontier Airlines, slashed capacity growth plans this year to unchanged from an expansion of as much as 5 percent because of surging fuel costs.

The company, which also flies regional routes for larger carriers, is working to reduce Frontier expenses by $100 million to have “a sustainable business model,” Chief Executive Officer Bryan Bedford said on a conference call today.

“It’s an aggressive plan and we’ve got to get the rest of the way there,” he said. “It’s certainly necessary work to ensure we have a viable and sustainable franchise.”

Republic, based in Indianapolis, joins four of the five biggest U.S. carriers in trimming growth plans for the year in response to a 32 percent rise in fuel prices since the end of 2010. U.S. carriers also have boosted fares to help offset the increased costs.

Republic fell 8 cents, or 1.5 percent, to $5.27 at 12:34 p.m. New York time in Nasdaq Stock Market trading. The shares declined 27 percent this year before today.

The company bought Frontier out of bankruptcy in 2009 shortly after acquiring Midwest Air Group Inc. The Frontier purchase added a new business to its traditional operation of ferrying passengers to hub airports for carriers such as Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL) and United Continental Holdings Inc.

“Over the next few months we’ll be engaging all of our business partners to achieve meaningful expense savings,” Bedford said.
Quarterly Loss

Republic today also reported a first-quarter loss excluding some items of $18.6 million, or 39 cents a share. That was wider than the 36-cent average of seven analysts’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Sales rose 8.3 percent to $659.1 million.

Republic said rising jet-fuel prices will add about $90 million to its costs this year, and forecast a second- quarter loss. The average of seven analysts’ estimates was for an adjusted profit of 29 cents.

Republic is moving six Embraer E170 aircraft to flying for Delta, joining eight of the planes already at the bigger carrier. Republic wants to move three remaining E170s into fixed-fee service by the end of this year, Bedford said.

A disruption of supplies from Japan has caused a two-month delay in planned deliveries to Frontier of six new Embraer E190s to fill the void, he said. The airline now expects to have three to four of the planes flying in 2011.

To contact the reporter on this story: Mary Schlangenstein in Dallas at [email protected]

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Ed Dufner at [email protected]

acl65pilot

Interesting.....

Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV)’s new acquisition, AirTran, initially will retain practices such as bag fees and seat assignments that have been shunned at the largest discount carrier.

Southwest got an initial look at proprietary AirTran data today when it closed the $1 billion purchase of the smaller airline and is deferring any shift in operations pending a more- thorough review, Chief Executive Officer Gary Kelly said.

“Today’s the beginning,” Kelly said on a flight to Atlanta from Southwest’s Dallas headquarters for a celebration with employees. “We have much we want to learn before we start to make changes. For some months, there won’t be any changes.”

Buying AirTran gives Southwest access to Atlanta, the world’s busiest airport. It also puts Southwest in the position of owning an airline that charges to check luggage and rebook flights, policies for which it has lampooned rivals in television commercials.

“We’re literally on a different system for everything,” said Bob Jordan, the Southwest executive vice president who has been appointed president of Orlando, Florida-based AirTran. “At some point, AirTran’s fees are going to go away.”

Southwest fell 14 cents, or 1.2 percent, to $11.61 at 4:02 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The shares have declined 13 percent since Sept. 27, when Southwest agreed to buy AirTran for $3.75 cash and 0.321 Southwest share for each share of AirTran Holdings Inc. (AAI)
Debt Ratings

Including AirTran debt and capitalized aircraft operating leases, the transaction is valued at about $3.2 billion, the airlines said. Standard & Poor’s cut Southwest’s credit rating today to BBB-, the lowest investment grade, from BBB, citing the assumption of AirTran debt and leases. S&P raised AirTran to BBB- from B-.

Passengers won’t start to see many changes until late 2011 or early 2012, according to Southwest. The airlines expect to receive regulatory approval to operate as one carrier early in 2012, and the most substantive changes will occur after that.

Southwest and AirTran will continue to operate separate flight schedules, reservation systems and websites. AirTran’s planes will retain a first-class section and their current paint scheme.
‘Support That Brand’

“AirTran continues to be a brand, and we will support that brand, just as we support the Southwest brand,” Kelly said.

While Southwest and AirTran have both focused on low fares as central to their appeal to travelers, their approaches differ. Southwest jets have only one class of service, for example, and AirTran has coach and business-class cabins. AirTran also charges extra for seats on the aisle, next to a window or with extra legroom.

