Almost the End of Comair

M

Mav4840h

New Member
Delta announced the spin-off of employees into the "Regional Handling Services" a "new division of Delta". The entire nonunion work force is being cut by 50%. this in addition to Mesa Freedom closing JFK and moving into CVG. Having worked from below the wing into Ops and into the cockpit for them, it was fun while it lasted :(
 
i really don't think the new "Delta RHS" is even close to the "elimination" of Comair, Inc.

They are not eliminating the positions, they are just strictly moving them to a new division under Delta. This actually may help Comair, because now if the current employee group is @ 6700---with Delta RHS it will be down to 3100. Which eventually means lower labor costs for us. In the memo sent out by the OH president, it even says that this will dramatically help us put our cost structure in line with the other regional competitors. (Take it with a grain of salt...)

While I do not think that growth is even pictured in the near future--I think possibly it may be a step in the right direction.....

Who knows about this crazy industry anyways. I am just glad that half the posters on these forums didn't go into motivational speaking---because we would sure have some suicide cases after their seminars. ;)

Blue skies! Fly Safe!

-T786
 
Turbulence786 said:
They are not eliminating the positions, they are just strictly moving them to a new division under Delta. This actually may help Comair, because now if the current employee group is @ 6700---with Delta RHS it will be down to 3100. Which eventually means lower labor costs for us. In the memo sent out by the OH president, it even says that this will dramatically help us put our cost structure in line with the other regional competitors. (Take it with a grain of salt...)
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If OH and XJ rampers and CSAs make the same, then you may be right. If not, well, look for a knife fit and a bid war to see who stays and who goes.
 
Bignellyxx said:
What??? Do you think the difference in wages is significant?
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When it comes to ground services, it's whoever's gonna do it the cheapest. I've been at PCL 3 years, and I've seen a couple of stations under a couple of different handling companies. Under NWA, they'd normally just take the cheapest bid and be done with it. Not sure how Delta awards their ground handling contracts. I was talking to a guy in CAE the other day that USED to work for XJT. He'd been there for 10 years and was getting ready to retire, but the ground contract came up for bid with CAL, XJT lost the bid, and now he's a first year guy at American Eagle b/c they closed up shop at XJT there.

The problem with having multiple companies doing your outstation ground handling is there's a SIGNIFICANT disparity in customer service, both above and below the wing. We've all got our stations we hate to fly into b/c the ground service is so horrible, but the company running it underbid a better, more organized company. The big question is how Delta's gonna structure this. There are some rampers that have been with their respective companies several YEARS. Rampers have longevity raises just like pilots do, so an older, more experienced work force carries a higher price tag.

So, are they gonna do what amounts to a non-union DOH integration? Are they just gonna let people stay where they are and change the name on the pay stub? Are they gonna move and swap bases to maximize profits? Who knows. All I'm saying is this probably isn't gonna be as easy as it sounds.
 
kellwolf said:
When it comes to ground services, it's whoever's gonna do it the cheapest. I've been at PCL 3 years, and I've seen a couple of stations under a couple of different handling companies. Under NWA, they'd normally just take the cheapest bid and be done with it. Not sure how Delta awards their ground handling contracts. I was talking to a guy in CAE the other day that USED to work for XJT. He'd been there for 10 years and was getting ready to retire, but the ground contract came up for bid with CAL, XJT lost the bid, and now he's a first year guy at American Eagle b/c they closed up shop at XJT there.

The problem with having multiple companies doing your outstation ground handling is there's a SIGNIFICANT disparity in customer service, both above and below the wing. We've all got our stations we hate to fly into b/c the ground service is so horrible, but the company running it underbid a better, more organized company. The big question is how Delta's gonna structure this. There are some rampers that have been with their respective companies several YEARS. Rampers have longevity raises just like pilots do, so an older, more experienced work force carries a higher price tag.

So, are they gonna do what amounts to a non-union DOH integration? Are they just gonna let people stay where they are and change the name on the pay stub? Are they gonna move and swap bases to maximize profits? Who knows. All I'm saying is this probably isn't gonna be as easy as it sounds.
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From what I've been gathering Comair pays more as far as payscales between the two. Both payscales will be grandfathered into the new company. No one will have to relocate unless they loose the current RFP process that is going on before the transition(we just lost DAY and LEX). The new company will take over all OAL contracts that Mesaba and Comair currently have. I'm not sure how they're doing integration as far as seniority is concerned. They're currently forming integration teams with members from both companies. Compass has no CS other than CS administrative positions to handle the contracts with the various CS providers. This is an interesting event. Now Comair is on par with most of the other DCI carriers as far as not having to provide CS, though we are still the only regional with an MRO business, which I'm sure Delta will spin that off as well.:rolleyes:
 
