Expressjet announcement today

[JediNein]

Pilots are, and always will be, a cost unit.

Engineers and sales people can make the company money. Gate agents, flight attendents, and ticket agents can deliver customer service and directly impact the customer satisfaction and future purchases. They can help managers grow empires with headcount.

Pilots just cost money.

As pilots don't make money for the company, the only way for pilots to cost less is to reduce wages and reduce headcount.

 

[rtmcfi]

Pilots are, and always will be, a cost unit.

Engineers and sales people can make the company money. Gate agents, flight attendents, and ticket agents can deliver customer service and directly impact the customer satisfaction and future purchases. They can help managers grow empires with headcount.

Pilots just cost money.

As pilots don't make money for the company, the only way for pilots to cost less is to reduce wages and reduce headcount.

That is an interesting perspective. While revenue generation may be an area that pilots don't hold much sway over, many costs are directly influenced by pilots, thereby influencing the bottom line.

 

[ToiletDuck]

Pilot paycuts have never saved a company, and they never will. You've bought into management's bulls---. Pathetic.

Are you joking? Until recently labor was the most expensive aspect of an airline. You don't think pilot paycuts ever saved an airline? Ever heard of AMR? That's exactly what kept it from going CH 11. Should the crews have gotten their pay back? Hell yes but it did let them dodge the first firing squad. AMR has a leg to stand on now. True they have an older fleet that cost them and arm and leg but they also have the ability to negotiate under BK. UAL is screwed if it goes into BK along with the rest. Their assets were already negotiated after 9/11.

 

[Nevets]

Which is why i do not see profits for Xjet is the future unless they can become more "cost competitive".

Yep, CAL was successful in whipsawing XJT pilots with SKW pilots even though XJT remained independent. This is why I kept saying that this was all a negotiating tactic on CAL's part. They were going to win either way. But again, SKW was asking for 3 times more in concessions to become "cost competative" with SKW pilots.

 

[CFIT]

Yep, CAL was successful in whipsawing XJT pilots with SKW pilots even though XJT remained independent. This is why I kept saying that this was all a negotiating tactic on CAL's part. They were going to win either way. But again, SKW was asking for 3 times more in concessions to become "cost competative" with SKW pilots.

I think you are beaing overly general with you're statement. I think that SkyWest can be much more cost effective in it's product but not just from a pilot cost front. Our compensation package is very competitive with XJT.

And sad to say but I would bet a beer that either your pay table or company is not going to be here next year.

 

[Gr82Aviate]

Pilots are, and always will be, a cost unit.

Engineers and sales people can make the company money. Gate agents, flight attendents, and ticket agents can deliver customer service and directly impact the customer satisfaction and future purchases. They can help managers grow empires with headcount.

Pilots just cost money.

As pilots don't make money for the company, the only way for pilots to cost less is to reduce wages and reduce headcount.

Get real...If we don't move the metal, the company doesn't make any money. The transportation of the passengers from point A to point B is carried out by us, and if we don't carry out our end, there is no money period! You think engineers and sales people work for free, they're not a "cost unit"?


You don't think that pilots deliver customer service? Who is most responsible to help get the people where they're going, and getting them there on time and safely???

 

[Nevets]

I think you are beaing overly general with you're statement. I think that SkyWest can be much more cost effective in it's product but not just from a pilot cost front. Our compensation package is very competitive with XJT.

And sad to say but I would bet a beer that either your pay table or company is not going to be here next year.

Yeah, SKW can be more cost effective with their other employee groups as well. I was only speaking of pilots as that is all I know of when it comes to "cost competitive." After all, it was JA and BR who pointed these facts out to us.

As for your bet, I don't know if you are just trying to be cruel because of the previous truths I mentioned but I would guess that our pay scale may be lower by next year. Like I said, they are asking for concession that are its still three times less than what SKW management wanted from the XJT pilots just to become "cost competative."

 

[duck_killer]

Wheres our pal PCL_128?

 

[PCL_128]

Are you joking? Until recently labor was the most expensive aspect of an airline.

Yes, and pilot labor was a very small part of that. An ALPA study of a regional pilot group showed that raising pilot total compensation by 100% (that's double) would have only increased the CASM by less than one half of one cent.

You don't think pilot paycuts ever saved an airline? Ever heard of AMR? That's exactly what kept it from going CH 11.

Pilot paycuts didn't save AMR, or DAL, UAL, CAL, or anyone else. Other cost saving measures saved these companies. Pilot payroll is a tiny blip on the radar in the grand scheme of things.

 

[dojetdriver]

Yes, and pilot labor was a very small part of that. An ALPA study of a regional pilot group showed that raising pilot total compensation by 100% (that's double) would have only increased the CASM by less than one half of one cent.

At a major airline, that's the case. I can't remember the numbers my dad gave me from UAL when they were getting bent over. But something like 1 in 5 employees at UAL at the time was in a management positition company wide. But management accounts for over 50% of the payroll.

At a regional airline, that is not the case. The pilot group is the biggest employee group, as well as the highest paid employee group. Take any of the bigger regionals and run the numbers of pilots vs TOTAL employee count. I'm not sure I have too much faith in that ALPA study.