Mesa and US reach restructuring agreement

[Dont call me Shirley]

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/mesa-air-group-to-extend-partnership-with-us-airways-2010-10-19?reflink=MW_news_stmp

PHOENIX, Oct 19, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Mesa Air Group, Inc. (MESAQ 0.03, +0.01, +39.05%) announced today that it has reached an agreement in principle with US Airways, Inc. to extend its code share agreement covering 38 CRJ-900 aircraft for an additional term of 39 months to September 2015.

For those hoping that Mesa's BK would lead to US seeing the last of Jerry O and his airline, a disappointment.

(I've never been on a CRJ-900; 1.5 hrs in the 50 seat version is bad enough. Flying on a fairly lengthy segment on one of the overgrown "Satan's Chariots" and milling around the jetway with 79 other folks for a carry on bag does not sound like fun. If I have to be on an 86 seat express plane, make it an EMB-175, at least)

There were quite a few who hoped that Mesa would be out of flying for US, its place taken by a wholly owned or perhaps (yeah, I know, only in fantasy world) by mainline.

Isn't the Air Wisconsin contract up in '15 as well? Maybe some housecleaning can take place in five years. Does even Tempe still want 50 seaters. Sure 15 years ago they were hot stuff; times have changed.

 

[No Land Green]

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/mesa-air-group-to-extend-partnership-with-us-airways-2010-10-19?reflink=MW_news_stmp

PHOENIX, Oct 19, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Mesa Air Group, Inc. (MESAQ 0.03, +0.01, +39.05%) announced today that it has reached an agreement in principle with US Airways, Inc. to extend its code share agreement covering 38 CRJ-900 aircraft for an additional term of 39 months to September 2015.

For those hoping that Mesa's BK would lead to US seeing the last of Jerry O and his airline, a disappointment.

(I've never been on a CRJ-900; 1.5 hrs in the 50 seat version is bad enough. Flying on a fairly lengthy segment on one of the overgrown "Satan's Chariots" and milling around the jetway with 79 other folks for a carry on bag does not sound like fun. If I have to be on an 86 seat express plane, make it an EMB-175, at least)

There were quite a few who hoped that Mesa would be out of flying for US, its place taken by a wholly owned or perhaps (yeah, I know, only in fantasy world) by mainline.

Isn't the Air Wisconsin contract up in '15 as well? Maybe some housecleaning can take place in five years. Does even Tempe still want 50 seaters. Sure 15 years ago they were hot stuff; times have changed.

After watching one of the latest Crew News Videos, it appeared as if Management was happy to keep Mesa in the mix with 38 CRJ-900's. It prevents them from having to go out an order 100 seat mainline jets, something I think that they do not want to do. It appears as if the Industry"s goal is to have up to 100 seats at the Regional Airline level.


Air Wisconsin will be around for a while as well.

 

[UPNAWAY]

After watching one of the latest Crew News Videos, it appeared as if Management was happy to keep Mesa in the mix with 38 CRJ-900's. It prevents them from having to go out an order 100 seat mainline jets, something I think that they do not want to do. It appears as if the Industry"s goal is to have up to 100 seats at the Regional Airline level.


Air Wisconsin will be around for a while as well.

Also the cost of those aircraft was reduced and US now has 10% ownership stake in Mesa.

 

[Crzipilot]

Kinda funny Parker has said in the past, he wanted to get rid of Mesa ASAP..... Lousy planes, lousy CS etc etc. Wonder if him and JO are toasting in the back room...

 

[SegmentKing]

Kinda funny Parker has said in the past, he wanted to get rid of Mesa ASAP..... Lousy planes, lousy CS etc etc. Wonder if him and JO are toasting in the back room...

Two things happened. US realizes that YV is actually a good product out of PHX. I remember doing some numbers and YV's PHX numbers are better than OO's SLC numbers. Whichever USX carrier is in PHL is going to suck, same goes for JFK. People used to @#$*U#$^ and moan about YV in PHL about how horrible it was, sang praises when they heard ZW was coming in.. and guess what... YV did a better job than ZW's doing in PHL.

The other thing that happened was JO reminded Kirby and Parker how YV helped HP out when it was in dire straights in the mid 90s.

I think people need to start writing in letters to US about the CRJ 900 seats. US is responsible for the interiors of the aircraft, not YV.

 

[Dont call me Shirley]

s, sang praises when they heard ZW was coming in.. and guess what... YV did a better job than ZW's doing in PHL.

........

