DanTravels

Yeah, I'm sure you're every bit concerned about the Hawaiian economy as all your fellow Phoenix residents who work for Mesa. I'm not going to do a search to see how concerned you were when AQ, which was a much larger company than YV, was on the skids, and a much larger number of jobs were lost.

I've lived in Hawaii long enough to see HA and AQ go through bankruptcy at least once each and try to merge once or twice. I've seen WP spin out from AQ, I've seen YV show up, I've seen AQ die, and I've seen MW ascendant.

Yes, what everyone else says about "pono" is true - attitude matters here, and YV got off on the wrong foot in a big way with a lot of people. MW, as a local company founded by a native Hawaiian woman, seems to be less-disliked.

But it's not just that. YV's plan lacked anything meaningful after "get rid of AQ." And once AQ was gone, it became very apparent that they hadn't improved on RASM/CASM or load factor enough to compete with HA, and had only replaced 120-seat locally-owned sucky planes with 50-seat mainland-owned sucky planes. Simply put, YV replaced AQ as the weakest link, and didn't improve on it.

But hey, I'm willing to agree with Jon Orenstein that competition is good for everyone! Competition was (somehow) good for everyone when it drove Aloha out of business.

Now MW is bringing in E-Jets (the same type that might have saved AQ if they'd been able to pursue them) which offer clear advantages over YV's CR2s, and may even be better suited to this market than HA's 717s (which was why AQ was even considering them).

If MW drives YV out of business, I'm still going to believe that competition is good. And MW's better equipment would help justify that belief.

Just sayin'. I've never flown MW, or WP, but have flown HA, AQ and YV.

AZ Travels the World

One should be careful in their assumptions, DanTravels. Though I live in the Phoenix area, I have no affiliation with Mesa Airlines and I don't know anyone who works for the company.

But, as it happens, I am helping to financially support a number of relatives on Oahu who are victims of the current economic crisis -- and are not able to otherwise support themselves at the moment because of it.

And I have a number of friends, and their friends and relatives who were victims of Aloha's sad demise.

So while I have no dog of my own in this 'go!' fight, I guess I do have one word of caution for someone who 'passes the popcorn' and relishes the potential demise of a company that would result in even more local people losing their jobs in this horrific economy . . . bachi.

"Just sayin'"

But for what it's worth, I actually wish better for you.

beckoa

+4

slippahs

Bachi goes around and then comes around. In my book, I have go! getting bachi for taking down Aloha in a dirty way.

DanTravels

Sorry, but I need to clear something up: I am not relishing the potential demise of anything.

I am relishing the fact that events have taken a turn for the interesting. "Pass the popcorn" means "here comes the good part of the movie" or "this is going to be a good show, game, match, or fight." That's all.

I don't wish unemployment on anybody here in Hawaii. I've been far too close to it myself too many times, and right now am just one of the "lucky" ones who manages to pay the bills most months - by working multiple part-time, no-benefits jobs.

What do I want? I pretty much said in my last message: multiple competitive choices for inter-island jet travel, with service and equipment that doesn't suck. And that's going to take more employment than we have right now.

I just don't think go! has been, is, or is ever going to be, the company to provide one of those competitive choices. They came here with a 1-step business plan: kill the weakest link and take its place. They succeeded. And now they have nowhere to go.

AZ Travels the World

So you'll feel better when the airline goes down and all the local employees lose their jobs?

I hope people don't ever feel that way about the company you work for, slippahs.

Look, I don't for a minute support what Ornstein has done in the Hawaiian market. It's deplorable.

My point is that 'passing the popcorn' and trivializing the company's potential demise, given all the people who will lose their jobs in this terrible, terrible economy. . . well . . . speaks for itself.

Ripper3785

If one decides to work for go!, even if one has to due to unfortunate economic reasons, you'd be a fool to not realize the sad state of the airline and potential demise of it in the future. The only Bachi going around the hawaii airline industry is for JO and his venture. The airline coming and going is his responsibility. GMAB.

slippahs

Thank you.

KeaauFlyer

I was not a big fan of AQ. They had crappy, outdated aircraft and perhaps even crappier management. They did, however, have dedicated staff who had aloha, and they had a more flexible attitude and far less restrictive policies than HA in a number of areas.

The way Mesa went after AQ was indeed dispicable. It was obvious to anyone who knew anything about the business that they wanted to kill AQ by offering tix far below cost. The courts have agreed, awarding a judgement and symbolic victory to AQ.

While I hate to see anybody without a job, the people who went to work for go! would have to have been stupid not to know that the objective was to drive AQ out of business. They made their choice to participate in the Ornstein program, and the chickens may be coming home to roost soon. Maybe they can get jobs with the up and coming Mokulele.

formeraa

I live in Phoenix, but am not associated with Mesa in any way (don't even know anyone who works for Mesa). I, too, lamented the loss of AQ. I have visited Hawaii annually for the past 40 years. But there were many other quality airlines that have gone out of business over the years too. I was just thinking about Braniff the other day (planes of all different colors, designer FA uniforms, a good steak in Y, etc.). Any don't get me started on Macy's department store (and the disappearance of Liberty House, Bon Marche, Foley's, Robinson/May, etc.).

UAPremierExec

And for those in PHX who don't support go!, I have a few "No Aloha for go!" bumper stickers if you want one... just drop me a PM.

DanTravels

http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/s...9/daily16.html

Mesa's quarterly SEC filing will be late again (5th quarter in a row); the company expects to report a profit but is waiting to get more info on how things will be affected by terminating those agreements on its "senior convertible notes."

asu-ua772

Unless I'm mistaken or ill-informed, what does the recent news about terminating those "senior convertible notes" have to do with their operations and accounting from October through December of last year (which is their 1Q)?

gemac

Go! Posts First Quarter In Black

Go! makes a quarterly profit - Mesa's total profit of $15.3 million, compared to a loss of $4.3 million last year. go!'s profit was $500,000 for Q4.

HA just announced a loss for Q4 of $11.9 mllion.

Possible that accounting charges would have to be taken in that quarter which would affect profits.

cblaisd

Sad news.