Pentagon mobilizes commercial air fleet

[Oliver Stone''s Apprentice]

I guess I halucinated about the routing of the first mission being posted here earlier today, or the dates and routings being posted to the US Airways and UAL boards.

Sorry if I offended your freedoms, WNP. I guess I'm a bit more concerned about the safety of our military folks than someone who agrees with the rhetoric coming from the George Clooney/Richard Gere/Susan Sarandon crowd, or uses an ISP subsidized by porn sites...

 

[MiAAmi]

I have to agree with keeping specific info off these boards. I posted something earlier that I have since removed thanks to eolesen. I appreciated your e-mail.

 

[MrMarky]

You're Being Watched!

http://users.chartertn.net/tonytemplin/fbi_eyes/

 

[WingNaPrayer]

US Airlines To Get Slight Rev Raise From US Troop Flights

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)--The U.S. military's use of commercial airlines to send troops to the Middle East could help the industry squeeze some revenue out of planes and pilots idled by slumping demand. But analysts note that military flying isn't as lucrative as civilian trips.

"Most of the airlines have a lot of planes in the desert now, and pilots are not flying as many hours," said Glenn Engel, an analyst with Goldman Sachs. " When you have excess planes and excess pilots, you're happy to have the military meet its demand using the airlines."

The 78 planes covered under orders issued last week make up only a fraction of the United States' commercial fleet.

The U.S. Transportation Command relies on chartered commercial aircraft to move 93% of its troops and 41% of its long-range air cargo, said Navy Capt. Stephen Honda, a command spokesman at Scott Air Force Base in Belleville, Illinois.

On Saturday, the Pentagon activated the Civil Reserve Air Fleet for just the second time since the program's creation in 1951. The other time came before and during the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

The latest activation came because U.S. airlift needs have exceeded the military's capabilities during the buildup before a possible war in Iraq.

In the mobilization's first stage, officials can call up 47 passenger planes and 31 cargo planes. So far, only passenger planes have been affected because the military has enough cargo capacity.

The first flights were Tuesday, when 15 planes were scheduled to carry Army troops and Marines departing three undisclosed locations on the East Coast and one site in Europe, Honda said.

The program helps carriers now, but one analyst worried about the affect if military flights continue longer than expected.

The danger comes if the Pentagon continues activating its Civil Reserve Air Fleet into the spring, when leisure travel demand rises, said Michael Boyd, president of The Boyd Group, an aviation consulting firm based in Colorado.

That could force airlines with little excess capacity to divert planes to move troops and supplies, offering less chance of making a profit under the emergency activation rules than flying spring commercial routes, Boyd said.

Airlines ordered to supply planes under the activation "are not paid particularly well for it ... it's costs plus almost nothing," Boyd said.

The military's use of commercial passenger and cargo planes is nothing new.

The civil reserve fleet is mobilized -and airlines have 24 to 48 hours to provide the aircraft -only when there are not enough airline volunteers for regular charters.

The fleet can be mobilized in three stages, each calling for more aircraft. As of last month, 33 carriers and 927 aircraft were enrolled in all stages.

In return, carriers are given preference for the Defense Department's peacetime passenger and cargo business.

The biggest industry participant is Indianapolis-based American Trans Air, which is supplying 15 passenger planes in the first stage, Honda said.

ATA, long the biggest military charter operator, uses wide-body Lockheed L- 1011 jets for that business, which accounted for $47.3 million of ATA's fourth- quarter revenue, up 5% from the year-ago quarter. Its current annual charter contract is worth $111 million.

ATA spokeswoman Lisa Jacobson Brown declined to comment on what impact the activation would have on the company's business.

United Airlines, another participant, has enough aircraft to fulfill its military and commercial routes, company spokesman Joe Hopkins said.

 

[Mach85ER]

Now when we hear the crying about limits on foreign ownership and cabotage, think about what could happen.

Imagine Lufthansa and Air France owning 40% of U.S. capacity combined with the need of lift to the Middle East. Imagine they really don't approve of a potential military move.

It is a national security issue.

I am confused. On one hand I am an overpaid underworked, redundant person. In the next sentence I am so critical to this country that the law should be amended to keep me at work.

 

[scot]

Do not post anything here SPECIFIC to aircraft being used (such as routings or time/day of flights). General discussion of CRAF aircraft is appropriate in this thread.

As far as the name calling and silly remarks, knock it off please. It really gets annoying.

 

[FA Mikey]

The results are in. We had about 1400 f/a's sign up for the CRAF flying. Seniority ran from 1958 to 1967 for the those working it.