CAL To Grow/hire In 2006

cle757 · Fri Mar 17, 2006 9:20 am

Plan is working, CO to grow in 2006

While most other network carriers are struggling to survive by cutting routes and selling aircraft, CO plans to grow its consolidated available seat miles (ASMs) by 8.5 percent in 2006. The company projects mainline ASM growth of 8.1 percent and 4.7 percent mainline domestic ASM growth this year.

“This clearly shows that we have a plan that is working,” Larry said. “We find ourselves in this enviable position thanks to the hard work and sacrifice of our co-workers.”

In 2005, CO expanded to Beijing, China; Delhi, India; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Berlin and Hamburg, Germany; Stockholm, Sweden; and Belfast and Bristol, United Kingdom.

This year, CO has announced service to Copenhagen, Denmark; Barcelona, Spain; and Cologne, Germany.

CO has recalled all furloughed employees, and this year, due to planned growth and normal attrition, the company estimates it will need to hire 350 pilots, 1,500 customer service (ramp) agents, 500 airport sales agents, 200 mechanics, 500 food services workers and 250 reservations sales agents. CO is on track to hire 650 flight attendants just in the first six months of 2006.

md90fan · Fri Mar 17, 2006 9:23 am

Where will CO this year? Will it be EWR-Secondary Europe? or IAH-Carribean? Anything from LAX or CLE?

ilikeyyc · Fri Mar 17, 2006 10:50 am

Quoting CLE757 (Thread starter):
200 mechanics,

Where are the maintenance hangars? I might put in a resume if they have decent locations.

centrair · Fri Mar 17, 2006 11:09 am

350 pilots. Wow! NW and DL pilots...resumes ready?

I wish CO would increase non-Air Mike flights out of NGO. Add a direct to the East Coast or IAH.

I wonder if we will see some OZ route develop...

tcttx · Fri Mar 17, 2006 11:25 am

Hasn't CO been complaining of too much capacity in the industry?

WDBRR · Fri Mar 17, 2006 11:49 am

Quoting CLE757 (Thread starter):
CO has recalled all furloughed employees, and this year, due to planned growth and normal attrition, the company estimates it will need to hire 350 pilots, 1,500 customer service (ramp) agents, 500 airport sales agents, 200 mechanics, 500 food services workers and 250 reservations sales agents. CO is on track to hire 650 flight attendants just in the first six months of 2006.

Didn't they just close a res office in Denver a few years ago, where are they going to put 250 agents? is there room in the current offices or open any new ones?

Zoomosapien · Fri Mar 17, 2006 12:13 pm

Quoting IlikeYYC (Reply 2):
Where are the maintenance hangars? I might put in a resume if they have decent locations.

The main maintenance stations are EWR,IAH,HOU(Hobby) and MCO. From internal postings that i have seen aorund the EWR maintenance hangers i know that 100 of the 200 mechs needed are for MCO.Those positions at MCO need to be filled by June. So send those resumes away!

bennett123 · Fri Mar 17, 2006 2:24 pm

How does furlough work.

1. Are there any commitments on either party. In other words, does the company pay you and are you committed to returning to them if called.

2. What about seniority during the furlough period.

ikramerica · Fri Mar 17, 2006 6:04 pm

Quoting Tcttx (Reply 4):
Hasn't CO been complaining of too much capacity in the industry?

IIRC correctly, the biggest complaint CO has had over the last 5 years is that everyone is whining about over capacity, 9/11, etc. when most of the problems (ex fuel shock) have come from poor business models and bad management. They said that part of the reason they experienced a downturn was that there were competitors being artificially propped up through government guarantees and CH11 bailouts, flooding the market with underpriced capacity, not over capacity. There is a difference.

cle757 · Sat Mar 18, 2006 12:29 am

Quoting Zoomosapien (Reply 6):
The main maintenance stations are EWR,IAH,HOU(Hobby) and MCO. From internal postings that i have seen aorund the EWR maintenance hangers i know that 100 of the 200 mechs needed are for MCO.Those positions at MCO need to be filled by June. So send those resumes away!

