HNL

I thought there was a restriction on props at SFO gates. UAX was grandfathered. How could QX bring in the DH4s to SFO?

sxf24

I think the restriction has been eliminated.

SEA-ORDFF

Wasn't it just reported that mainline AS service would be returning to PDX-SFO?

formeraa

Interesting that Skywest can fly CR7's cheaper than QX can! Just a comment...not a slam.

eponymous_coward

Economies of scale. QX has a lot of routes where a Q400 works better than an RJ, so they are left with a relative handful of routes < 600 miles.

What I wonder about is if/when QX will start flying Q's OUTSIDE of AAG. It would seem to me there's a decent amount of 300-500 mile trips where a Q would be a great alternative to a 50-seat RJ, and more economical than a 70-seater. I would think DL or AA might be interested in some around SLC and LAX, for instance.

beckoa

Just look at the route map in the magazine- all those other routes not served by AS/QX could be Scary thought.

jwright

The issue is not whether Skywest can operate CR7s at a lower cost than Horizon. The issue is that Horizon can realize substantial savings by going to a single fleet type. Even if Skywest costs more than Horizon to fly the CR7s, it would still be a net positive to AAG because of the savings achieved by standardizing their fleet.

golfingboy

Flown 3 flights with Skywest in the last year... Their service was just standard, but I did not find it to be sub-par.. As a matter of fact, I had a great FA on some of those flights...

I guess it is YMMV... However, on average the QX FAs are better than Skywest no doubt... I hope AS arranges to move some QX FAs to mainline [those who will be "replaced" with OO FAs]... After all, AS will be seeing capacity increases for the next few years...

There will be a few PDX-Bay Area mainline flights... Particularly out of SFO/SJC, so the bay area customers do have an option of flying on AS.

Already has... There is one daily mainline flight now I think, the evening flight....

formeraa

Like I said, it's interesting that Skywest can fly CR7's cheaper than QX can. When I say fly, I mean the FULLY allocated cost (the same as you).

sxf24

Skywest's pay scale is generally lower and they have the benefit of spreading the cost of spares, maintenance and training over a much larger fleet.

BankerBoy414

Skywest currently operates 83 CRJ-700 aircraft....it's more cost effective to operate when you have a fleet of that size than it is to try to maintain parts, spares, training, etc. when you only have a handful of aircraft

jackal

Surprised you're the first person who's mentioned this aspect.

I've been a bit jittery about flying regional airlines ever since discovering their pilots are more often than not underpaid, overworked, under-slept sub-minimum-wage 1,000-hour wonders. However, ever since discovering that description doesn't fit QX pilots, I've felt a lot more comfortable flying them.

With 1,000-hour wonders taking over these routes from experienced QX pilots, I'm a little unsure what I want to do with my upcoming SEA-LGB trip.

Also on a safety note: QX aircraft are equipped with highly advanced equipment that allows operations in inclement weather other airlines (especially Regionals) are not equipped to do. With dual GPSes and RNP capabilities and HUDs and equipment to support Cat III ILS landings, QX aircraft are exceedingly well prepared to handle the low visibility that can occur in places like SEA, PDX, and SFO. Will OO be able to maintain the same OTP record as QX in weather situations? If not, and flights get delayed, AS needs to be held accountable for their decision to outsource these flights. (Unfortunately, holding AS accountable for that decision will be difficult, as "weather" waives most possibilities of compensation.)

DXjr

Did you know that SkyWest was founded a full 9 years before Horizon?

Did you know that SkyWest and Horizon did not lower their hiring minimums (1200 hours) when others were lowering theirs to 250 hours?

Did you know that both Horizon and SkyWest (as well as Eagle) are the regionals that pretty much every other regional pilot aspire to fly for?

Frankly, I wouldn't be concerned, as the "1000 hour wonder pilots" that you mention simply do not exist at SkyWest.

Regarding the landing capabilities, SkyWest CRJs are CAT II authorized. They haven't really had a need, like Horizon, to upgrade to Cat IIIa, as the airports they mainly fly to very rarely see such conditions, and aren't certified for it anyhow since it's so rarely required.

prestonh

well you didn't try to fly in/out of FAT several times this week on OO. Many flights bounced b/c of the Tule fog this week. It's funny OO is not CatIIIa considering FAT is their mx base. At least I was mostly booked on the rj's.

DXjr

Oh, I didn't need to fly there. I had to hold several flights back because of the fog. The past few weeks has been pretty bad for fog in the central valley and SLC. Usually, it's not so bad and burns off by 9-10. Nope. This fog has been sitting there until 2-3 in the afternoon.

On top of that, I've had several planes that couldn't even taxi out for departure due to the fog at FAT. We're talking abnormally bad here.