MDA

ddcharlie

Newbie
Aug 20, 2002
8
0
www.usaviation.com
Just heard a PIT newspaper said MDA will fly as a division of mainline, not as a separate subsidiary as originally planned. This should allow it to get off the ground quicker by reducing the paperwork required. Aircraft deliveries should begin in the second half of the year. Anyone have any other info?
 
yes, this is true. It was ironed out in the latest ALPA-Airways agreement, and will not require a separate operating certificate. Aircraft will be emb 170 family, and will be financed by GECAS (GE capital) which currently holds orders for 50 aircraft. Aircraft delivery could by accelerated due to Swiss airlines intention to postpone delivery of the aircraft. One of the the things I am not sure of will be whether or not it will fly under the express banner. and whether full Airways amenities (e.g. snacks) will be offered on board.
 
This is very interesting... Perhaps somebody in the know can expand on this... In terms of crews, servicing, whether these will operate on US's certificate or separate, "As a division of mainline" vs. "a new wholly owned". And as asked earlier, will these be marketed as mainline or express?

I get the feeling this program is beginning to look like a more fuel efficient F-28 at lower payscales. Am I missing something?

Maybe there are not enough people in the know yet?
 
Does anyone know if the aircraft will have 'EXPRESS' painted on them, i would be inclined to think not. Other than pilots will MDA be staffed will all mainline employees. It would seem difficult to keep labor costs low if FA's, CSA's and other employees were paid at mainline rates. Does anyone have any info on hiring for other positions?
 
[blockquote]
----------------
On 3/3/2003 9:33:11 PM aj04878 wrote:

Does anyone know if the aircraft will have 'EXPRESS' painted on them, i would be inclined to think not. Other than pilots will MDA be staffed will all mainline employees. It would seem difficult to keep labor costs low if FA's, CSA's and other employees were paid at mainline rates. Does anyone have any info on hiring for other positions?
----------------
[/blockquote]

The f/a positions will be filled by recalls of involuntarily furloughed f/a's. The f/a's will work under the terms of a clone of the old American Eagle f/a contract. If you have a year seniority at mainline, you start at the 1 year mark on the American Eagle contract. If you have 3 years, you start at the 3 year mark on the American Eagle contract. 1 year folks will make abour $13/hr on a 80 hour month. Thats a little over a $1000 monthly gross. You know we'll have to take second jobs.

If I understood the traffic on the boards during the concessions talks, similar sweatshop arrangements have been set up for mechanics, rampies, CSRs, etc....

-Airlineorphan
 
The ALPA Modified Restructuring Agreement authorized MDA to be operated as a US mainline division flying Large RJ aircraft.

Reports indicate US may take delivery of three EMB-170 aircraft in October 2003 to be operated by MDA.

Chip
 
MDA will be like MetroJet but with much lower payscales and work rules. So it's sort of like the "TransAtlantic DIVISION" and I would assume have it's own base code.
 
[blockquote]
----------------
On 3/4/2003 8:46:20 AM a320av8r wrote:

From what I have heard, it will not have Express on it. Operate like MetroJet but without the branding.
----------------
[/blockquote]
That's scary.....Metrojet was a failure....
 
Strange though, Allegheny has posted on their websight that it will take over some of the positions held at Piedmont and PSA. Ordering, payroll, ect....
Will the wholly owned company's be merging sooner than we thought? Will US rename the wholly owned MDA?
 
Date: March 3, 2003 Interoffice
Correspondence

To: Allegheny, Piedmont, PSA and MSC Employees

From: Michael Scheeringa
Vice President Express Division

Subject: Reorganization

As you are aware, US Airways Group, Inc. continues its restructuring process to lower costs, become
more efficient, and return to profitability. As part of this process, an independent consulting firm
(Accenture) was engaged to look into possible areas of cost reduction. As a result of their analysis a
decision has been made that will allow us to reduce certain administrative costs.

Beginning May 1, 2003, several functions within the wholly owned carriers, Allegheny, Piedmont, PSA
and MSC will transition to a new Subdivision within Allegheny referred to as the Shared Services
Organization (SSO). The affected areas are Recruiting, Benefits Administration, IT, Purchasing,
Accounting and Payroll. The SSO will be operated out of Allegheny’s Headquarters in Harrisburg.
Below is a summary of the functions that will be completed by the SSO.

PURCHASING - SSO FUNCTIONS
The SSO will issue Purchase Orders for all purchases. A partial list of SSO responsibilities will be
purchases of aircraft parts, shop supplies, office supplies and equipment, tooling, test equipment,
computer hardware, software and outside services, telecommunications equipment and services, crew
(RON) hotels and transportation, aircraft chemicals, aircraft cleaning supplies, paper supplies,
skydrol/oil, and aircraft hardware. In addition the SSO will purchase such items as de-ice fluid POs
and usage through Merlin and all component repair agreements.

HUMAN RESOURCES – RECRUITING AND BENEFITS - SSO FUNCTIONS
The SSO will be responsible for staffing recruiter positions at the carriers and will liaison with carriers to
establish hiring requirements, participate in recruiting sessions and forward candidate recommendations
to Carrier management. The SSO will contract administration of benefit plans and will be responsible for
employee enrollments, changes, all other claims processing as it related to benefits.

FINANCE –PAYABLES, RECEIVABLES, AND PAYROLL – SSO FUNCTIONS
The SSO will generate all payments and cash disbursements for all purposes including manual checks.
This includes processing all invoices through the accounting systems and following up on invoices. The
SSO will prepare all cash planning schedules and will initiate all wire transfers. The SSO will generate
final invoices and process through the accounting system. The SSO will prepare all financial statementsand generate internal reports. The SSO will compile final versions of budgets. The SSO will process all
payroll hours and generate paychecks for each Carrier's employees.

IT - SSO FUNCTIONS
The SSO will ensure that existing computer and phone systems continue to function properly. They will
work with end-users on problem resolution and also outside support vendors where appropriate. They
will make sure that systems are properly maintained and backed up.

Unfortunately, this reorganization will result in employee reductions at the wholly owned carriers. Each
carrier will be working with their employees affected by this transition in an effort to minimize the impact.
The SSO will offer many new opportunities to the affected employees and they are anxious to discuss
these possibilities with the affected employees. Over the next few weeks, the SSO we will be actively
recruiting to fill the positions. Postings for the available positions will be distributed to all employee
locations by March 4, 2003. If you are interested in any of the positions, please contact Michelle
Foose, Director of Human Resources at Allegheny at DN 948-5410 who has been tasked with the
SSO transition. It is anticipated that all vacant positions will be filled by March 28, 2003.
I realize this change will impact the way each Company does business. Your management will make
every effort to keep you advised of the progress of the SSO and assist in making the transition as
smooth as possible for all involved.
 
I wonder, will the aircraft count under the 279? IE: could they reduce mainline aircraft and count these into the number?