"Will Polar eventually only be carrying DHL and/or the
little cargo the current fly".
I don't know where you are getting your misinformation from but just to set the record straight. Polar has been, for quite some time, doing very well as far as load factor goes in the current marketplace. East bound loads have always been maxed out, westbound loads have always been historically challenged industry-wide. Since the dollar has weakened the westbound loads have increased dramatically. The current challenge is of course industry-wide, fuel costs.
Polar has been carrying DHL freight for years along with numerous other freight fowarders, that is and always has been Polars business.
DHL bought a 49% stake in Polar Air Cargo WW, not AAWW. DHL is currently contracting 8 -400s from PACWW. Atlas has again creatively found away to take more of Polars flying, i.e. Alliance Agreement. The arbitrator ruled the alliance agreement was ok the first time as long as no Polar pilot was being harmed, it then followed that furloghed Polar crewmemebers were paid to stay at home and downgraded Captains were to be paid as Captains to fly as FOs. Then Atlas management changed the call signs on the flights being flown under the alliance agreement, claimed they were no longer alliance flights, and discontinued the payment to harmed Polar crewmembers. this is now scheduled to return before the ruling arbitrator later this month. Now a new alliance agreement to fly two -400s for DHL (contracted by DHL to Polar), 20 Captain upgrades on the Polar side not going to happen, can you see where this is going again. Poor management decisions all in order to bust a union. How much is this grievance going to cost??
AAWW management has been whipping the Polar crew force off the Atlas crew force since its aquisition of Polar, all to try and force the Polar crew force to give up its superior contract and accept the Atlas slave agreement. If the Atlas MEC had stood up to the Atlas management anti-labor tactics years ago, instead of bending over for a biscuit every time management offers one or runing scared, both groups would be in a far better place by now.
AAWW management has no intention of merging, they have simply found a great way to keep labor costs in check for many years. If the merger arbitration does find the merger legal (and that is is bigt if) do you really think AAWW management is going to let an arbitrator decide its labor costs in a combined CBA?
My hat is off to the Polar MEC for taking a stand and fighting for what is right against insurmountable odds, fighting not only the bullying tactics of AAWW management, but also the scandalous tactics of a fellow pilot groups MEC.
When this is finally finished one thing will be for certain, the AACI MEC legacy will be finished. One will be working in management as a gopher and the other will be working at the Subway shop.
