The end of the LGA Crew Base

[SKY HIGH]

After all it's one less place for people to get displaced too.

sky high states: Love your logic. Displacements or commuting. Dont the majority of flight attendants do commuting into a base? Most displacements are from PIT.
So LGA closes, then you have displacements from LGA and PIT both............COMMUTING.


AN opinion only

 

[USA320Pilot]

Ironically today I talked with Loretta Bove, the LGA Station Manager, about LGA flying and she indicated that Andrew Norcella, US Airways senior vice president of planning and alliances, believes the potential exists for LGA to grow dependent upon new LGA restrictions, EMB-190 opportunities, and the perimeter rules.

In regard to the recent Pilot Permanent Bid, every crew base was reduced except the two hubs and time was moved into PHL and CLT. For LGA, part of the reduction was due to the removal of LGA-FLL flying when the South Florida focus-city lost a significant amount of flying. The reduction of FLL flying eliminated the need for LGA origination and termination flights, which caused a reduction in LGA flight crew block hours.

Here are some other points regarding LGA flight crew staffing:

* US Airways has met on a couple of occasions with the PANYNJ to try to have the perimeter rules lifted. The company wants to begin service between LGA-PHX and LGA-LAS, but the Port Authority has been reluctant to change the perimeter rules. With the present labor contracts this potential increased service, which US Airways is pushing hard for, would be cheaper to operate with East crews, not to mention PHX/LAS hotel expense is lower than LGA.

* Prior to his departure from the company, Bret Wilke, along with ALPA Representative Chip Mayer and Consultant Walter Darr, restructured the Trip Pairings that converted multiple day and sometimes 4-leg Shuttle trips into 5- or 6-leg one-day Shuttle trips. This pairing optimization saves the Company over $3 million per year in hotel and per diem expense, not to mention the benefits of increased aircraft utilization. The pairing change removed one aircraft per day from the Shuttle, which was placed into mainline operation, boosting revenue and profits. If the LGA-base was to close there would not only be a cost increase in hotel/per diem expense, but one additional aircraft would likely have to be removed from mainline service and placed back onto the Shuttle, and this would reduce aircraft routing optimization/utilization.

* NYC hotel expenses are high and the monthly Flight Crew Pairings always have origination and termination flights to the hubs, which are marketed as direct service to West Coast destinations. These flights are placed into the CRS to compete with JFK non-stop flights, but also cut flight crew expense, which is another key reason to have a LGA base.

* In regard to the FAA’s plan to reduce LGA traffic saturation, Flight International reported last week US Airways will adjust its fleet plan in preparation for the Federal Aviation Administration’s new congestion relief scheme at LGA, which will reduce the number of small regional jet services at the airport. In an employee newsletter dated 31 August, Nocella admits the FAA’s proposed rule “will have an impact on how we operateâ€. For example, he says, the use of smaller aircraft operated by [US Airways Express carriers] Colgan Air and Piedmont Airlines, plus many of the carrier’s affiliates “will be permitted only in small marketsâ€. To this end, management has been working to alter US Airways’ fleet strategy “to make sure we can meet the future requirementsâ€, says Nocella.

* With that said not only could you see increased mainline flying, the recent agreement between US Airways and Republic Airways, which is authorized by ALPA contract, enables Republic to place thirty 86-seat EMB-175s into US Airways Express service, while Chautauqua removes twenty 50-seat ERJ-145s from the US Airways Express network. These jets along with EMB-170s can be used to help offset the new restrictions imposed by the FAA for congestion relief. According to Bove, LGA station personnel will begin receiving additional training on the EMB-170/175/190 aircraft this fall.

* In earlier Crew News meetings Doug Parker indicated for an airline of US Airways’ size eight crew bases (BOS, CLT, DCA, LAS, LGA, PHL, PHX, & PIT) was probably to many, but in recent Crew News meeting(s) and if my memory serves me correctly, I believe in a recent "About US" FAQ Parker indicated the company now believes eight crew bases are the right size and there are no plans to close any crew base.

