BoilerUP

Regional jets cost a LOT more than that per hour to operate...

First hour fuel burn is what, 3000lbs/450gal? At $3/gal (and I think many airlines are paying more than that) that's $1350 just for fuel...before you consider the amortized cost of engines, APU, parts, maintenance labor, and lease/debt service.

But your point that crew costs are, by comparison, insignificant on a per-hour basis is valid.

Banja

I think a lot of you are missing the point of SM's letter. The only reason a CEO would write a letter like that to his employees (knowing EVERYONE will read it) is PRESSURE. It is quite clear what he's saying here: "If we don't get relief from corporate synergy, partner contracts AND LABOR, we will declare BK." This is a threat if I've ever heard one. Even if BK is NOT in our future, it would still benefit the company by threatening it.

Let's say negotiations with Delta and United are actually going well. Releasing that kind of information would not put the kind of pressure the company wants on the labor groups. It would send a clear message to us AND our mainline partners that if there is no relief, drastic measures will be taken.

I honestly believe that our 5% would make little or no difference in fixing our company's financial problems. However, I DO believe that re-negotiating CPA's with Delta and United WILL fix most of it. They are at the negotiating table right now and need to threaten parking airplanes (by declaring BK) and force them to give back. They are using the same tactic with us. Let's say all the 9E 900's and 9L Q's got parked TOMORROW. What do you think Delta/United would do? It is a VERY effective way to force them to come to the table.

Telling your labor groups that things are "progressing well in negotiations" would be foolish for SM to do. However due to the sensitivity of it and the NDA's the MEC has signed there would be no way of knowing exactly where we stand.

Don't fall for the scare tactic. Vote NO to concessions.

ShyGuy

Where in ALPA merger policy did Mesaba's union try to take a stance to sell out on my date of hire as sim date, and not class date? I got PAID from day one of class, and yet, the XJ union tried to screw me out of nearly 2 months of seniority. Not entirely their fault, it was JH's fault for not making it clear from day one.

It's common sense. When 11-09 came out, we already had tons of pilots jumping across airlines when we were still 3 separate entities. For crying out loud, the Mesaba/Pinnacle fenced operation wasn't even approved when the vacancy award came out! That kind of movement is not viable, nor sustainable.

ShyGuy

No. They should have kept all 3 separate for at least two years to ride out the economy. Mesaba would have downgraded and furloughed, Pinnacle would have hired, and Colgan would have hired their own. Everyone separate would have prevented re-training costs. Worry about whipsaw and one list at a later date once the economy improved. But no, the royal highnesses at Mesaba's union and Mr. Pushover SE unilaterally agreed that we must have one seniority list right away!

If you guys think this **** storm is bad, just wait until the Saabs are parked. Most Colgan Saab Captains were hired in 2007 and 2008, and a large amount (the ones hired on/before Feb 2008) have super seniority on the list (#s 1000-1400). They are more senior than the most junior Pinnacle Captains from Oct 2006 - Feb 2007. Pinnacle's worse case scenario will be that we will displace ALL our Captains on the 200, right down to only 541 total as protected by the quota, while Colgan Saab Captains get displaced off the parked Saab fleet.

Imapilot2

Tell Pinnacle to go pound sand and have them replaced before the CEO left the room.

Delta IMO was the instigator in those entire thing.

gonyon

I agree. their crazy schedule changes while refuting rate increases is a ploy to drive us into bnkrptcy. They probably engineered this thing with philly right before he left, knowing they would be able to get a better deal out of mesaba, pncl and maybe dump some 50 seaters or at the very least get better lease rates.

Silver02ex

And who exactly will they will replace them with the next day? because replacing 40+ airplanes is sooooo easy. How many flights will be cancel while United find a way to replace all those routes? If you would have said, they'll be replace within a year. That, I can see, but have them replaced that quick? really?

The Dominican

I cannot tell people in that situation how to view things but I know how I would look at all of this if I were still at 9E, after so many years of negotiation to secure a new contract, not just NO but HELL NO

shimmydamp

Oh. You should have told me you were bitter and living in the SLI process still. It would explain you mixing facts with emotion. If you think Bloch is partly to blame for the current financial situation of the company you are wrong. It was not his job to run crew staffing scenarios for an airline, it was his job to merge three seniority lists into one.

Tomorrow maybe I will blame my leaky faucet on the water meter guy.

AxialFlow

Spot on!

The next day? We're not filing Ch 13...there's still the somewhat lengthy court process to go through. Enough time for Conited to get a half-assed (ie normal operational plan) contingency plan slapped together.