Virgin to DCA

[Flyer1015]

Nah, just be sorry that your nonunion pilot group undercuts the profession. That's all you need to be sorry for. The competition stuff is the nature of capitalism. It just sucks for all the airlines that compete on that city pair that VA is going to be putting seats in yet another market that will make money for no one. It is that whole "history" and "doomed to repeat" thing. But I have said enough. There's no way I am getting dragged into this debate again.

By the time VA started its first flights in 2007, union groups had already undercut this profession with their state of concessionary contracts. You want to know who really undercuts today, individuals who refused to accept a binding arbitration award and in their quest for a DOH gold standard, have since been operating under a twice BK concessionary contract topping out at $125/hr for senior Bus captains. VA isn't perfect by any means, but there was a wage increase Apr 1 of this year. As the carrier becomes profitable, there is more room for increases.

 

[ackattacker]

By the time VA started its first flights in 2007, union groups had already undercut this profession with their state of concessionary contracts. You want to know who really undercuts today, individuals who refused to accept a binding arbitration award and in their quest for a DOH gold standard, have since been operating under a twice BK concessionary contract topping out at $125/hr for senior Bus captains. VA isn't perfect by any means, but there was a wage increase Apr 1 of this year. As the carrier becomes profitable, there is more room for increases.

This has been gone over many times. VX may make it, it may not. The fear UALdriver and many others have is that as they continue to sell seats at a loss (and they've lost a lot) they are basically taking money from carriers and employees of those carriers that are in it for the long haul, trying to make money *today*, and basically flushing that money down the toilet in the hope of a big payout tomorrow.

 

[Beantown]

I assume this is VA's first and only flight into DCA? Going to be very hard to make money with one flight into a station. Maintaining the station gate/equipment (fixed costs) is very expansive when you don't have multiple flights to divide up the costs. Unless VA can add more slots my guess is this will be a money loser.

 

[XJAVRO]

I assume this is VA's first and only flight into DCA? Going to be very hard to make money with one flight into a station. Maintaining the station gate/equipment (fixed costs) is very expansive when you don't have multiple flights to divide up the costs. Unless VA can add more slots my guess is this will be a money loser.

Two flights. It's not a lot, but it's a start.

 

[ROSWELL41]

I think they were only awarded one flight.

 

[tzskipper]

I think they were only awarded one flight.

Two slots were awarded, which equals one round-trip (basically what you wrote).

S

 

[trip]

Heard VA will be shifting the focus away from SFO (money loser) and likes the LAX outlook?

 

[GuinessGuy]

But UAL will be doing it too. The we're granted approval to convert a dca-ord to dca-sfo...
va will not have pricing power, AGAIN. You guys can't catch a break......

 

[Tomct]

Nah, just be sorry that your nonunion pilot group undercuts the profession. That's all you need to be sorry for. The competition stuff is the nature of capitalism. It just sucks for all the airlines that compete on that city pair that VA is going to be putting seats in yet another market that will make money for no one. It is that whole "history" and "doomed to repeat" thing. But I have said enough. There's no way I am getting dragged into this debate again.

Actually, if you would take the time to look around, VX's ticket prices are one of the highest in the markets we serve. Especially our First Class tickets. We may have the $149 fairs, but those are only about 8-10 seats per flight. This one trip a day is going to be a money maker right out of the gate (CEO's Words) and I can see that being true. We just need to add a few more round trips to SFO and LAX to really be able to beef up the ticket costs. Plus I will tell all of the furloughed UA guys you send your love.