Best regards,

USA320Pilot

 

[BoeingBoy]

If you just look at the Shuttle flights, it probably boils down to cost. Without a LGA base, crews would have to lay over in NYC to cover at least the last flights in at night and the morning originators. Is that more expensive than the cost of a crew base? The answer to that question probably will determine the fate of the base.

Jim

 

[USA320Pilot]

One major reason the LGA crew base exists is the Shuttle (Incidently, there is no current plan to put the EMB-190 on the Shuttle, although when more EMB aircraft arrive they could fly weekend Shuttle trips, which could free A-319 aircraft for more Saturday only Nassau, Freeport, Charter, and other flights).

Nonetheless, Doug Parker recently indicated no crew base will close, but that could always change too.

Finally, according to my conversation today with LGA Managing Director Loretta Bove LGA mainline flying could grow in the not-to-distant future per her discussions with Andrew Norcella.

Best regards,

USA320Pilot

 

[US1YFARE]

(Incidently, there is no current plan to put the EMB-190 on the Shuttle, although when more EMB aircraft arrive they could fly weekend Shuttle trips, which could free A-319 aircraft for more Saturday only Nassau, Freeport, Charter, and other flights.

Has that been discussed? How about using the 190 during the week on Shuttle trips? Has that been discussed?

 

[USA320Pilot]

Initial plans call for the EMB-190 to originate flights out of PHL to fly head-to-head against Southwest. The first revenue flight is scheduled for mid-December and US Airways will receive on average about one aircraft per month. According to the fleet plan the first EMB-190 will arrive on November 15, the second on November 22, the third on December 15, and then 8 EMB-190s will be delivered in 2007.

By the end of next year there will only be 11 EMB-190s on the property, thus, it's unlikely these aircraft will fly anywhere except out of PHL. However, dependent upon marketing and planning decision making Andrew Norcella could place these aircraft on weekend Shuttle flights when loads are lower, dependent on other market opportunities.

Meanwhile, the remaining 14 EMB-190 firm orders are scheduled for delivery in 2008.

With that said, there is reason to believe there could be more public news regarding EMB-190 deliveries; as well as other mainline narrowbody aircraft orders, in the not-to-distant future.

Regards,

USA320Pilot

 

[BoeingBoy]

With the Shuttle load factors being what they are, those routes are ripe for E-190 service at off-peak times and days. According to May data, the latest the BTS has available, the average LF's were:

BOS-LGA 57.8%
LGA-BOS 57.1%
DCA-LGA 64.2%
LGA-DCA 59.0%

However, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that the E-190's are unlikely to be flying Shuttle routes in the early months since the crews will be based in PHL and there won't be that many airplanes by even next summer. Unless, of course, the folks in Tempe have to relearn the lesson that you don't mix Shuttle and non-Shuttle flying with the same plane on the same day.

Of course, there's the further complicating factor of the new "average capacity" rules for LGA that will likely go into effect about next summer (about the time we'd have enough E190's to consider putting some in another base). Replacing Airbus' with E-190's on some of the Shuttle routes will just mean putting even bigger planes on other routes than otherwise required to meet the rule.

Ironic, isn't it, that the FAA may be responsible for keeping the Airbus on the majority of the Shuttle flying....

Jim

 

[ClueByFour]

It stands to reason (given the fact that LCC is basically going to be forced into larger aircraft at LGA) that the pilot base does not shrink long term.

That said, I truly hope US does not mix -190s into the Shuttle operation that are not dedicated to the shuttle operation on a given day--as BoeingBoy mentions, that's ripe for disaster.

With that said, don't look for the perimeter rule to be lifted anytime soon. If US gets LAS/PHX, DL will get SLC, UA will get SFO/LAX, and so forth. The PA does not need to lift the perimeter--it's not as if LGA is hurting for traffic with the perimeter rule. If the airlines actually play ball with upsizing the average aircraft into LGA (eg, ditch the RJs all day), then maybe the PA will reconsider the perimeter rule--the problem is that the airlines have shown that they have no restraint when it comes to LGA and will happily schedule it to death. I don't think the PA is going to reward this behavior by lifting the perimeter.