H46Bubba said:
From what I've been gathering Comair pays more as far as payscales between the two. Both payscales will be grandfathered into the new company. No one will have to relocate unless they loose the current RFP process that is going on before the transition(we just lost DAY and LEX). The new company will take over all OAL contracts that Mesaba and Comair currently have. I'm not sure how they're doing integration as far as seniority is concerned. They're currently forming integration teams with members from both companies. Compass has no CS other than CS administrative positions to handle the contracts with the various CS providers. This is an interesting event. Now Comair is on par with most of the other DCI carriers as far as not having to provide CS, though we are still the only regional with an MRO business, which I'm sure Delta will spin that off as well.:rolleyes:
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Please tell me XJ didn't get the LEX contract. I about had to beat those people into submission to get them to their JOBS two weeks ago. They wanted to cancel the flight instead of de-icing, and their excuse for not putting on the RON kits when an ice storm was coming was they didn't have a ladder. When I pointed to the air stairs, the belt loader and a baggage cart, I got blank stares. I guess they can stand on all three of those to get bags out, but not to keep an airplane's engines from collecting ice on the fan blades. They were all gung-ho to spray type I into the engines to get the ice off, too. <facepalm>
 
kellwolf said:
Please tell me XJ didn't get the LEX contract. I about had to beat those people into submission to get them to their JOBS two weeks ago. They wanted to cancel the flight instead of de-icing, and their excuse for not putting on the RON kits when an ice storm was coming was they didn't have a ladder. When I pointed to the air stairs, the belt loader and a baggage cart, I got blank stares. I guess they can stand on all three of those to get bags out, but not to keep an airplane's engines from collecting ice on the fan blades. They were all gung-ho to spray type I into the engines to get the ice off, too. <facepalm>
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No some other cheaper contractor(non airline) got the contract!
 
As the post says...almost the end of Comair. This seems to be the first step to what I like to call CMC Holdings, where Compass, Mesaba, and Comair are merged into one company. Next steps (not in any necessary order), close the GO and combine it's functions with the other wholly owned regionals, reduce 50 seat fleets throughout the 3 companies, maintain a maintenance facility at CVG (at least until Delta pulls out of CVG), but merge the maintenacne programs of all three WO's. Non-union sections of the companies will be first, then it will move to the more difficult merging of the union positions. Last will be the pilot group. After Comair's pilot group is reduced below 1000, and the FA group is reduced further, it will not be so difficult.


On another note: the reduction of pilots at Comair by furlough made the operational costs increase, due to the fact that the pilots left are paid more. When I asked JB about this, he agreed and said "We are going to have to make further cuts in other areas to make up for the increased cost (of the pilots) to be able to compete in the market"
 
Sadly this may end up as a successful transition from an airline to a ground handling only company (re: Skyway).

Just sad.
 
Funny you mention reduction of 50 seat flying. The rampant rumor around here now is we're getting the 17 -200s back from Mesaba this summer. I've heard it from multiple sources, but we'll see. Once again, I won't buy it into I'm signing the AML for one of them.
 
kellwolf said:
Funny you mention reduction of 50 seat flying. The rampant rumor around here now is we're getting the 17 -200s back from Mesaba this summer. I've heard it from multiple sources, but we'll see. Once again, I won't buy it into I'm signing the AML for one of them.
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I'm not sure if they will have any room to park them in remote! There are already 30-40 parked there!
 
RWH1986 said:
Really? I thought they were all separate companies from delta?
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They are all wholly owned by Delta, and as such, do not have much say in how or who they operate for. They also only get aircraft if the mighty Delta deems them worthy, they can't just go out and order their own aircraft. So, yeah.....divisions of Delta:nana2:
 
Lowlevel said:
They are all wholly owned by Delta, and as such, do not have much say in how or who they operate for. They also only get aircraft if the mighty Delta deems them worthy, they can't just go out and order their own aircraft. So, yeah.....divisions of Delta:nana2:
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I think we're beginning to see the plan unfold. A lot's going to change and it's going to change fast when it does. I think the GO will survive if there's a merger. This building is built specifically for airline operations and administration. I've been to most of the other regioanals HQ's and this is by far the best suited. Most are either in a business park or in coporate buildings. Our HQ is ten times better than Mesaba's. The SOCC is capable of adding an additional row of workcenters for crew sched, dispatch, and mx control. We're on the airlfield and surrounded by our mx facilities. They can keep DCI and RHS up there. Delta has plans for this building as far as us and the other wholly owned are concerned.
 
This is the most worthless thread ever. I don't understand why so many people with Ivy League MBA's would choose to fly airplanes. Maybe everyone can meet up at a urinal during a Mensa meeting and really measure up. I mean WTF this is the same kind of speculation we have seen about gas prices this past year. What are the next lotto numbers???
 
Bignellyxx said:
This is the most worthless thread ever. I don't understand why so many people with Ivy League MBA's would choose to fly airplanes. Maybe everyone can meet up at a urinal during a Mensa meeting and really measure up. I mean WTF this is the same kind of speculation we have seen about gas prices this past year. What are the next lotto numbers???
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12-16-24-27-51 Powerball-22
 
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