Pinnacle looks to expand Q400 flying

mpenguin1

Well-Known Member
Wednesday October 8, 2008

Pinnacle Airlines Corp., parent of Pinnacle Airlines and Colgan Air, plans to exercise up to 15 Q400 options before year end and shop the aircraft to its mainline partners, President and CEO Phil Trenary told ATWOnline yesterday.

Colgan currently operates the aircraft on behalf of Continental Connection (ATWOnline, Feb. 5). Pinnacle and Colgan operate regional jets and turboprops respectively and also fly for Northwest Airlink, Delta Connection, US Airways Express and United Express. Pinnacle's March 2007 Q400 order comprised 15 firm, 10 conditional and 20 option aircraft.

http://www.atwonline.com/news/story.html?storyID=14287
 
Could be a REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, good thing.

or

A REALLY, REALLY, REALLY bad thing.
 
Could be a REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, good thing.

or

A REALLY, REALLY, REALLY bad thing.

Possible to get an explination?

I see posts like this and other industry news like Polar getting single carrier status and do not understand what the impact on pilots would be.

I am not in the industry yet so I do not know the inner workings. I would like to have a nice knowledge base when I eventually make the transition, when I have the hours and airlines are hiring again.
 
First these planes should be flown on mainline seniority lists. When I go up to Toronto tonight, it used to be flown by a guy/gal on a DC-9 making 4 times what I will make for that flight. With that said...

It can be really bad as we are a nonunion company and the potential to undercut the Pinnacle pilots is there. That would be bad.

If we can vote in ALPA, the potential to undercut is not there anymore. We will have the opportunity to raise the bar and help secure the future of the company with these airplane and the flying Pinnacle is doing. That would be good.
 
I am not in the industry yet so I do not know the inner workings. I would like to have a nice knowledge base when I eventually make the transition, when I have the hours and airlines are hiring again.

That's the spirit. . .keep it up, stick with it, and you'll fit right in.
 
CRJ...

99% sure they do, they are just keeping it mum.

Found out yesterday back in April/May the Colgan side of things was a few days from folding up due to financial circumstances. We really had no idea it was as bad as it was.
 
First these planes should be flown on mainline seniority lists. When I go up to Toronto tonight, it used to be flown by a guy/gal on a DC-9 making 4 times what I will make for that flight. With that said...

It can be really bad as we are a nonunion company and the potential to undercut the Pinnacle pilots is there. That would be bad.

If we can vote in ALPA, the potential to undercut is not there anymore. We will have the opportunity to raise the bar and help secure the future of the company with these airplane and the flying Pinnacle is doing. That would be good.

Thank you.

So what makes one airplane or route more worthy of a mainline carrier/ seniority list? Quantity of passangers, distance of the route, size of the airports or just historical precedence?

I dont know who you work for, are you part of Pinnicle?

Do Pinnicle and Colgan operate as seperate companies with their own seniority lists, routes and airplanes? Is one more senior than the other and is that where the potential conflict is? The lower seniority lists company taking routes of its parent company allowing them to lay off higher time, higher paid pilots who then have to go out and get a lower paying job?
 
Thank you.

So what makes one airplane or route more worthy of a mainline carrier/ seniority list? Quantity of passangers, distance of the route, size of the airports or just historical precedence?

I dont know who you work for, are you part of Pinnicle?

Do Pinnicle and Colgan operate as seperate companies with their own seniority lists, routes and airplanes? Is one more senior than the other and is that where the potential conflict is? The lower seniority lists company taking routes of its parent company allowing them to lay off higher time, higher paid pilots who then have to go out and get a lower paying job?

In times past, dc-9-10s held around 76 seats. Now 76 seats is the standard for regional carriers at much less of a pay rate. Additionally, outsourced companies provide much worse reliability due to constantly trying to cut corners.

The correct spelling is "Pinnacle."

Pinnacle and Colgan currently operate as separate companies with their own seniority lists, routes, and airplanes...although Colgan is non union, lower paid, and generally junior in time of service to Pinnacle. Colgan is partly a bargaining chip used in the fight of Pinnacle Corporate to hold down the union... I wouldn't put it beyond them to try to transfer flying and such.

Additionally..when Pinnacle originally bought Colgan- the union and the company were around 20 million dollars away from each other in contract negotiations. Pinnacle spent 20 million on Colgan.... this money was earned by the hard work of the Pinnacle employees.
 
Forgive me if I am taking over the thread, with this question. I didn't know if it was worth starting a whole new thread with this question, but thought it may fit here, since we are talking about an airline "expanding", so to speak.

At what point do you all feel the airlines will begin calling back their furloughed pilots, and hiring again? I realize this is a question nobody can answer for sure, but just looking for opinions. Oil is sitting around $84-85, and hopefully will continue to fall. Are we looking at summer of next year, when summer travel starts up, or are we looking at many years? Just curious to hear some thoughts.
 
Forgive me if I am taking over the thread, with this question. I didn't know if it was worth starting a whole new thread with this question, but thought it may fit here, since we are talking about an airline "expanding", so to speak.

At what point do you all feel the airlines will begin calling back their furloughed pilots, and hiring again? I realize this is a question nobody can answer for sure, but just looking for opinions. Oil is sitting around $84-85, and hopefully will continue to fall. Are we looking at summer of next year, when summer travel starts up, or are we looking at many years? Just curious to hear some thoughts.

Not anytime soon. Most of the pilots hired during the spree of 07 were replacements for those leaving for the majors who were replacements for those retiring and about to retire. The age 65 act has brought hiring to almost a screeching halt for the next couple years.
 
A couple of years works for me (hopefully much sooner for those on the streets - don't take that the wrong way), even if a few start hiring/ calling back sooner than that. Even now a few are hiring, in small numbers. I am just hoping we aren't looking at 5+ years of furloughs and no hiring.
 
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