Comments on: Is This the End of the ExpressJet Brand? http://crankyflier.com/2008/06/06/is-this-the-end-of-the-expressjet-brand/ Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:32:03 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: mechanic x http://crankyflier.com/2008/06/06/is-this-the-end-of-the-expressjet-brand/comment-page-1/#comment-58346 mechanic x Mon, 28 Jul 2008 03:48:37 +0000 http://crankyflier.com/?p=1061#comment-58346 former mechanic, when i attended the roadshow and listened to jim ream speak, i actually took alot from it. i am not a union man. i tend to side with the company on most (not all) issues. jim ream came across more down to earth than i thought he would. as far as i know , the concessions are 5 percent across the board. it's everyone or no-one. in other words, unlike when big c took concessions last year and their flight attnedants didn't, ream says there will be none of that here. so five percent across the board, with ream and the other execs. taking a ten percent, and ............what's the word.........forfeiting? the rest of their pay and bonuses this year. i too have alot of friends affected by this, but in this industry, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone not affected by the airline troubles. good luck to you. mechanic x former mechanic,

when i attended the roadshow and listened to jim ream speak, i actually took alot from it. i am not a union man. i tend to side with the company on most (not all) issues. jim ream came across more down to earth than i thought he would. as far as i know , the concessions are 5 percent across the board. it’s everyone or no-one. in other words, unlike when big c took concessions last year and their flight attnedants didn’t, ream says there will be none of that here. so five percent across the board, with ream and the other execs. taking a ten percent, and …………what’s the word………forfeiting? the rest of their pay and bonuses this year. i too have alot of friends affected by this, but in this industry, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone not affected by the airline troubles. good luck to you.

mechanic x

]]> By: former mechanic http://crankyflier.com/2008/06/06/is-this-the-end-of-the-expressjet-brand/comment-page-1/#comment-58252 former mechanic Sun, 27 Jul 2008 18:31:15 +0000 http://crankyflier.com/?p=1061#comment-58252 I was a former expressjet mechanic till October 2007, When thanks to Continental not paying the rent for their hangar in louisville I got shipped out to another base with comments from their VP of maintenance that Continental was supposed to support their maintenance bases still present till 2009 when the contract could take another reduction in flights. I thought great 2 more years of job security geographically speaking. I feel sorry for my friends who when to Ontario and Lax along with all the other California Maintenance bases they may have opened after I left the company. Of course most of my best friends there got the hell out quickly when they found moves to continental exclusive bases. Ironically they had just enough overnight aircraft between continental operations and branded operations to keep the hangar just as busy as it ever was in louisville till the branded flying was going to cease. That would have saved them a fortune in moving people and equipment. I managed to get a job with Chautauqua who took most of the expressjet flying in STL and louisville along with several of my friends who stayed in KY. Ironic isn't it they are facing delisting in 6 months and Jim Ream, and the rest of the Chiefs and VP's are still around. Guess being a YES man no matter how dumb that plan is can keep you a job. I hope as some point that Skywest gets smart and just gobbles them up in a hostile takeover for a fraction of what they originally offered and then offers those blind, deaf, and dumb types the door. Also I have a question for mechanic X. are they asking for big concessions on their union contract this year? I figured with the big cuts they are charging continental it would be a requirement. I was a former expressjet mechanic till October 2007, When thanks to Continental not paying the rent for their hangar in louisville I got shipped out to another base with comments from their VP of maintenance that Continental was supposed to support their maintenance bases still present till 2009 when the contract could take another reduction in flights. I thought great 2 more years of job security geographically speaking. I feel sorry for my friends who when to Ontario and Lax along with all the other California Maintenance bases they may have opened after I left the company. Of course most of my best friends there got the hell out quickly when they found moves to continental exclusive bases.

Ironically they had just enough overnight aircraft between continental operations and branded operations to keep the hangar just as busy as it ever was in louisville till the branded flying was going to cease. That would have saved them a fortune in moving people and equipment.

I managed to get a job with Chautauqua who took most of the expressjet flying in STL and louisville along with several of my friends who stayed in KY. Ironic isn’t it they are facing delisting in 6 months and Jim Ream, and the rest of the Chiefs and VP’s are still around. Guess being a YES man no matter how dumb that plan is can keep you a job. I hope as some point that Skywest gets smart and just gobbles them up in a hostile takeover for a fraction of what they originally offered and then offers those blind, deaf, and dumb types the door.

