USA320Pilot comments: A question was asked at the October 23 Employee State of the Airline Meeting about a rumor where the company would be sold and split up with the East going to American and the West to Republic. Doug Parker said, "US Airways absolutely will not split up the airline to sell. This is not happening and will not happen. This is patently (a) false (rumor). That is not going to happen!"
Attributing ANY forward looking logic to Parker's statements is pure folly. Besides the various denials over the years of base closings, we now see our sold 190's being deployed domestically, rather than the stated "out of country" use only.
The "spin off" idea probably is a pipe dream, but to many seems to be the biggest fantasy solution out there. Under East scope, outside of a BK filing, it will be the union that decides how any fragmentations are doled out. In theory, the union could actually say only red headed pilots, or tall pilots "go" elsewhere. Obviously that is extreme, but West scope does not have this. Since the two groups are still operating under separate contracts, but fall under one union, even the fallback position of each group's scope applying leaves the West in peril. Those that think a few more days vacation and a small raise are worth giving up a strong scope clause have not been paying attention to the industry. Giving an inch on scope would be, again...pure folly.
RR