Also, CLE

CAL has already begun hiring ramp agents here in CLE and I've heard that they will hire some ticket agents next.

drerx7 · Sat Mar 18, 2006 12:47 am

Quoting Tcttx (Reply 4):
Hasn't CO been complaining of too much capacity in the industry?

Yeah--but they are forced to grow by the competition stateside--plus adding more feed to international ops can't hurt. My guess is that they will add frequencies from EWR. They really need to keep an eye on Delta's Latin American growth as they plan to dethrone CO as the #2 carrier to that region.

masseybrown · Sat Mar 18, 2006 1:23 am

Quoting CLE757 (Reply 9):
CAL has already begun hiring ramp agents here in CLE and I've heard that they will hire some ticket agents next.

Replacements or new hire?

cle757 · Sat Mar 18, 2006 1:52 am

Quoting MasseyBrown (Reply 11):
Replacements or new hire

Replacements?...everyone has been recalled from furlough, most are new employees for the expanded summer schedule and some are due to attrition.

n917me · Sat Mar 18, 2006 7:09 am

Quoting CLE757 (Reply 12):
Replacements?...everyone has been recalled from furlough, most are new employees for the expanded summer schedule and some are due to attrition.

Hey, my brother has been wanting to work for CO in Cleveland on the ramp. I have not seen any new postings... What should he do?

Horus · Sat Mar 18, 2006 8:13 am

Is there any realistic chance CO would start flights to CAI or DXB in the next 2 years?

Horus

Trvlr · Sat Mar 18, 2006 8:57 am

Just anecdotally, I've noticed a buildup in the CO presence at my local airport (SAN) recently. Here's hoping it lasts. Hopefully they'll bring CLE back soon.

Aaron G.

aa1818 · Sat Mar 18, 2006 10:02 am

I reckon more Caribbean and Lat.Am services will be announced. CO is rivalling AA in POS since AA provided nice connections to the Eastern US and Texas (Oil Industry) from MIA, CO is now serving directly. New destinations, more frequencies and new routes will be on the cards for the C'bbean. AMR's territory could be in for a full attack from CAL.

AA1818

EddieDude · Sat Mar 18, 2006 10:16 am

Quoting Centrair (Reply 3):
wish CO would increase non-Air Mike flights out of NGO

Sorry for the ignorance. Where does CO (including CO Micronesia) fly to from NGO? What aircraft does it use for those flights?

Thanks a lot!

mbm3 · Sat Mar 18, 2006 10:56 am

Quoting EddieDude (Reply 17):
Where does CO (including CO Micronesia) fly to from NGO? What aircraft does it use for those flights?

IIRC CO Mic flies 764s and 738s to NGO.

mbm3 · Sat Mar 18, 2006 10:59 am

Quoting Horus (Reply 14):
Is there any realistic chance CO would start flights to CAI or DXB in the next 2 years?

I do not think this will happen any time soon. I think CO is looking at Asia and Latin America to expand more than the routes you suggested. However, it would not surprise me to see second or third tier destinations in Europe being added from EWR as well as a new flight out of CLE.

BNinMSY · Sat Mar 18, 2006 11:17 am

There is also a COExpress maintenace base in SHV. Not sure if they are hiring but I would think with expanded mainline flying, the express jet operation will grow as well.

klwright69 · Sat Mar 18, 2006 11:21 am

Well, I was hoping CO would do more this year to keep up with DL's frenetic pace.

I see more potential for many more domestic routes from IAH also.

EddieDude · Sat Mar 18, 2006 11:37 am

Quoting Mbm3 (Reply 18):
IIRC CO Mic flies 764s and 738s to NGO

So, the only CO flights ex-NGO are to Guam?

goCOgo · Sat Mar 18, 2006 11:49 am

Quoting Mbm3 (Reply 19):
a new flight out of CLE.

I hope you mean INTERNATIONAL ex-CLE flight. I hope things haven't go so bad here at CLE that we are hoping for A new flight, period.

Quoting EddieDude (Reply 22):
So, the only CO flights ex-NGO are to Guam?

I'm not sure, but I thought that they also have NGO-HNL. Could be wrong, but I'm to lazy to check.

Quoting Klwright69 (Reply 21):
Well, I was hoping CO would do more this year to keep up with DL's frenetic pace.

