Luv2Rotate

I have a buddy who flies for Repub (Shuttle) and says they'll hiring in the next few months as the 190s all start coming online and people are moved up the food chain.
Is this false hope? I would think the 100+ furloughs along with displaced Midwest guys would get first pickings but according to my buddy they're gonna need more. Any thoughts?

Fishfreighter

I imagine RAH furloughs will come back first followed by Midwest furloughs followed by F9 furloughs.

Beechlover

I'm currently in the 190 class going to MKE. To be honest, with all the integration details yet to be worked out, me personally.., I just don't see how that could be true in the short term. But I don't have the crystal ball for how many aircraft we are going to be ordering and what deals are in the works that will happen 6 months from now. Sorry, wish I could be of more help. Right now.., today.., I think most staffing will come from our 104 furloughees, the integrated pilots (Midwest) to start., and who knows about Frontier. I'm sure the way things have been going, that this will all change in the near future so keep an eye out.

iPilot

Feelings on a regional flying E-190s aside I'd be cautious about joining Republic's ranks. They're walking into a snake pit directly competing in the airline markets. Just thinking they'll have a competitive advantage using regional pilots and aircraft on mainline routes may not be enough. After all, majors like United can leverage strength in other markets like international to bring down prices in DEN and MKE. And lets not forget Southwest who has been beating down Frontier and Midwest for years.

Republic might have a strong cash position now but so did Independence and XJT before their venture into operating their own brands.

JetPipeOverht

Well Said...

Whacker77

Branded flying prove to be a very tough venture thanks to the Buffulo crash. I think customers are going to seek out the "name" airlines, aka the majors.

Diver Driver

Exactly.

Another thing to consider is that with RAH owning F9, RAH is now competing with Delta, United and the other 'big dogs'. I believe this may allow the mainline carriers to pull their contracts with RAH which would result in a lot more pilots lost than gained with acquiring F9. The RAH list is not a list I'd like to be on right now with so much uncertainty. Just a thought given all the majors looking to cut domestic flying at the regional level.

⌐ AV8OR WANNABE

I know very little about Republic Airways so I preemptively apologize my ignorance on the subject…

The way I understand it Republic used to consist of 3 separate entities – Chautauqua, Shuttle and Republic… Now Midwest Express and Frontier will be added to the mix. Correct?

I noticed that APC lists one pay scale for all three airlines… So if a pilot at lets say Shuttle division wants to fly for Chautauqua – does he/she simply bid a different domicile and then become part of the other airline?

I talked to a Chautauqua jumpseater just a couple of days ago and he said that eventually all Frontier and Midwest pilots would become part of Republic’s “master seniority list”…

I didn’t think much of it until I went home and looked up the pay scales posted on APC…

I noticed that a 10 year Republic captain makes $90/hour whereas a 10 year Frontier captain makes $146/hour – or $56 dollar an hour more than the Republic pilot. How the heck will they be able to put those pilots on the same seniority list if the pay disparity is so huge? Please, I mean no disrespect to either group as I’m a not part of any of the airlines involved… Personally I was very surprised Frontier went to RAH rather than SWA but that’s a different story and besides, that’s all history now…

I am very curious though how this seniority list “merger” would ever work in practical terms? With the huge pay disparity I’d imagine all Republic pilots will try to move to the Frontier side… Right? Are they going to be prevented from doing so somehow (fences, etc.)? If so, for how long?

Where do the Midwest pilots come into the picture? Can they bid for jobs at Republic now? Were they ‘incorporated’ based on their dates of hire or did they use other criteria?

I’ve had the privilege of having flown on both Midwest and Frontier flights in the past and found their service outstanding… Republic will have some huge shoes to fill in as the customers will expect the same high quality of service… I hope it’ll all work out for the three (or is it five maybe?) parties involved…

Frontier Pay Scale

Republic Pay Scale

rickair7777

There are conflicting requirements here....

The RAH scope requires everyone on one list.

F9 pilots have a contract, which will be binding on the new owners (unless modified in BK).

There is a new federal law requiring "Fair and Equitable" integration of seniority lists.


The only obvious way to satisfy all three legal and contractual requirements is to merge

- F9 into RAH (Satisfies RAH Scope)
- Fence F9 so all F9 FO's can upgrade into airbii (satisfies the integration law)
- Keep F9 payscales for Aibii (satisfies F9 pilot contract).

If you do it any other way, you violate a law or contract, make a lot of folks angry, and spend years in arbitration/lawsuits.

There is one other really ugly scenario, but it depends on F9 scope with regards to code-shares...if there are no restrictions on code-share, the good reverend could simply fire the F9 pilots, shift the arbii to RAH and fly them as a code-share in F9 paint...virtual airline. Or he could sell the airbii and use 190s.

If you any of you RAH types think YOU should upgrade ahead of a 7-year F9 FO, you need to be slapped silly. Ya'll should just sit down shut up and hope like heck that F9 payscales make into your contract, and not vice-versa.

IMHO

Surely, Surely the glaring differences between XJT, ACA, and RAH are extremely noticable even to the most uninformed pilots among us. As it has been said many times before, and I'm sure it will be disregarded even as I say it, because people long for history to repeat itself and for another "branded regional" particularly RAH to fail. Unfortunately for those naysayers among us, history is not being repeated simply because no "regional airline" has done what RAH is attempting to do. They have the brand, they have the name recognition, they have the planes, pilots, ground staff, marketing, and customer base. They have fare structure, route structure, and fuel hedges. They know their landing fees, airport fees, security fees. There are no suprises coming to Republic. What Bedford isnt familiar with, Menke is. What Heller doesnt know, someone in Denver does. What RAH is doing is unprecedented regardless of what you say. Show me a time where a regional airline has ever attempted such an undertaking.
As to United and Delta...most assume that UA is angry and DL is livid. If you were United, what would you rather do...Leave RAH to fend of your biggest threat in DEN (Southwest) or cancel Shuttles contract and automatically have RAH with 36 170's at their immediate disposal to paint in F9 colors and parade out of DEN? Almost effectively doubling Frontiers presence instantaneously? And lets not kidd ourselves, United isnt in a position to leverage a baked potato, not to mention enter a fare war to out price F9 AND Southwest.
Delta on the other hand, is not the suprised spouse either, as it were. I'm sure we would have heard from DL by now if they were all that bothered by RAH actions. After all they tried to do away with Freedom for delayed flights. I'm sure this is a much much more aggregious offense. And yet...silence. Delta's in bed with RAH, no doubt about it.
And just one more thing, Republic has no intentions of branding itself Republic. So all the passengers who are supposedly shying from the tiny carriers will have the opportunity to continue flying "mainline household names" like Midwest and Frontier.