Final disposition is pending the outcome of the auction next week of course, but it sure looks like they’re going to sell just a few pieces of the airline and shut down.
A thread at ACA-LOUNGE.COM, a bulletin board for the airline’s employees (and a place rife with rumors), indicates that pretty much everyone has gotten their furlough notices:
- Dear Flight Attendant ######:
As you know, FLYi, Inc, the holding company for Independence Air, has been actively engaged in securing inverstors in, or purchasers of, the Company as it attempts to reorganize under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankrupcy Code.
The Company expects that is it is unable to secure significant external investment or a sale of all or substantially all of its operations before January 7, 2006, it will permanently cease all operations and seperate all employees at all locations sometime during the period January 7-21, 2006.
In accordance with Section 16.A.4 of the collective bargaining agreement between the Company and AFA covering flight attendants, this letter shall constitue notice that you will be furloughed effective January 7, 2006. The Company retains the right to ament or rescind this notice of furlough.
Sincerely,
Jeff Rodgers
Vice President, Employee Services
Everyone pretty much confirms receiving this all around, flight attendants and pilots alike, whether assigned to regional jets or Airbus aircraft.
While the airline is still offering tickets for sale on its website, I wouldn’t buy any tickets.
As a FLYI flight attendant I need to let you know that the letters we received yesterday are a legal requirement per our bargaining agreement. This is not the end of the airline, this letter should also not be a surprise to all employees of this airline.
The thread from the ACA lounge is a little inaccurate as it has a typo in the first sentence of the 2nd paragraph! The letter actually reads “The Company expects that if it is unable ….” not “is”, this changes the whole context of the sentence.
We have all known that this would be the worst scenario from the day the company declared bankruptcy. The company are under obligation to notify us that this will happen IF there are no investors.
But because some have posted this inaccuracy on many of the airline forums, we now have a situation which is spiralling out of control. I continue to work for this airline with 110% commitment, my main goal is to make sure all passengers are safe and provide excellent customer service during flights. I will continue to work for this airline with the same level of commitment until I no longer work for the airline, if and whenever that may be.
In the meantime, I really wish that people would stop posting inaccurate information and making it sound all doom and gloom and scaring passengers. Yes passengers need to know what MAY happen in the EVENT of, but they should not be exposed to inaccuracies, only facts.
As of today and any other day until the bankruptcy judge determines otherwise, the airline is not shutting down. We have to be notified of the worst case scenario and that is what they did yesterday, officially. But this was also explained in a letter to our unions (who forwarded on to its members) on the day the company filed bankruptcy on Nov 7th.
In the past, airlines who have shut down have given little or no warning of such and did not bother to notify anyone of furloughs. The fact that we have been notified of furloughs, IN THE EVENT of not being able to find investors, adds to the credibility of the airline following the rules that they have to adhere to while in bankruptcy.
The more people who post inaccuracies on websites will only instill fear in passengers who are booked to fly with us over the next few weeks. Please understand that this letter, which I myself have received, is merely a formality in case there are no investors.
Please do not try to deter or scare passengers from flying with us, there are many of us who would like to hang on to our jobs and if there are no passengers, we will almost certainly be out of jobs even if the airline makes it through bankruptcy! Thank you for listening.