I think people need to start writing in letters to US about the CRJ 900 seats. US is responsible for the interiors of the aircraft, not YV.

What the new motto for Air Wisconsin? Making Mesa look good since 2005.

Again, I've never been on a CRJ-900, but imagine it a long, cramped, claustrophobia inducing tube. The color or even cleanliness of the interior seem less important than the foregoing.

 

[SOA2]

I have been on a CRJ-900. It's miserable. I avoid them whenever possible.

 

[SS255]

I think people need to start writing in letters to US about the CRJ 900 seats. US is responsible for the interiors of the aircraft, not YV.

Or maybe just some graphic photos of our posteriors after 2 hours sitting in one of these bunbusters?

 

[Crzipilot]

the airplanes interiors are pathetic. DON"T get me into the crews.....

 

[NYGiantsFan90]

US does not maintain the aircraft, Mesa does and Mesa is responsible for the upkeep of the interiors, not US.

 

[IberiaMAL]

What the new motto for Air Wisconsin? Making Mesa look good since 2005.

Again, I've never been on a CRJ-900, but imagine it a long, cramped, claustrophobia inducing tube. The color or even cleanliness of the interior seem less important than the foregoing.

And the windows of the 900 are at the sides of the seats, if that makes sense.


Like, your seat is directly in the middle of the window. Uncomfy seats and all the F/A's for Mesa were weird. I have flown on the 900's 3X after the merger and still had AWA pain on the sides.


h34r: First Time was on the way to Houston I had to sit in the very back seat across from the bathroom and some fat F/A sat beside me and smelled like hell...


3rd time was also another overly flamboyant male F/A making corny jokes also. (Something about "If you want to smoke, then please step outside on the wings and we'll all be watching gone with the wind")


It was SO different than the US Airways I was used to before the merger... I was used to 737's/A319's filled with business people and very very professional F/A's. I always seemed to get the pretty Charlotte based F/A's who weren't all that old in my opinion.



h34r: I hate the 900's. Beautiful aircraft. Horrible on the inside. This coming from a guy who is perfectly comfortable on the 200. Who is comfortable in all aircraft except the 900's...

 

[notquiteUS]

Miserable yes but almost all of the flights are really quick

I have been on a CRJ-900. It's miserable. I avoid them whenever possible.

 

[Crzipilot]

Anything over 30 mins in a Mesa 900 is 15 minutes too long. I have to ride them 1x maybe 2x a week....... All guns have been removed from my house....

 

[aptboeses]

Two things happened. US realizes that YV is actually a good product out of PHX. I remember doing some numbers and YV's PHX numbers are better than OO's SLC numbers. Whichever USX carrier is in PHL is going to suck, same goes for JFK. People used to @#$*U#$^ and moan about YV in PHL about how horrible it was, sang praises when they heard ZW was coming in.. and guess what... YV did a better job than ZW's doing in PHL.

The other thing that happened was JO reminded Kirby and Parker how YV helped HP out when it was in dire straights in the mid 90s.

I think people need to start writing in letters to US about the CRJ 900 seats. US is responsible for the interiors of the aircraft, not YV.

Doug stated in a crew news session that the reason we are keeping Mesa was simply because we could not replace the 38 CRJ900's. We do not have the credit rating or cash to purchase 38 new aircraft. We also did not have enough lead time to introduce 38 more aircraft into our fleet. We do not want to keep them but we don't have a viable replacement for them either. With this deal US wins because it will cost us less to use them and we now gain more time to find and introduce a replacement.

I don't find the CRJ900 to be that bad of an airplane but the seats that Mesa uses are HORRIBLE! If they put in newer, more comfortable seats it would be ok for flights under two hours. (Though I would rather have them replaced by E190.)

 

[N924PS]

Doug stated in a crew news session that the reason we are keeping Mesa was simply because we could not replace the 38 CRJ900's. We do not have the credit rating or cash to purchase 38 new aircraft. We also did not have enough lead time to introduce 38 more aircraft into our fleet. We do not want to keep them but we don't have a viable replacement for them either. With this deal US wins because it will cost us less to use them and we now gain more time to find and introduce a replacement.

I don't find the CRJ900 to be that bad of an airplane but the seats that Mesa uses are HORRIBLE! If they put in newer, more comfortable seats it would be ok for flights under two hours. (Though I would rather have them replaced by E190.)

86 Boeing 717's will soon be available from the AirTran fleet. Southwest is unlikely to maintain a second fleet type for long.

Just think, just like the old days on "The Nine" with turbo engines and a glass cockpit!