The Juice

An analyst question I found interesting.

Analyst "You've been so successful for the current contract. How do you tempter their enthusiasm, to understand the business model so that they (pilots) don't overreach"

Ben-"I will say that our pilots do a terrific job and they like being here. All FOs know to the month when they will upgrade. We will work together to form a win/win for both sides. They will get what they need and we will get what we need to continue to grow the company

Qotsaautopilot

I heard that and wanted to reach through the phone and strangle that guy. What business model does he think I need to understand? The business of flying an Airbus 320? There is a market price for that no matter how the airline determines they want to make their revenue. Does Airbus lower the price because spirit is a ulcc? No and neither will the pilots that fly them

falcon2000aj

I just vomited in my mouth... Their record profits have been off the sweat of us(pilots)... Time to be compensated properly for the amount of people we jam into our AC..

putzin

I like how you think!

The Juice

Ben was like a giddy school kid on the call. Excited about where we are and where we are going. Most analysts were left saying "Wow, that sounds great" when their questions were answered.

The company "appears" to be in a very strong position and will be getting better in the years to come. From a business position, I dont see how we can be in a stronger position to negotiate from. From a industry position, being on the low end of pay, we are in a strong position as well. The company will have a hard time justifying how the pilots who produce some of the highest profits are some of the lowest paid, maybe those two facts arent so mutually exclusive. There is zero damned reason to except any concession or anything less that "substantial gains" in this contract. Period, end of story. Done

JoeyMeatballs

Agreed. I do wish people would focus on the entire package, not just when we upgrade. I have no idea what month Im going to upgrade because I have no desire to commute, lol (at least not yet) we need rates to come up all across the board, not just CA pay rates. Retirement, trip rig (list goes on and on).

Also, though we contribute to the airlines success as pilots, our lower rates are not the reason. We have a good business model, that's why we make money. Our pay is a drop in the bucket all things considered, it can come up significantly without hurting our bottom line. Don't give the impression that our pay is why we as an airline make money because raising it will then be looked at as taking away from our future financial success, know whattttttttt I mean?

I think this will become even more clear when all of our buddies at other airlines are getting huge profit sharing checks.

The Juice

I never said or gave the impression that our lower than average wages is "the" reason why our company makes money. That would be a foolish statement to make. However, when the analyst says "You (company) did a great job on the last pilot contract," she isnt referring to how awesome 4 days off in a row is and best effort for 5. She is saying how great of a job the company did in managing their labor costs ie..more dolla dolla bills ya all for that bottom line.

Maybe im crazy but I believe that if you pay a pilot $1 more per hour, you will see close to that, if not more, in return from that investment to your bottom line. Its called human capital and its a great thing for a company to invest in. Its like how pilots laugh when scheduling screws us out of an hour here and there, do they not realize that starting an APU 5 minutes earlier negates that squeeze you put on the pilot. Treat the pilots well throughout their career and the pilots will continue to treat the airline and our customers well, because in the end, we have the most riding on these black and yellow planes.

JoeyMeatballs

I didn't mean you , just in general, lol.

But I agree with everything you're saying

The Juice

Ok, we still cool then..haha

Side rant real quick.....

If Ben Baldanza asked an FO "How long till you upgrade," the correct answer is "Well Mr. Baldanza, I hope we get to a position where I dont need to upgrade in order to provide for my family and save for my future."

/end rant

JoeyMeatballs

^ exactly!