Honest questions for the ALPA guys (and PCL, I'm not trying to argue, just curious).
1. How many employees does ALPA have working for them?
To be honest, I'm not sure. You could call Herndon and ask them if you're really curious. The Herndon and DC offices aren't exactly luxurious and overstaffed, though, if that's what you're interested in. ALPA is struggling to handle its duties with it's reduced staff now. Tons of positions have been cut over the past few years, with about 50 just cut in the past few months.
2. How much did losing US Air/America West hurt the bottom line?
Don't have the exact numbers in front of me, but somewhere in the neighborhood of $11 million in annual dues revenue disappeared overnight. The corresponding expenses to represent AAA and AWA were also eliminated, but those expenses probably didn't exceed $7 million per year. AAA and AWA were two of the carriers that produced enough revenue to subsidize the expenses of the regionals and other B-group carriers.
3. PCl, you said ALPA needs to concentrate on majors instead of regionals, which ones left could they get?
Well, my carrier for one. JetBlue is another possibility in the future. Working with the JBPA to build a relationship should be a priority. If Virgin America gets bigger, then that should be a target. There are possibilities. And honestly, I think we'll see AAA return to ALPA within five years. They're learning just how much of a mess they created for themselves.
