No ALOHA in PARADISE Today ...

[A4sForever]

It affects us all

And unfortunately, the downturn in the airlines is going to effect more than just the "lazy, underworked, overpaid, prima-donna airline pilots" ... and those who want to become one .... it's going to affect us all:

Airports Lose Service as Carriers Struggle

No Fly Zone: Cities Hit Hard by Airline Crisis

 

[HAL Pilot]

It's amazing....5 years on furlough and then poof! I'll have 80+ below me by the end of the year (with about 450 pilots total at Hawaiian by then).

I'm moving up in the world too.....from second to the bottom on the 717 to 33 below me on the 767....life is good for a while...

 

[A4sForever]

It's amazing....5 years on furlough and then poof! I'll have 80+ below me by the end of the year ...life is good for a while...

Now that's just outstanding, HAL!! Mo' bettah, Bruddah!

The sad fact that ALOHA is T.U. and many others have cut their low-margin Hawaii routes probably didn't hurt you local Bruddahs either, I'm gonna guess.

And that's the airlines, too, F.Y.I. for all you wannabe's out there.

FEAST or FAMINE!! ..... is the ONLY constant in the airline industry.

Believe it.

 

[wink]

It's amazing....5 years on furlough and then poof! I'll have 80+ below me by the end of the year (with about 450 pilots total at Hawaiian by then).

I'm moving up in the world too.....from second to the bottom on the 717 to 33 below me on the 767....life is good for a while...

Yup, Aloha packing it in has helped Hawaiian big time. If Untied follows suit that will probably help me just as Aloha did you. Of course there is the 'ol "too big to go Chapter 7" theory.

 

[FrankTheTank]

If Untied follows suit that will probably help me just as Aloha did you

I think United just announced that they intend to Furlough 950 around Sept... Gettin Ugly Quick...

 

[Mumbles]

At this point....I'm thinking about getting a small business loan and buying a used Caravan and starting my own short hop commuter airline. I think I'd have better luck with that than ever getting hired by a big company.

 

[A4sForever]

At this point....I'm thinking about getting a small business loan and buying a used Caravan and starting my own short hop commuter airline.....

NUW-SEA-NUW needs one .... BAD.

 

[wink]

NUW-SEA-NUW needs one .... BAD.

Is that an Essential Air Service city pair? Latching on to the federal tit is a good way to get the cash flow started.

 

[Flugelman]

NUW-SEA-NUW needs one .... BAD.

Wes Lupien usta have a thriving business doing just that with a Cherokee 6 back in the late 60's. On bad days he would file to NAS and cancel over his airport. I've seen him come poking out of a hole to a quick downwind...

The airport there is named for him now. He gave me my private checkride back in '69.

 

[A4sForever]

Wes Lupien usta have a thriving business doing just that with a Cherokee 6 back in the late 60's. On bad days he would file to NAS and cancel over his airport. I've seen him come poking out of a hole to a quick downwind...

The airport there is named for him now. He gave me my private checkride back in '69.

Yeah ... Oak Harbor Air Park now renamed in honor of Wes and then renamed Oak Harbor Airport ... Wes went down hard several years ago w/ Alzheimer's ... the place never was the same w/out his hand at the throttle. And then the only viable tenant activity in the guise of Harbor Air was bought out and the new owners over expanded to everywhere including Florida ... the result was corporate death.

Wes Lupien Airport, Oak Harbor, WA

No bids at Oak Harbor airport, Whidbey News Times

The only place another NUW-SEA-NUW carrier could operate out of would be in conjunction w/ Ault Field or perhaps w/ the establishment of a county/regional airport @ OLF Coupeville. That might be my choice, if I had one ...

 

[A4sForever]

AND ... the hits just keep on comin' ....

.... this is NOT good. Not good for pilots, new pilot jobs, and the traveling public. The price of oil has GOT to go down or we will have no domestic, US airline industry left ...

United Airlines cutting 900+ pilot jobs this summer, MSNBC

 

[Mumbles]

A4's.....I've seriously entertained the idea of doing something like that up on Whidbey....but I figured Kenmore had the market kind of cornered up there. I was wondering about how that would go on the East Coast...like Reagan Nat'l and BWI to the Eastern Shore of Md and Delaware during the summertime.

 

[A4sForever]

A4's.....I've seriously entertained the idea of doing something like that up on Whidbey....but I figured Kenmore had the market kind of cornered up there....

Kenmore's not that strong financially -- they have had several near misses w/death over the decades and seem to cater more to the elites going to/from the San Juans and sightseeing flights than serving the masses as a legit commuter. Especially when they can strap floats on the aircraft to fly their "elite" customer base around to their favorite haunts. Largely nevo-riche white trash from HOLLYWOOD-CAL or NYC or New England ..

When I was pushing for an alternative to Wes Lupien/OH Air Park a few years ago no one seemed interested. It hadn't hit them in the face yet that air commuter service to SEA and other points could just go away one fine day. And it was just too damn dangerous flying in/out of there at night and in significant WX in my opinion -- it was by it's very nature limited in scope of operations.

I thought -- and still do think -- that w/ proper planning and some government support (Hello?? NAVY?? HELLO ?? HELLO ??? ) it could/would be a viable operator based out of OLF (the regional/county airport idea) or as a tenant w/ Ault Field -- maybe it's own terminal on the north side of the field??

9/11 and the increased security requirements didn't help Harbor Air's bottom line, either.

Typical Whidbey bullshit, however. The power brokers on the Island want to keep and maintain their piece of the pie by keeping new/better ideas tabled -- they are past experts at stepping over dollars to pick up pennies, all in the name of keeping themselves in the driver's seat.

 

[Mumbles]

For Mumbles, flying a couple of Caravans out of Coupeville OLF, would be grande. Plus, I wouldn't want to fly those effete', elitist (Joe Blow clings to his guns and religion cuz he's bitter) Californians to the San Juans anyways.

 

[MasterBates]

How about a helo commuter? Short enough trip to be viable?

GPS Copter approach should have low enough minimums to be usable.