DL has the aircraft, CO does not. In any event, DL may be moving a little too fast with too large of equipment (at least in some cases), and they may not be around long, anyway (not that I'm hoping for their destruction).

md90fan · Sat Mar 18, 2006 11:50 am

Quoting BNinMSY (Reply 20):
There is also a COExpress maintenace base in SHV. Not sure if they are hiring but I would think with expanded mainline flying, the express jet operation will grow as well.

Does SHV receive CO mainline? If it doesnt I would think it would warrant a 735 from IAH, kinda like how the other Louisiana stations sometimes get 735's Smile

aeroman62 · Sat Mar 18, 2006 12:08 pm

No one has answered the question about the employees at the former Denver Res center. I was living in Denver in 2001, when they closed it abruptly following 9/11, the employees there were told as they showed up to work that they were out of jobs, and if I recall correctly, were given no severance, advance notice, etc. just a box to pick up their belongings. There have also been other layoffs in reservation offices in Houston.

cle757 · Sat Mar 18, 2006 11:12 pm

Quoting N917ME (Reply 13):
Hey, my brother has been wanting to work for CO in Cleveland on the ramp. I have not seen any new postings... What should he do

Goto www.continental.com and goto careers, it should show open postions in the company.

Falcon84 · Sun Mar 19, 2006 12:25 am

Quoting MD90fan (Reply 1):
Where will CO this year? Will it be EWR-Secondary Europe? or IAH-Carribean? Anything from LAX or CLE?

From what Larry said, apparently, at his CLE employee meeting, there'll be no more international expansion until CO gets it's express costs under control, which are insanely higher now thatn other carriers, thanks to bankruptcy and restructuring. In fact, the rumor was CO will make an announcment by April on a new express carrier. Just a rumor though.

Quoting WDBRR (Reply 5):
Didn't they just close a res office in Denver a few years ago, where are they going to put 250 agents?

At their homes, in another trial to let agents work at home, and see if it reduces costs at all.

MalpensaSFO · Sun Mar 19, 2006 2:02 am

Quoting EddieDude (Reply 22):
So, the only CO flights ex-NGO are to Guam?

738 to Agana
738 to Saipan
764 to Honolulu

EddieDude · Sun Mar 19, 2006 3:09 am

Thanks a lot MalpensaSFO. It is quite good variety.

WesternA318 · Sun Mar 19, 2006 3:37 pm

Quoting Horus (Reply 14):
Is there any realistic chance CO would start flights to CAI or DXB in the next 2 years?

From several meetings I've been in with the Ops and Revenue management guys, CAI and DXB are currently being studied, but the results wont come on for quite a while. CO is also lookin at ATH added service to TLV and even BEY.

Quoting Aeroman62 (Reply 25):
No one has answered the question about the employees at the former Denver Res center.

The res center was closed down a while ago, most of the agents went to either IAH or SLC.

EssentialPowr · Sun Mar 19, 2006 4:20 pm

Is CAL still obliged to hire a certain percentage of XJT pilots? Is that a popular option for them (especially is XJT pilots have to make concessions to stay competitive with other regionals like Mesa?)

MalpensaSFO · Sun Mar 19, 2006 4:28 pm

Quoting WesternA318 (Reply 30):
CO is also lookin at ATH

They have been looking at Athens since 1997.... sarcastic

Quoting WesternA318 (Reply 30):
and even BEY

Beirut, dont hold your breath, the Flight Attendants and Pilots are sure to be putting up a fight to deny this one... wink

Quoting WesternA318 (Reply 30):
CAI and DXB are currently being studied

Cairo may very well happen, at current the problem is equipment and security concerns for the crews..

Dubai is more than possible, and would make more sense from Houston that Newark...

MalpensaSFO · Sun Mar 19, 2006 4:32 pm

Quoting WesternA318 (Reply 30):
CO is also lookin at ATH

They have been looking at Athens since 1997.... sarcastic

Quoting WesternA318 (Reply 30):
and even BEY

Beirut, dont hold your breath, the Flight Attendants and Pilots are sure to be putting up a fight to deny this one... wink

Quoting WesternA318 (Reply 30):
CAI and DXB are currently being studied

Cairo may very well happen, at current the problem is equipment and security concerns for the crews..