Also I have a question for mechanic X. are they asking for big concessions on their union contract this year? I figured with the big cuts they are charging continental it would be a requirement.

]]> By: CF http://crankyflier.com/2008/06/06/is-this-the-end-of-the-expressjet-brand/comment-page-1/#comment-57927 CF Sat, 26 Jul 2008 03:31:31 +0000 http://crankyflier.com/?p=1061#comment-57927 Good question, mechanic x. There can be a variety of special items. Sometimes, it's an accounting charge. A bunch of the crazy losses you've seen this year, for example, have been due to write-offs of goodwill. Goodwill is basically the value of a company above and beyond its tangible assets. I'm trying to keep this so that it makes sense, but I apologize if I misspeak. (I'm sure someone will correct me.) It's really the amount that they think the company is worth because of its brand name, or something else that doesn't have an actual presence. So now, they've decided that in fact, it's not worth as much anymore due to deteriorating market conditions, or something like that. Those losses don't really matter except on paper, so it won't push a company out of business. It's the special items that actually cost money that can have a bigger impact. If you want a general idea of how the company is doing, look at how much cash came in or disappeared during the last period. Yes, you want to make sure they didn't take out loans or sell something to bump up the cash position, but you'll have a basic idea if you can see what happened to cash. Good question, mechanic x. There can be a variety of special items. Sometimes, it’s an accounting charge. A bunch of the crazy losses you’ve seen this year, for example, have been due to write-offs of goodwill. Goodwill is basically the value of a company above and beyond its tangible assets. I’m trying to keep this so that it makes sense, but I apologize if I misspeak. (I’m sure someone will correct me.) It’s really the amount that they think the company is worth because of its brand name, or something else that doesn’t have an actual presence. So now, they’ve decided that in fact, it’s not worth as much anymore due to deteriorating market conditions, or something like that.

Those losses don’t really matter except on paper, so it won’t push a company out of business. It’s the special items that actually cost money that can have a bigger impact. If you want a general idea of how the company is doing, look at how much cash came in or disappeared during the last period. Yes, you want to make sure they didn’t take out loans or sell something to bump up the cash position, but you’ll have a basic idea if you can see what happened to cash.

]]> By: mechanic x http://crankyflier.com/2008/06/06/is-this-the-end-of-the-expressjet-brand/comment-page-1/#comment-57915 mechanic x Sat, 26 Jul 2008 02:25:34 +0000 http://crankyflier.com/?p=1061#comment-57915 i got a question for cranky. our airline and most others are famous for putting their profits , or lateley losses, in hard to understand terms. maybe you could clear up what they mean when they refer to "special items". the latest one i read was about alaska airlines posting a profit of 60 something million, but still cutting mgt. and seat capacity, because "excluding special items, they posted a 15 (or something like that) million dollar loss". i don't understand all this mumbo jumob. thanks, mechanic x. i got a question for cranky. our airline and most others are famous for putting their profits , or lateley losses, in hard to understand terms. maybe you could clear up what they mean when they refer to “special items”. the latest one i read was about alaska airlines posting a profit of 60 something million, but still cutting mgt. and seat capacity, because “excluding special items, they posted a 15 (or something like that) million dollar loss”. i don’t understand all this mumbo jumob.
thanks,
mechanic x.

]]> By: The Cranky Flier » ExpressJet Ends Branded Service http://crankyflier.com/2008/06/06/is-this-the-end-of-the-expressjet-brand/comment-page-1/#comment-55591 The Cranky Flier » ExpressJet Ends Branded Service Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:50:55 +0000 http://crankyflier.com/?p=1061#comment-55591 [...] least it’s a solvent airline that can actually refund your money. At last check, there were 205 aircraft flying for Continental, 23 for Delta, 23 for the branded operation, and 23 for the corporate aviation group. We already [...] [...] least it’s a solvent airline that can actually refund your money. At last check, there were 205 aircraft flying for Continental, 23 for Delta, 23 for the branded operation, and 23 for the corporate aviation group. We already [...]

