Mesa down the tubes

[Amanda]

Jeez- Nick updates me with Mesa news since he still has some friends there. Most have thankfully moved on to bigger and better airlines. Mesa has lost so many pilots and now they owe $80 million to Hawaiian Airlines after a recent lawsuit.

If any of you have a guy at Mesa- try to encourage them to get out ASAP! I bet that company will go belly-up in the near future...

Mesa ordered to pay Hawaiian Airlines $80M
David Segal
dsegal@starbulletin.com


Mesa Air Group, parent of interisland carrier go!, must pay Hawaiian Airlines $80 million for using confidential information obtained during Hawaiian's bankruptcy to enter the Hawaii market, a federal judge ruled today.
Bankruptcy Judge Robert Faris, who had taken the matter under advisement on Oct. 4 following a nine-day evidentiary hearing and trial, said Mesa breached a confidentiality agreement by failing to return to Hawaiian or destroy evaluation material on a timely basis, then using that material to gain a competitive advantage when entering the Hawaii market.

Faris also ruled that Mesa must pay Hawaiian interest of 3.97 percent per annum as of the date of today’s ruling, but denied Hawaian’s request for a one-year injunction against go! for selling tickets because he said the award of the money damages adequately redressed the harm suffered by Hawaiian.

Star-Bulletin Breaking News - Mesa ordered to pay Hawaiian Airlines $80M

[amelia]

Ouch!

I hear they have been losing over 100 pilots a month and that no one is really applying for them anymore....is that true?

I met a guy at a friends who is working on getting his hours so he can apply to an airline. He is currently a FA with United and was thinking of applying to Mesa in a year or so. He said he wanted to work there for about 6m just as a stepping stone for SkyWest. I then told him about the 2year contract and having to pay Mesa back if you leave before that 2 years. I think he changed his mind about going to Mesa.

[BAC]

Originally Posted by amelia

I hear they have been losing over 100 pilots a month and that no one is really applying for them anymore....is that true?

True. It would probably be a good idea to get out.

[Amanda]

Originally Posted by amelia

Ouch!

I hear they have been losing over 100 pilots a month and that no one is really applying for them anymore....is that true?

I met a guy at a friends who is working on getting his hours so he can apply to an airline. He is currently a FA with United and was thinking of applying to Mesa in a year or so. He said he wanted to work there for about 6m just as a stepping stone for SkyWest. I then told him about the 2year contract and having to pay Mesa back if you leave before that 2 years. I think he changed his mind about going to Mesa.

Nick was telling me the stats on how many are leaving but I can't remember. It is a very high number though! Mesa is hiring anyone they can at this point. When Nick was hired in 2003 it was the place to go to get a pretty quick upgrade, plus it was "as bad" as it is right now. He has a friend who has been trying to upgrade for at least a year now; his class keeps getting cancelled.

The good thing is that other airlines have been hiring a lot of ex-Mesa folks. I guess it's a given that the ex-Mesa guys will really appreciate the next airline they work for!

And I don't think it is is 2 year contract. The amount you owe lessens with each year you work for them. Nick worked there 3 years and owed money back to the company. At this point Mesa probably won't collect on the pilot contracts since they need to find much much more money to pay Hawaiian and keep the company solvent.

[ccbegay]

[quote=amelia;46542]Ouch!

I hear they have been losing over 100 pilots a month and that no one is really applying for them anymore....is that true?

/quote]

I just heard the same thing too...outrageous...I knew a couple of pilots that went through the Pilot Development Program, they finished school with them, and went on to get based, but shortly after left because of so many issues...most of them are now with other regionals and really do appreciate who they are flying for now...

[Kristie]

also heard that they have no reserves left... so vacations have been cut for the rest of the year.

[Bigsweetie]

Originally Posted by Amanda

And I don't think it is is 2 year contract. The amount you owe lessens with each year you work for them. Nick worked there 3 years and owed money back to the company.

WHAT???? I've never heard of a company doing that before! The most i've heard of is a two year contract. Holy Moly, no wonder people don't want to work there!!!!

[Kristie]

and the big problem is that they're going to work there... and then leaving after a *short* amount of time.. so can you imagine just how much mesa is making back due to that type of contract thing? i'm not sure why those who are going to mesa aren't looking at the financial burden first?

if you ask me, that's just downright crazy not to at least acknowledge the possible financial problems before interviewing and taking the job!

[BAC]

Originally Posted by Kristie

also heard that they have no reserves left... so vacations have been cut for the rest of the year.

I also heard that even the pilots with the most senority only get 11 - 12 days off a month (non commutable to boot). How ridiculous.. and sad.

[flyershoe]

Ick! Reserve only gets off 8 days per bid period!! Have I mentioned how much I love XJT?? We'll probably miss it when he goes to the majors.

Reserve line holders must be able to report to duty within a minimum of 1-½ hours. Reserve lines guarantee 8 days off per bid period (9 days per month.) Average days off for a line holder is 11.7 per bid period (13 per month).