HuronIP

The creditors want their $$ and the judge will follow the law. Unfortunately jobs are probably at the bottom of the priority list for the judge.

SWA has over $2 billion in cash so they just may have to.

Bwipilot

If you'd do your research, you'd have more of an idea what's going on. SWA is in negotiations with SWAPA for a contract that was just turned down. The current contract has good scope provisions the SWA has to abide by. SWA would like to/probably has to get the contract settled to consumate the Frontier deal. Hence, SWAPA pilots do have a vote.

On the other hand, FAPA pilots don't have a vote. They do have opinions that they can share with others--including the bankruptcy judge--but no vote. Bankruptcy is about making creditors happy--not about making employees of bankrupt companies happy.

The person(s) who screwed the F9 pilots is the idiot who took them into bankruptcy. All bets have been off after that.

xtreme

Rather be stapled to the bottom of Southwest than Republic.

Patch

I have no misconception of where I stand in this game. You are absolutely right .. I am just a pawn and the company will try to do what it has to inorder to make money. This whole thing is a business transaction and the golden rule often applies in business -> The one with the gold makes the rules. SWA doesn't need F9 to survive. SWA will make an offer based on their needs. F9 can simply choose to reject it and then we all walk away. It will be their call and they'll need to make it in THEIR best interest.

If you've read some of my previous posts on this thread, you'll see I'm probably more open minded then the staple only crowd. I'm well aware of how beneficial acquiring F9 is to our operation.

Patch

mulcher

What is fair then F9 guys? A 14 year F9 getting senority of 1994 with an $80000 raise, benies, qol and tremendous job security. What a lottery ticket. Pilotswife do you really think this would be fair? Not a chance. I really do hope we can give your husband stable employment. I am sure we will. Will it be different? You bet, but we need to all make it as enjoyable as we can. What about the 450 F9 apps that SWA has on file? Those where all pilots willing to go to the bottom with 1st year pay and probation. Why do you think that is?

Now I am all about keeping fellow pilots employed, but the F9's need to look at reality a little. I am all about fair, but I really need more facts before I could say staple or give an F9 pilot 14 years senority. Look at what Republic did to Midwest. You talk about SWA pilots wanting a windfall look in the mirror. The differences is one comapany is a little more stable then the other. If we were talking equal companies then sure relative senority, but we arent. Not even close. Believe me I know it could be us 10 years down the road.

I am pretty sure SWA will win the bid. It would be a shocker if they didnt. Republic will not have a vote due the fact they are a bidder.

Lets all just see what happens on the 10th. Then lets see what happens on the 11th-17th.

Patch nice post!

newKnow

Your dates have me confused. So, on the 10th or 17th or sometime, the judge will determine if SWA or Republic wins the bid. Let's say he says, SWA you are the winner. Then SWA says, ok we will take over F9, planes pilots and everything, let's merge. SWAPA takes the position that they want all F9 pilots to go to the bottom of the list. F9 pilots say, no way, Bond-McCatskil, we want to go to court and have an arbitrator figure it out. What do you guys have to stop that from happening?

Even if (and thats a big if) you can stop the two operations from merging, what benefit would that give to the company?

mulcher

The pilots will have to have a deal before it is finalized with the company. No pilot deal NO DEAL. If F9 pilot want to fly an emb190 for peanuts and no better job security then so be it. Keep dreaming if you think Republic is going to treat F9 like a wounded puppy. We will have to see how SWA structures the deal on the 10th. See who wins the bid on the 17th and take it from there. SWA binding bid will have a clause in it to get out of the deal if the pilots dont come to terms. Something tells me we will equal ground. The F9 people that only gloat and argue BM AM will be their saving grace are looking for nothing more then a lottery ticket. What hypocrites. Ill tell you this it will never go to arbitration. Why not answer what do F9 pilots think would be fair? Considering the two companies. Do you honesty think it would be fair for a 14 year F9 CA to go below our number 1 guy. Or be put on our list with 94' hires. Give me a break. I dont believe in staright staple of all F9 pilots. But some of you are just plane nuts. Heck lets just put all F9 pilots on top of SWA pilots. That seems fair.

filejw

I think you guys need to remember that there is a DEC 2007 federal law that governs airline seniority and from what I've read an arbitrator would be deciding these lists.

newKnow

That's all I'm saying. I already did my merger thing and could care less about who goes where on a hypothetical SWA seniority list for a hypothetical merger. I'm just asking how they plan to do this, because the first thing that voids a contract is illegality. So, I ask again, how are you SWA guys/gals getting around Bond-McCaskill?

If you say the company will sructure an escape clause to ensure that a seniority list is agreed to or else the deal is off, don't you know that that will kill ANY offer made by SWA. The judge doesn't have to take the highest offer, just the best. A deal that is contingent on the likes or dislikes of an employee group compared to a solid offer that is coming from a creditor is like night and day. Your escape clause could leave the Frontier creditors out in the cold in 2-3 months.

You being able to kill the deal forces the judge to place Frontier right in Republics lap.

Yabadaba

I have to agree. I can't see it happening either. Last I heard SWA still wasn't sure if they wanted Lynx in the deal. Being as Bombardier is a creditor I think they need to rosey up the offer and come up with a game plan for the Q's. Does SWA think you can rule DEN without regional feed anyway? They might lose less than they are now in DEN but there are too many high yield places the Boeing won't be going. Never been part of the company's game plan of course... but an Aspen connection on SWA????

Too many jobs would be lost in the SWA deal. Not just pilots but rampers etc. People say we will be working for peanuts with RAH. BB does want to extend wage concessions to mainline but they still get paid above the average airbus pay. The entire company has worked hard for the last 15 months. We have taken wage concessions and have seen 8 straight months of profitability under Ch 11. Never thought I would say it but the future looks brighter with RAH.

Either way things end up after the auction... at least I know I can come here for the next two years and hear everyone say we would have been better with the other option.

Later,
YD