I feel that it would cost more to send all of the jets to Potomac air, and therefor it ain't gonna happen. If they send the jets to Potomac air 100% of the pilots have to be furloughed US guys. If they send the jets to Allegheny, Piedmont or PSA only 50% of the pilots need to be US Airways pilots. Also, the agreement states that all furloughed US Airways guys will be paid Captain rates no matter what seat there in. There is no way they want an entire airline (Potomac) getting paid captains pay. If the jets go to one of the wholly owned carriers they can simply put all of the US Airways guys in the left seat and put underpaid FO's from the wholly owned carriers in the right seat. It's gonna suck short term for the wholly owned carriers, but in the long term there will be a lot of benefits. Just my 2 cents.
I see that all the talk is about Potomic and the 3 wholly owned. Is that because the wholly owned are all ALPA "run" and so ALPA can make agreements to benefit the mainliners instead of their obligations to the regionals as well? Nothing is being said about any other USAirways Ex. carriers getting a share of the jets, but once again I am guessing that this is because they cannot rewrite pilot contracts there to benefit the mainliners again.
It seems to me that all the announcements on the mainline code a phones are quite vague in nature. So lookout for somekind of backdoor deal with someone other that the WO's. I also agree with an above poster that the cost of a new carrier are high. Mainline would have to pay again for all the hundreds of VP's to supervise a hundred or so employees. Plus, the very real cost of new maintenance, training, paper pushers, fed approval, hangers, offices and on and on. If they really plan on spending millions just to get Potomac running Airways is in much worse shape than even I thought
The last place USAIRWays will send RJ's is the 3 wholly owned carriers. The logical reasons have persisted over the course of RJ growth in the industry. It comes 100% out of THEIR pocket. The cost to restructure, re-tool, and re-train is prohibitive and always has been. Not to mention the current Agreements at PDT, ALG will put their pilots at the top of the RJ pay rates.
So there is a downside of having a good contract. I just wonder why the MEC"s of USAirways wo's didn't want to join the rjdc. It seems like a no-lose situation for them. All they have to do is show support, and perhaps send it ten bucks a month. We take all the risk at Delta Connection, and the precident we set would help all ALPA regionals.
It's funny to me, since this is your fight anyway. I was told that the first wholly owned regional, Henson, was purchased by the original Piedmont about twenty years ago. When Henson's MEC went to Piedmont's to talk about a merger, they told the Henson guys to forget about it and go home, or risk being blackballed for life. Now, it seems that the USAirways wo's are hiring the rjdc lawyer to fight this fight for them. Well, welcome to the party, a bit late, but welcome anyway.
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