*Comair Rumot*

H46Bubba

H46Bubba

Well-Known Member
I was told by my manager that Comair would be reducing our fleet of 50 seaters, to fifty by the end of 2009. It isn't official and was said in passing. With the way things are going I really wouldn't doubt it.
 
50 50-seaters? Dang, down from what?

BTW, did you get our message?
 
Doug Taylor said:
50 50-seaters? Dang, down from what?

BTW, did you get our message?
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We are currently at 92 and are to officially be down to 89 for FY2009. At the beginning of the year we had 124. If this is true, then there will be a lot of senior guys that are going to be displaced and will feel the heat.

Yeah I just checked my messages, sorry!:o I'll send you a PM.
 
Yep..unfortunately 70-90 seat rjs being flown for 50 seat rates are where it's at now. Majors like it and regional pilots will continue to do it. So much growth at regionals has come on the back's of 70 seat pilots yet they have JACK to show for it. Pretty pathetic.

Regional pilots will fly whatever equipment is put in front of them for whatever price. The majority just care about movement/upgrade, pay is really secondary as evidenced by any number of carrier's pay rates.
 
Baronman said:
Yep..unfortunately 70-90 seat rjs being flown for 50 seat rates are where it's at now. Majors like it and regional pilots will continue to do it. So much growth at regionals has come on the back's of 70 seat pilots yet they have JACK to show for it. Pretty pathetic.

Regional pilots will fly whatever equipment is put in front of them for whatever price. The majority just care about movement/upgrade, pay is really secondary as evidenced by any number of carrier's pay rates.
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Who is doing that?

Of course regional will fly what is in front of them because every one at a regional is subcontracted to do flying mainline agreed to give away. Growth on the backs of 70 seat pilots doesn't make any sense? There is no growth at the regionals because of regional pilots. It's what mainline has allowed the scope to get to in deals with management to get things for themselves.

50 seaters are a cancer. They cost more per seat mile than a DC-9 yet you have a lease to pay. Most of the routes they are on are filler or could be done by TP's due to the loads. I think this is only the tip of the ice berg for death of the 50 seater regardless if this rumor is true.
 
Baronman said:
Yep..unfortunately 70-90 seat rjs being flown for 50 seat rates are where it's at now. Majors like it and regional pilots will continue to do it. So much growth at regionals has come on the back's of 70 seat pilots yet they have JACK to show for it. Pretty pathetic.

Regional pilots will fly whatever equipment is put in front of them for whatever price. The majority just care about movement/upgrade, pay is really secondary as evidenced by any number of carrier's pay rates.
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Yeah - so what are you doing to improve these injustices?
 
I've heard similar cutback rumors from the sim instructors last week during my recurrent sim rides....

BUT....

Had a line check yesterday, check airmen said they are full of crap because they are mad that they will actually have to go back and "fly the line" instead of sitting fat and happy as instructors only.
He basically just said, wait and see until something official comes out, while even though its no surprise the 50 seat market sucks.
 
It's no secret that Delta is done with the 50 seat regional jets as far as in the role they have been in for the past 15-20 years. Ed Bastian even said that Delta is getting out of the RJ buying business. DCI will keep a small fleet of 50 seat regional jets. Comair just happens to be the first to get the fleet reduction due to it being wholly owned and controlled by Delta. There will be a merger between Comair and another wholly owned. The writing is on the wall, not matter how much Richard Anderson says there isn't. Of course he also said there wasn't going to be a merger with NWA when he took over Delta too!:rolleyes:
 
H46Bubba said:
It's no secret that Delta is done with the 50 seat regional jets as far as in the role they have been in for the past 15-20 years. Ed Bastian even said that Delta is getting out of the RJ buying business. DCI will keep a small fleet of 50 seat regional jets. Comair just happens to be the first to get the fleet reduction due to it being wholly owned and controlled by Delta. There will be a merger between Comair and another wholly owned. The writing is on the wall, not matter how much Richard Anderson says there isn't. Of course he also said there wasn't going to be a merger with NWA when he took over Delta too!:rolleyes:
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If this happens, how do most regionals merge? Will they integrate seniority as well and keep the furloughed Comair guys for recall? (Hypothetically speaking of course)
 
Well, GOOD news is all the wholly owneds are ALPA carriers, so the ALPA merger policy will apply. My bet is merging Comair and Mesaba. If they don't, you might (and I mean a small chance on that might) see the 17 -200s go from Mesaba to Comair just to keep things neat and tidy. Who knows what's gonna happen. I keep saying it, but 2009 is gonna be interesting. Not sure if it's gonna be a "good" interesting or a "bad" interesting, though.
 
How does this not surprise me one bit.

A lot of the kool-aid that was served in the CS training classes was that even if Comair lost DL flying they would remain a strong ramp/ticket counter contract company. It was almost like they were expecting it.
 
Baronman said:
Yep..unfortunately 70-90 seat rjs being flown for 50 seat rates are where it's at now. Majors like it and regional pilots will continue to do it. So much growth at regionals has come on the back's of 70 seat pilots yet they have JACK to show for it. Pretty pathetic.
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Could be worse...Isn't Mesaba flying the 90 at SAAB 340 rates? At least the FOs.
 
mxflyer said:
Could be worse...Isn't Mesaba flying the 90 at SAAB 340 rates? At least the FOs.
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We are in concessions still. Even that said when we are back fully we have the highest payscale in the industry For CA'sbar none regardless of A/C. Our Saab rates once snapped back are almost what 9E CA 200 rates are currently. We have very good soft pay work rules as well.

More like they're flying S340s for CRJ FO rates. Their FO rates shame ours.
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True and thats in concessions. Our FO rates are something like 26.90 first year in 2010 or 11 and 33-34 for second year. The blended rate makes much more sense with FO's. It's not a position you bid and Im sorry some one with 500 - 1199 hours isn't worth more than 30K their first year. They aren't qualified to do anything else in aviation with that little of time.

Is any body really making a career as a regional FO? You shouldn't be so I personally think the money should go to the CA's because alot of them do make that their career or have. Thats why I'm glad the XJ payscales are the way they are to keep cast down, but its not like people are starving on our FO payscales.
 
Good luck Comair. I was in CVG and it was sad to see all the planes park as we made are way down to 18C
 
jtrain609 said:
So what's the solution? 70-90 seaters being flown for 50 seat rates or less?
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No matter what the pilot pay rate is, the airlines don't need them nearly as much any more.

The 50 seat planes will be parked before anything else. It is up to pilots to negotiate a good rate for the larger lift that will replace them.
 
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