BoilerUP

I hope to Jebus Expressjet has some former corporate pilots doing the 'interviews' for the Corporate division. I understand that the planes are still going to be in a 50-seat configuration, but people paying a premium for a shuttle or charter expect a premium product. I don't know Expressjet's pilot group, but I know I've flown with some CAs at my gig that would get fired right quick in a jiffy if they treated a Beechjet or XLS the way they fly the RJ.

Rightseat Ballast

CHQ is fully able to supply aircraft to cover the CALEx flying by summer 07, but it is likely that CAL has allowed a somewhat extended timetable in order to accomodate CHQ's US 145 aircraft reduction timetable. Remember, CHQ is only going to have 44 aircraft for CALEx, compared to the 69 aircraft reduction by XJT. The CRJ's (24 of them) will all be available, painted, and brought into servicable condition by summer 07. The 20 145's being taken from the US Airways side are of course on property and ready to go, but CHQ would like to change those over to blue and gold paint 1 for 1 as the new US 175's are delivered. The 30 175's will all be on property by summer of 08, however the 20th one should be delivered sometime in the first few months of 08; this should mean that all CHQ aircraft would be online with CALEx around Jan 1 '08. Of course, no matter how you do the math, the addition of 44 aircraft will never equal the reduction of 69 aircraft. Perhaps the 25 other aircraft will be reduced after CHQ aircraft are all online. But to all you naysayers, the CHQ program is on track, CRJ classes are running, manuals are approved, and the first CRJs have arrived.

SharkyBN584

I was under the impression that CAL was putting 73's on some of those routes covered by the 69 aircraft, cutting some routes altogether, and then the left over stuff was to be flown by CHQ - hence 44 does not equal 69. True story?

Sanchez

True. Some of it has to do as mentioned above with the transition in paint schemes from chaniqua, some of it has to do with the fact that some markets have grown enough to easily accomodate a 737.

I don't have any bitterness towards chaniqua, however, I fail to understand how adding an extra fleet type (24 aircraft at that) with zero commonality, will be profitable for them. The only thing I can think of is that management is gambling on getting more flying in 3 years from CAL...that's definetely a gamble!

Rightseat Ballast

The CRJ's all have us scratching our heads. But what is known is that additional 145's were not available in the desert, from Embraer, or otherwise. CHQ needed an aircraft to fulfill the CAL contract. Also, the CRJ lease rates are $40,000 a month less that the 145, which helps absorb some of the new costs incurred with a new fleet type. But the best answer is that the CRJ fleet is not expected to stop at 24 aircraft. RAH likes Embraer, but the majors like the CRJ because of the lower cost, passenger amenities be damned. Not slamming the CRJ here, so put out that flame... With rumors of ComAir losing CRJs to another company (CHQ did not bid on CRJ-200 flying in the Delta RFP), NWA looking for CRJ providers, and a sizeable demand for -700's and -900's out there now, I would assume that the CRJ type addition is a preemptive move. To date, Bryan Bedford has been good at predicting market trends and growing the company in advance to accomodate.

DjHubberts

I do not get why CAL is conforming to the rest of the industries lower bar, instead of taking advantage of their position as a leader and raising the bar for the rest of the airlines. Example... They are the only ones left serving food for free on most of their flights. Instead of advertising this fact and beating up the other majors with this, they cut the number of flights that have meals.

Example... CAL has only one regional airline working for it. This allows a great amount of flexibility when the weather goes down the crapper in IAH or EWR (both notorious for bad delays when the poop hits the fan...) XJT gives up slots, cancels flights, etc, so that CAL flights can maintain more ontime. XJT can drop a IAH-LFT (Layfeyette, LA) turn when there's a 3 hours delay program going, and transition the airplane onto the IAH-DFW flight where the plane is going to be 4 hours late b/c its stuck on the ramp on a refuel stop AT DFW and can't get to IAH. Bring in another carrier like UAL, NWA, AAL, DLA have all done, and the swaps are no longer there that worked so well in the past....

My point is that the bean counters that are now running CAL are just doing that... Looking at the hard numbers and not the intrinsic numbers that make an airline great

freezingflyboy

Amen, but thats SOP for Larry the Beancounter and Co.

ToiletDuck

I was thinking of applying to XJT. Would this be a bad idea now? I'm from the houston area so I was hoping to work for them and stay in the area.

Sanchez

We've been told by the folks at management two things:

No furloughs.

We'll hire through Spring of next year.

You decide. Good luck

ToiletDuck

How much does a referral help? Or is it not hard to get in at all?