Emirates has the New York market tied up with 2 x daily service. In addition Continental currently feeds EK at LGW from both Houston and Newark. Houston may work from Dubai, if code-shared by EK to offer connections on the DXB end.

BA · Mon Mar 20, 2006 2:58 am

Quoting MalpensaSFO (Reply 32):
Beirut, dont hold your breath, the Flight Attendants and Pilots are sure to be putting up a fight to deny this one...

CO is not the only airline to have said to be looking at Beirut, DL has been looking at it as well and were quite serious about it prior to 9/11.

BEY is a big market with a lot of potential.

Once air service agreements are formally established between the US and Lebanon, airlines can operate flights between the two. This may happen soon, particularly since political relations between the US and Lebanon have never been better.

BA · Mon Mar 20, 2006 3:49 am

By the way MalpensaSFO, Beirut is one of the favorite destinations in the Middle East for airline flight crew because of the lively cafes and nightlife.

This has always been the case because Beirut is a very liberal city.

If such information goes around in the flight crew industry (what comes around goes around), then I don't see why CO flight attendants and pilots would be against it.

WesternA318 · Mon Mar 20, 2006 3:57 am

Quoting BA (Reply 34):
Once air service agreements are formally established between the US and Lebanon,

Lebanon has an extremely liberal open skies agreement that includes most Western influence nations. One of the major issues CO faces with this or any major trans-atlantic city that could not possibly support anything smaller than a 762 or 764 is that CO does not have equipment on hand to start or maintain any sort of schedule with.

BA · Mon Mar 20, 2006 4:06 am

Quoting WesternA318 (Reply 36):
Lebanon has an extremely liberal open skies agreement that includes most Western influence nations. One of the major issues CO faces with this or any major trans-atlantic city that could not possibly support anything smaller than a 762 or 764 is that CO does not have equipment on hand to start or maintain any sort of schedule with.

Lebanon has an open skies policy which is open to anyone.

The only other country in the Middle East with such a policy is the United Arab Emirates.

In 2004, the EU and Lebanon reached an open skies agreement (a mutual agreement), the only of its kind in the Middle East.

However, the US doesn't have an air service agreement with Lebanon at the moment, and until one is reached, the US won't allow any flights between the US and Lebanon.

But like I said earlier, this could change soon.

WesternA318 · Mon Mar 20, 2006 4:11 am

Ahh thats right, MEA used to fly to JFK but the US ended that. Why were the sanctions placed again?

BA · Mon Mar 20, 2006 4:23 am

Quoting WesternA318 (Reply 38):
Ahh thats right, MEA used to fly to JFK but the US ended that. Why were the sanctions placed again?

During the civil war, following the bombing of the US embassy, the Marine barracks, and the the hijacking of TWA 847, the US put a ban on all direct flights between the US and Lebanon.

klwright69 · Mon Mar 20, 2006 11:31 am

Well, in another thread, PIA announced the long awaited nonstops between the U.S. and Pakistan. Maybe it is time for a U.S. carrier to return to Pakistan. I know the old PA served Pakistan..

Will the Nigeria bilateral situation ever get resolved?? Is CO still interested in LOS?

WesternA318 · Mon Mar 20, 2006 11:38 am

Quoting Klwright69 (Reply 40):
Is CO still interested in LOS?

We are, but we'll wait and see what happens.

masseybrown · Tue Mar 21, 2006 1:37 am

Quoting Falcon84 (Reply 27):
From what Larry said, apparently, at his CLE employee meeting, there'll be no more international expansion until CO gets it's express costs under control,

Did he mean no expansion in CLE or no expansion anywhere? Does that really make sense? If the mainline is making money (and it is), why shackle the profitable part of the company because regional ops are losers?

If he was referring only to CLE expansion, then that's just THIS year's excuse. Let's see....last year there was ramp congestion.... year before that there was runway work ... year before that there were too many flights causing delays ... year before that the world was ending ...

cle757 · Tue Mar 21, 2006 1:45 am

Quoting MasseyBrown (Reply 42):
If he was referring only to CLE expansion, then that's just THIS year's excuse. Let's see....last year there was ramp congestion.... year before that there was runway work ... year before that there were too many flights causing delays ... year before that the world was ending ...