Southwest will examine all of AirTran’s operations, learning things such as how the airline operates a hub-and-spoke flight system and its Boeing Co. (BA) 717s. Southwest flies an all Boeing 737 fleet, which it has long described as a pivotal move in holding down maintenance expenses.

Southwest will compete directly in Atlanta with Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL), the world’s second-largest carrier. Delta controls 75 percent of passengers at Atlanta, now the biggest airport for AirTran.

The acquisition also will give Southwest more gates at New York’s LaGuardia and its first service at Washington’s Reagan National. Southwest is the fourth-largest U.S. airline by traffic, after United Continental Holdings Inc., Delta and AMR Corp. (AMR)’s American Airlines.

Buying AirTran will allow Southwest to resume growth in seating capacity for the first time since the end of 2008, and will add about $3 billion a year in revenue.

To contact the reporters on this story: Mary Schlangenstein in Dallas at [email protected]; Mary Jane Credeur in Atlanta at [email protected]

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Ed Dufner at [email protected]

forgot to bid

A-freaking-men. RAH was served up on a silver platter imho by the NMB in their single status ruling on 07APR and if we don't do anything about it we're giving a green light to the most blatant scope erosion to date.

If this gets tabled its absolutely egregious action by the group hired to represent us. If, however, they do as they're hinting at and ensure that all holdings companies are now considered STS, then it's... doing what your supposed to do and plugging the holes on a leaky ship called the PWA.

alfaromeo

Before the merger, Delta had a limited code share with Alaska, the current expanded code share was inherited from the Northwest contract. That is how Northwest fed their A-330 base in SEA.

Columbia

From the Atlanta fishwrapper
Reduced options rile some travelers | ajc.com

Reduced options rile some travelers

Southwest’s lack of
business class, assigned seats has fliers on edge.

One of Southwest Airlines’ mantras really bugs business traveler Robert Scott.

“We’re not all things to all people,” Southwest Airlines chief executive Gary Kelly has been known to say.

Scott fears he’s one of the “all people” Kelly means. That’s because when Southwest fully absorbs AirTran, he’ll no longer be able to book the business class seats he loves — at least not on AirTran-turned-Southwest.

As welcome as Southwest’s arrival in Atlanta may be to many fliers, some business fliers such as Scott fear they will face reduced choices. AirTran had a hybrid service model of low fares coupled with mainstream service, including business class and traditional assigned seating. Southwest has neither.

“I’ll miss AirTran a lot,” Scott said. “I liked having an assigned seat and being able to go in business class for not a lot of money.” In the future, he added, “I’ll probably fly Delta a lot more.”

Chris McGinnis, editor of The Ticket newsletter for Atlanta business travelers, said the lack of a business-class seating option is “the biggest obstacle Southwest is going to face in Atlanta ... Everybody’s up in arms over that.”

Southwest spokesman Chris Mainz said AirTran loyalists may not be used to Southwest’s style of operating but may come to like it.

“AirTran has a very loyal following, and they’re used to the services and the style that AirTran operates,” Mainz said. “We strongly feel that once they do experience Southwest service, they’ll come to appreciate it as much as our current loyal business travelers do.”

Southwest executives often point to the airline’s overall success and steady growth in passenger counts as evidence of the wisdom of their approach.

“We’re very confident in our product,” Mainz said. “We encourage and invite them to fly Southwest Airlines, then let them decide if it’s the right choice for them.”

In selling itself to Atlanta Southwest is likely to tout is its lack of checked baggage fees. Yet that won’t benefit business travelers who travel light or got free baggage check due to elite frequent flier status.

Although AirTran started out as a no-frills carrier, over the years it added full-service perks in order to win a chunk of the business travel market, which is typically a big profit center for airlines because such travelers book less-restricted, more expensive fares.

Mainz said Southwest is listening to AirTran business travelers. “We do value their feedback,” he said. Attracting business travelers has been a big focus for Southwest recently, and “any decision that we make, we have the business traveler in mind,” Mainz said.

Kelly, the CEO, has said Southwest arguably carries more business travelers than rivals because of its sheer size as the largest U.S. carrier in the domestic market. He’s also acknowledged the airline loses out on some business travel and wants to change that.

“Whether we’ll get our ‘fair share’ eventually, I don’t know. But we’ve got a long way to go,” he told analysts recently.

McGinnis expects that the removal of AirTran’s business class will lead to some higher first class fares and less room for upgrades on Delta.

Southwest also plans to end AirTran’s assigned seating, further irking some AirTran frequent fliers.

“When you spend your entire life on a plane, you kind of get particular about what you want,” said one, Don Turner. He commutes weekly to California and said he needs a seat with space to be comfortable and to work on the plane.

