Stay On Course

Yesterday, Delta announced that it would sell Mesaba to Pinnacle Airlines Corp. for $62 million and Compass to Trans States Holdings for $20.5 million. Today, news outlets are speculating that American Eagle may be the next regional carrier involved in a transaction.

Though merger mania seems to be around us, we want to remind you not to get caught up in rumors and speculation. Our company is in bankruptcy and it has the exclusive right to present a plan of reorganization through Sept. 2, 2010, and that period can be extended. No other plan may be submitted during this time without the approval of the judge. We will continue to monitor the bankruptcy process, analyze information, and update the pilot group consistent with ALPA’s confidentiality obligations as a member of the Creditors Committee.

As an aside, our 177 Facebook fans received a similar message yesterday. You can have an “in” to the latest events, too. Become a fan of MAG ALPA Pilots on Facebook, or click “here” to go to the page directly.

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  Flight Release Messages

Crew Memo 1005 stated that captains are responsible for all contents of their flight release messages, including those to be communicated to other members of their crew. After reading this information, the MEC quickly alerted the company of its opposition to this additional “duty.”

Our captains are responsible for the safety and security of their crew, aircraft, and passengers. This is an enormous responsibility, and it is one that we take very seriously. Acting as a messenger is not outlined in our job description and could lead us to worry about tracking someone down instead of concentrating on the tasks at hand.

The company employs a lot of people to run this airline, and it is their responsibility to ensure it runs smoothly. That means that they need to staff it appropriately and use the available resources efficiently. For example, use Crew Scheduling to schedule crews and contact crew members directly. If the company would like our captains to act as middle men and do the jobs of staff already on the payroll, then the MEC is willing to engage in discussions. Adding a duty to our already long checklist will require more time and money to ensure it is done properly.

In the meantime, if you receive a message that should be communicated to another member of your crew, politely inform the dispatcher that there appears to be a mistake on your flight release and ask that it be removed. If the matter is not resolved, ask to speak with your supervisor (the Chief Pilot) and contact your local council representatives.

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  Furlough Mitigation Update

MEC Chairman Angelo Matziaris and Negotiating Committee Chairman Brian Bruce discussed the status of furlough mitigation talks in a letter that was emailed to all pilots yesterday. [Click “here” to read the letter.] To briefly recap its contents, no agreement has been reached. Our negotiators rejected a counter proposal from the company on July 1, stating that no further talks are necessary unless the company was willing to include the necessary quality of life benefits for our pilots.

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  United/Continental Joint Steering Committee

MEC Vice Chairman Marcin Kolodziejczyk and MEC Executive Administrator Ryan Pachkofsky attended the United/Continental Joint Steering Committee meeting this week in IAH. Pilot leaders from Atlantic Southeast, Colgan Air, CommutAir, Continental, ExpressJet, Trans States, and United were also in attendance.

Many issues were discussed over the course of the two-day meeting, including the status of the proposed United/Continental merger and how to reshape the fee for departure system for both carriers' networks. Coordinating safety, security, negotiations and other initiatives was also a top priority. The group is scheduled to meet again via conference call later this month.

Our officers’ attendance also helped to develop and/or strengthen the relationships among our peers, as well as learn about the very similar issues they are facing at their airlines. We will be able to draw upon these experiences and work collectively toward solutions. This will ultimately help us to successfully achieve our goals. We Are ALPA.

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  Pilot-Wide Call on July 19

More than 110 pilots dialed in this week for an update on current issues and to speak with MEC Chairman Angelo Matziaris and Negotiating Committee Chairman Brian Bruce. Thanks to those of you who took the time to stay informed.

Be sure to mark your calendar for the next pilot-wide call, which will be held on July 19 at 1600 ET. Call details will be distributed as we get closer to that date.

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  LC85 Elects F/O Representative

At their meeting earlier this week, pilots in Local Council 85 elected F/O Derek Driskell to serve as their interim first officer representative. Derek has been with MAG for more than six years and served as a representative for Local Council 85 previously. He can be reached at Derek.Driskell@alpa.org or 508-441-2776.

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  ALPA Offices Closed on July 5

All ALPA offices, including the MAG MEC one in PHX, will be closed on Monday, July 5. The offices will reopen at 9 a.m. local time on Tuesday, July 6. Should you need assistance over the long, holiday weekend, please contact your local council representatives or appropriate committee volunteers. Contact information can be found below and on the members’ only section of the website, www.MesaPilots.com.

That’s it for this week. Have a happy, safe 4^th of July!

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  MEC Contact Information

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