I think they are running out excuses, but I think the real reason is lack of aircraft. CLE could support CLE-AMS or CDG.

joeman · Tue Mar 21, 2006 2:41 am

Quoting CLE757 (Reply 43):
Quoting MasseyBrown (Reply 42):
If he was referring only to CLE expansion, then that's just THIS year's excuse. Let's see....last year there was ramp congestion.... year before that there was runway work ... year before that there were too many flights causing delays ... year before that the world was ending ...

I think they are running out excuses, but I think the real reason is lack of aircraft. CLE could support CLE-AMS or CDG.

I think they're running out of excuses also, but they always manage to come up with more. MasseyBrown is very right. I really thought the lack of equipment issue was going to emerge as this year's most popular reason until the sudden concentration on controling express costs emerged. Lack of equipment coupled with EWR and IAH needs and supernatural yields can be used forever.

masseybrown · Tue Mar 21, 2006 3:45 am

Quoting Joeman (Reply 44):
Lack of equipment coupled with EWR and IAH needs and supernatural yields can be used forever.

Yes, and CO probably figures they can compel most of the CLE traffic to feed through EWR now, so why weaken EWR loads by adding CLE flights even if the aircraft were available.

To get CO's attention, I think CLE has to convince some European carrier like Martinair, BMI, Aer Lingus, or Ryan to link CLE to a European hub, although that will take some convincing. None of those airlines would do it just for CLE; one of them would have to decide to go after a bunch of secondary markets in the US - a European version of CO's EWR 757 routes.

Horus · Tue Mar 21, 2006 4:15 am

Quoting WesternA318 (Reply 30):
From several meetings I've been in with the Ops and Revenue management guys, CAI and DXB are currently being studied, but the results wont come on for quite a while.

Any indication on a possible time frame? I started this thread last year and the source suggested US airlines would start services in 2007 when Terminal 3 opens: US Airlines And Egypt (by Horus Mar 3 2005 in Civil Aviation)

Quoting MalpensaSFO (Reply 32):
Cairo may very well happen, at current the problem is equipment and security concerns for the crews..

I can understand the lack of equipment but I think 'security concerns for the crew' is not an issue. American businesses and tourists have never been specific targets for any sort of incidents in Egypt. Crime rate is low in the country and the US Department of State simply advices citizens travelling to Egypt to exercise caution (which they also advice to the majority of countries). In fact in the last 35 years AFAIK only 2 American citizens have been killed in Egypt, and one was crime related. This number compares very 'favourably' (if I can use that word) to similar numbers worldwide.

Horus

cle757 · Tue Mar 21, 2006 4:19 am

Quoting MasseyBrown (Reply 45):
To get CO's attention, I think CLE has to convince some European carrier like Martinair, BMI, Aer Lingus, or Ryan to link CLE to a European hub, although that will take some convincing. None of those airlines would do it just for CLE; one of them would have to decide to go after a bunch of secondary markets in the US - a European version of CO's EWR 757 routes

True, I also think the city needs to replace/in-large the customs faclity.

joeman · Tue Mar 21, 2006 4:20 am

Quoting MasseyBrown (Reply 45):
To get CO's attention, I think CLE has to convince some European carrier like Martinair, BMI, Aer Lingus, or Ryan to link CLE to a European hub, although that will take some convincing. None of those airlines would do it just for CLE; one of them would have to decide to go after a bunch of secondary markets in the US - a European version of CO's EWR 757 routes.

Another thread discussed "737-700ER Future Operators & Routes". I commented that at the rate U.S. airlines are operating we'd be more likely to see EWR-Naples, ORD-Lucerne, or ATL-Heidelberg with such equipment than the long range international city pairs suggested from non-major hubbed medium/large U.S. cities.

European (or other) airlines however, might think differently in the future with such equipment to service stuff like CLE-LGW, PIT-LGW, and the others mentioned in that thread if they're economical and viable enough to fly.

WesternA318 · Tue Mar 21, 2006 5:59 am

Quoting Horus (Reply 46):
Any indication on a possible time frame?

Sometime before 2009.

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