 

[BoeingBoy]

One thing I failed to mention in regard to the new LGA capacity rules - the increase in average capacity could be relatively small. As few as 7 additional seats on average per flight could be required. The reconfiguration of the East Airbus fleet will add 10 seats on the A319/320 and 14 on the A321. So each Airbus flight, in the new configuration, could mean not changing the capacity of 1.5 to 2 RJ/turboprob flights.

Plus, once the reconfiguration is complete, replacing an Airbus with an E-190 on a Shuttle flight would result in a bigger decrease in seats than is currently the case.

Just further reason to keep the Airbus' on the Shuttle routes as long as the extra capacity doesn't result in loses.

Jim

 

[john john]

(Incidently, there is no current plan to put the EMB-190 on the Shuttle,
Best regards,

USA320Pilot

WRONG!

 

[US1YFARE]

WRONG!

That's why I asked the question...wanted to see what he said.

 

[john john]

Ironically today I talked with Loretta Bove, the LGA Station Manager, about LGA flying and she indicated that Andrew Norcella, US Airways senior vice president of planning and alliances, believes the potential exists for LGA to grow dependent upon new LGA restrictions, EMB-190 opportunities, and the perimeter rules.

* US Airways has met on a couple of occasions with the PANYNJ to try to have the perimeter rules lifted. The company wants to begin service between LGA-PHX and LGA-LAS, but the Port Authority has been reluctant to change the perimeter rules. With the present labor contracts this potential increased service, which US Airways is pushing hard for, would be cheaper to operate with East crews, not to mention PHX/LAS hotel expense is lower than LGA.

* In regard to the FAA’s plan to reduce LGA traffic saturation, Flight International reported last week US Airways will adjust its fleet plan in preparation for the Federal Aviation Administration’s new congestion relief scheme at LGA, which will reduce the number of small regional jet services at the airport. In an employee newsletter dated 31 August, Nocella admits the FAA’s proposed rule “will have an impact on how we operateâ€. For example, he says, the use of smaller aircraft operated by [US Airways Express carriers] Colgan Air and Piedmont Airlines, plus many of the carrier’s affiliates “will be permitted only in small marketsâ€. To this end, management has been working to alter US Airways’ fleet strategy “to make sure we can meet the future requirementsâ€, says Nocella.

* With that said not only could you see increased mainline flying, the recent agreement between US Airways and Republic Airways, which is authorized by ALPA contract, enables Republic to place thirty 86-seat EMB-175s into US Airways Express service, while Chautauqua removes twenty 50-seat ERJ-145s from the US Airways Express network. These jets along with EMB-170s can be used to help offset the new restrictions imposed by the FAA for congestion relief. According to Bove, LGA station personnel will begin receiving additional training on the EMB-170/175/190 aircraft this fall.


Best regards,

USA320Pilot

Being discuss here
http://www.usaviation.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=30675

 

[BoeingBoy]

Well, probably one of those "technically correct" but misleading things....

"No current plan" could be construed as meaning what's been officially announced. That's the fact that there'll be one line of E-190 flying in Dec that uses PHL based pilots, since all that's been officially published is the Nov/Dec pilot bid. While the actual trips haven't been published yet, it extremely doubtful that there'll be any Shuttle flying in those trips.

On the other hand, Parker himself has said that the E-190 is the perfect plane for such things as.....off-peak Shuttle flights. So they're at least thinking about it, but that is hard to call a "current plan".

Jim

 

[UWCactus]

Actaully, IIRC DP later made a statement saying something to the extent that 7 bases was about right for a company this size. However, it seems that they always have problems with keeping LGA staffed so maybe it will go. On top of that we only have mainline flights to other crew bases (CLT, PIT, DCA, BOS).

 

[BusFlt321]

There are 6 Million persons in NYC, Yet half of our gates and flights are turboprops or small jets. Gates 11 and 12 are hardly used all day long...We continue to waste our resources and potential. We have the finest terminal at LGA but the least utilized. Time for only Airbus 321's and 757's to fill the gates. When I have mentioned this to various crewmembers and station persons,.I get a big deer in the head light look. One of our LGA F/O's finally figured out the problem. Marketing is waiting for NYC ...to get bigger!....Busflt321