PDT News!
- Thread starter Dash Trash
- Start date
I believe ignoring Piedmont Airlines was one of the biggest mistakes made by US Airways. Had Piedmont been the launch customer for the Q400, US Airways could have dominated the short haul and feed markets throught the entire northeast and mid-Atlantic. Instead, potential US Airways passengers drive fo 3-4 hours to fly Southwest. Colgan (even with their accident) is adding more Q400s to their fleet feeding Continental in Newark. Even a fleet of new Q300's or the ATR-700 would be a welcomed sight at Piedmont and for US Airways passengers.
Art:
This is just a WAG, but it may have some traction in the future of US Airways. EN is a wholly owned subsidiary of US Airways and they currently have 2 divisions, 1 being flight operations utilizing Dash 8-100 and -300 aircraft, and the other being ground services (PHL and CLT Express, plus about 28 other, smaller US stations).
EN has no intention of acquiring Q400's, in fact they are most likely going to let the leases go on the -100's and -300's as they expire and fold the flight operations division altogether. This will leave them with a ground services division that they can build up by taking over smaller US mainline airports as needed. Also, I have heard it from a reliable source inside of EN that EN is actively looking at growing their ground operations division by submitting competitive ground services contracts to other carriers outside of US, and trying to take over Jetstream and ASIG contracts where possible.
This would allow US Airways the opportunity to close a significant number of mainline stations and replace them with non-union EN employees at a fraction of the cost, while still having control through the wholly owned subsidiary.
If you look at the recent past, you will note that wholly owned US Airways subsidiary PSA Airlines closed their ground services division 2 years ago and they have assumed a flight operations role utilizing CRJ-200 and -700 aircraft. EN on the other hand hand has continued to pull down flight operations while growing their ground services division.
There is more going on in the wholly owned divisions of US Airways than meets the eye. IMHO, when the DL/US transaction is completed in early Spring '10, EN will close up their flight operations division for good and concentrate on ground operations in airports that have little or no mainline flights.
Just one man's opinion, but the tarot cards are starting to turn in that direction.
As I mentioned in my previous post, I'd love to see Piedmont flying a new fleet of Q300's, but I believe Piedmont owns all of its dash-8-100 (HA registration) and only leases the 11 dash-8-300. Bombardier has introduced a program that can increase the service life of the dash-8-100 by another 50% percent. I've heard Piedmont, and US Airways, are looking at that program. Again, I'd love to see Piedmont with new Q300s, but I suppose there are advantages to not having to make lease payments on a fleet of aircraft you already own.
I think you are spot on if PDT ground service provider ever votes in a union a deal will be cut between the union and the company BYE BYE small and medium cities you have just been EXPRESSED. The union will still be on the properties so they are OK with that and the company gets EXPRESS pay. WIN WIN. APLA AFA IAM all do it now
Art at ISP
Veteran
The thing I find hardest to believe in all this is that what you have at PDT is an airline trying NOT to be an airline. If it is a ground handling service company, so be it, but it is first and foremost an airline.
If the intent is to get out of that business, then do it--it appears they want PSA to do the flying, and PDT to handle the flights on the ground....or am I missing something here?
I just hope it works out ok for the workers, but even that looks iffy right now.
If PDT stops flying, what happens to stations like ISP? It's all PDT or Air Whiskey....then again one wonders if ISP won't become a little more important after the LGA draw down.....but that's another subject altogether.
My BEST to you all....
If the intent is to get out of that business, then do it--it appears they want PSA to do the flying, and PDT to handle the flights on the ground....or am I missing something here?
I just hope it works out ok for the workers, but even that looks iffy right now.
If PDT stops flying, what happens to stations like ISP? It's all PDT or Air Whiskey....then again one wonders if ISP won't become a little more important after the LGA draw down.....but that's another subject altogether.
My BEST to you all....
PropPiedmont
Senior
- Dec 10, 2003
- 273
- 0
Like I said three-and-a-half years ago, "The horse is dead."
wings396
Veteran
- Aug 20, 2002
- 3,672
- 1,122
Hello, where have you been the last 5 years?? Did I miss something, or do we still have any small stations left that are Mainline that nobody knows about. Seems to me that 22 or so were outsourced back in 2005, and that pretty much wiped out the "small station" list. The West small stations are currently under attack, and will soon be gone as well. Union or not at PDT means NOTHING when it comes to the company outsourcing our jobs to them for poverty level wages. Had the Express operators had a unionized workforce with decent wages years ago, it may have been a different situation today due to a smaller operating cost advantage. Getting rid of your own employees earning $20 an hour in favor of Express people earning $9 is a no brainer.
It was 26 stations that the IAM on the ramp allow to outsource. CWA gave up scope to allow 2 mainline jets a day to be work by a contractor. Your no brainier might be sooner that later I am afraid
Here are some small cites we have mainline passengers service agents.
I might be wrong on some
ATL
BHM
BNA
CHS
GSO
ILM
MEM
MSY
MYR
RDU
SAV
SDF
BOS,ALB,BDL,BTV,BUF,
EWR,LGA,MHT,PVD,PWM,ROC,SYR,JFK
CLE,CMH,DAY.DTW,IND,
ORD,MCI,STL
,BWI,IAD,ORF,RIC ABE, AVP, MDT
PIT,MCO,PBI,FLL,MIA,JAX,TPA
You are right the company could careless although they would prefer non-union over union. The turning point is union acceptable EXPRESS wages and work rules and the union and company Seeing Eye to eye on EXPRESS wages and work rules. Win Win for the company and unions. EXPRESS wages and work rules will always be below mainline that is were whipsawing comes in to play. CWA needs to go after the work with there current contract. Whipsawing the express and mainline unions is alive and well.
robbedagain
Veteran
- Oct 13, 2003
- 11,125
- 2,676
I know during my 3 yrs with EN the CWA tried at least once if not 2x to unionize EN workers. While I cant vouch for other EN cities, my old city was overwhelming in favor of unionization. If I remeber when the CWA lost it was by 58 votes. Supposenly it was due to MGMT at EN not allowing LEAD agents to vote then they couldnt get an accurate list together and withheld the .25cent raises for a long period. I dont know how long it'll take for those EN employees to realize that a union is better than non union EN can and will fire you for just about any little thing. I can understand major things for getting fired but I think EN goes way beyond personelly Plus a FT cannot swap for more than (I think) 32 hrs or they go to PT benefits in a quarter. That is really low I think