“I think there are some real 
fans [of Southwest] who are used to getting on the plane in sweatpants and reading a book,” he said. “They’re not 
really expecting to work.”

Southwest is showing more flexibility in other areas with the acquisition. For instance, it has only flown 737s throughout its history, a practice that keeps fleet management simpler and less costly. But it will inherit smaller Boeing 717s in the AirTran deal. It also will take over some of AirTran’s Caribbean routes, which will be its first outside the U.S. And it is taking over a full-blown connecting hub in Atlanta after decades of eschewing the connecting hub model.

Turner and a number of other AirTran business travelers are taking a wait-and-see approach, or planning to fly carriers with a traditional approach.

“I’ve got nothing against [Southwest],” Turner said. “[Southwest] just doesn’t fit my travel requirements.”

Joe Leader organized a “Save our Seats” campaign among AirTran frequent fliers to try to persuade Southwest to keep business class and assigned seats.

“The times I flew Southwest when it was genuinely cattle call, I really disliked it,” said Leader, of Dunwoody, who is president of a trade association. “I’ve heard that it’s gotten better recently. I won’t believe it till I see it.”

Ron DiLeo, executive director of the Association of Corporate Travel Executives, takes a more measured view. “Where I think it will be positive for business travelers is Southwest has a huge network ... It’ll be easier for you to stick to one airline” than it was with AirTran.

Meanwhile, Delta has launched a campaign in Atlanta emphasizing its 70 years as “Atlanta’s hometown airline” — a message that might resonate when it goes up against the mega discounter from Texas. And Delta has been promoting the addition of first-class seats on more planes, including some regional jets.

Alan Bender, a professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, said some businesspeople, such as sales people and entrepreneurs, still will gravitate to Southwest because cost and convenience is more important to them than perks.

“What’s important on a one-hour flight is who has the next flight out,” Bender said.

Terry Sherwin, an insurance broker based in Smyrna, liked getting upgraded to business class on AirTran as an elite frequent flier, but he’s willing to give Southwest a try.

“I’m going to try them first, and if I don’t like them, I’ll probably go back to Delta,” Sherwin said.

newKnow

Minneapolis and Atlanta are a long way from Seattle, my friend.

forgot to bid

I think you're spot on here.

I'm not going to change the construct of your argument, just the target. ATL is mecca, but I don't think DALPA gives it whatever they want. This after all is the base that saw the 764 flying slashed in half and replaced by the 330 which isn't based here. That kind of slashing moves a lot of people down and out of a category. I flew with a lot of 88 Captains last year getting MD'd back to the right seat of whatever. The 320 and 9 are also here doing "ATL" flying and they rightfully probably hate it as MSP, MEM, DTW and CVG are better facilities.

This is also the base where it took a significant acquisition of 90s before they'd allow the 88 pilots to be qualified on it. Had it not been for the surge of 90s only CVG, MSP and probably NYC pilots would fly the quality of trips that comes with the 90 (such as what the SLC pilots had) versus slugging it out in the 88 east of the Mississippi River to those awesome hotspots like the Dayton long and short overnight.

If I was the 88 A I was talking to a week ago I'd tell you about 1996 and who I think DALPA's primary concern is. And that's senior pilots (or at least as senior as the decision makers are at ALPA). If what he talked about was correct (especially when it came to lump sum retirements) then it would similar to what we saw at Continental Express when our ALPA negotiated to end the flow to CAL but guess what, the last qualified person was just junior of the lowest ALPA pilot negotiating the end of the flow. You take care of your own in other words.

Now that might draw the ire of PG or Slow and by all means I just throw it out there for the sake of the dialogue and a retort is always encouraged here. Otherwise, the thread would die. I don't think ATL is the beneficiary of DALPA work but rather its just a pretty big facility, well not pretty, just big. If you saw a 744 base here while there is no 744 flying, that'd be a red flag for sure. But I do think LAX and the west coast don't get what they should get in terms of protection from the detrimental effects of Alaska. Let's hope New's source is right and that's being reviewed. What's good for LAX and SEA is good for ATL, MSP, MEM, NYC, DTW and CVG.

dragon

Yes, they can. However, if they schedule you over an X day you'll get a PB. For May, they finally got my IOE and TOEs scheduled and looks like they tried very hard to work around my X days, but I ended up getting on PB for the last day on my last scheduled TOE.

Now having said that, the real answer will be something like "it depends". I think they finally realized their scheduling mistakes and are trying to get more of the elephant through the snake.

Good luck, when did you finish training? For reference, I finished mid-Feb.