]]> By: John Tantillo "The Marketing Doctor" http://crankyflier.com/2008/06/06/is-this-the-end-of-the-expressjet-brand/comment-page-1/#comment-52497 John Tantillo "The Marketing Doctor" Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:23:35 +0000 http://crankyflier.com/?p=1061#comment-52497 The fact that the airlines are acting in unison (i.e., most are adding charges and cutting capacity) makes individual airline brands seem even less important. Of course, people have been thinking airline brands less and less over the years anyway and more about what schedule works best for them. This might just be the final straw. Just watch what happens when (not if!) the airlines start playing around with frequent flyer benefits –probably the last brand loyalty component left! The fact that the airlines are acting in unison (i.e., most are adding charges and cutting capacity) makes individual airline brands seem even less important. Of course, people have been thinking airline brands less and less over the years anyway and more about what schedule works best for them. This might just be the final straw. Just watch what happens when (not if!) the airlines start playing around with frequent flyer benefits –probably the last brand loyalty component left!

]]> By: Wes http://crankyflier.com/2008/06/06/is-this-the-end-of-the-expressjet-brand/comment-page-1/#comment-47993 Wes Tue, 10 Jun 2008 15:15:24 +0000 http://crankyflier.com/?p=1061#comment-47993 Is it just me, or did Express Jet ads JUST start showing on LA-area TV? I saw the same ad 3-4 times over the weekend, and do not recall seeing anything previously. Seems odd they would start running ads this late in the game, especially if they are looking to dump branded flying altogether. Is it just me, or did Express Jet ads JUST start showing on LA-area TV? I saw the same ad 3-4 times over the weekend, and do not recall seeing anything previously.

Seems odd they would start running ads this late in the game, especially if they are looking to dump branded flying altogether.

]]> By: mechanic x http://crankyflier.com/2008/06/06/is-this-the-end-of-the-expressjet-brand/comment-page-1/#comment-47321 mechanic x Sun, 08 Jun 2008 09:40:24 +0000 http://crankyflier.com/?p=1061#comment-47321 for whatever it's worth, i have a very good old friend that was a supervisor for branded flying in austin. he bailed and went to nasa to work contract jobs. that, to me, is a pretty good indicator of where the branded flying is headed. sad, sad. ty for the article , too cranky. your insight is always a notch above. kudos. mechanic x for whatever it’s worth, i have a very good old friend that was a supervisor for branded flying in austin. he bailed and went to nasa to work contract jobs. that, to me, is a pretty good indicator of where the branded flying is headed. sad, sad. ty for the article , too cranky. your insight is always a notch above. kudos.

mechanic x

]]> By: E http://crankyflier.com/2008/06/06/is-this-the-end-of-the-expressjet-brand/comment-page-1/#comment-46957 E Sat, 07 Jun 2008 04:36:54 +0000 http://crankyflier.com/?p=1061#comment-46957 I actually interviewed for a position with ExpressJet working specifically with their branded operations. After two interviews, they decided they did not want me. For the better - I would be unemployed and stuck in California (no offense CF). In the end, ExpressJet provides some great service, but with outrageous overhead. I am surprised they didn't settle for further service cuts. Moreover, ExpressJet charges Continental a heap-load of money to run outstations throughout the CO network. I actually interviewed for a position with ExpressJet working specifically with their branded operations. After two interviews, they decided they did not want me. For the better – I would be unemployed and stuck in California (no offense CF).

In the end, ExpressJet provides some great service, but with outrageous overhead. I am surprised they didn’t settle for further service cuts. Moreover, ExpressJet charges Continental a heap-load of money to run outstations throughout the CO network.

]]> By: Dan Webb http://crankyflier.com/2008/06/06/is-this-the-end-of-the-expressjet-brand/comment-page-1/#comment-46777 Dan Webb Fri, 06 Jun 2008 17:00:13 +0000 http://crankyflier.com/?p=1061#comment-46777 From what I've heard around the rumor mill, this pretty much ends branded service, but supposedly this agreement will also make it easier for XJet to fly for other big carriers. So who knows. From what I’ve heard around the rumor mill, this pretty much ends branded service, but supposedly this agreement will also make it easier for XJet to fly for other big carriers.

So who knows.

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