MUSINGS ON MEDICARE MONDAY (May 2023)

First day of May 2023. Being born in May 1958 I qualify for Medicare. Never sure if all the mail from AARP is good or not? What I do know is that the AARP mail is better than the numerous emails I get about funeral insurance.

Earlier this week, Hawaiian Holdings Inc. filed an 8K announcing that I am being replaced on its board effective May 16. It has been an honor to have sat on the board through the company's post Chapter 11 history. There are so many things that made the experience eye opening and perspective expanding - just not enough room here.

On Tuesday, I got to experience a DEN weather event. While in the air, DEN closed twice. Diverted to Casper for fuel. 14 hours after leaving the hotel in Sun Valley I walked in the door after an Uber ride from Dulles. Other than changing my gate 5 times at DEN, UA was pretty good. I will say, the SkyWest captain from SUN was exceptional when it came to communicating realities with his passengers.

My time in SUN was spent with 200 economic development professionals. A group that appreciates that if it does not deliver in bringing new business to the community, then growing air service will be increasingly difficult. There is a reason some nodes on the airline map are disappearing. Might be time for those airports to think about what they have to sell? It used to be that no business would locate if there was insufficient air service. Now, if economic vitality is less than another node that also has growth prospects, air service retention is your best case.

Speaking of SKYW, how about that stock pop on Friday? With desperate communities seeking air service of any kind, their pro-rate business is potentially one catalyst for it to grow. I see where ALPA got excited about SKYW's public charter business again. It is that model that would maximize the level of non-essential EAS flying going forward.

My take on #ALPA these days is to forget about the #,###. Rather "mandate ALPA meet and confer on pilot training rather than deflect and distort in the name of safety". This public charter thing is the type of solution a smart publicly traded company needs to explore to put growth back into its investment equation. For ALPA it is exactly what markets do when artificial impediments are created because you won't meet and confer on anything you don't agree with. Do us a favor - stop with your bullshit safety numbers you ascribe 100 percent to because of the FOQ rule.

How about the number of articles appearing on how dreadful the summer travel season is likely to be. Nice to see A4A increasing the volume on discussing ATC at a variety of forums. Efficiency found in this area positively impacts all stakeholders. Limiting flights to Florida over the holidays and flights to New York in the summer is akin to re-regulating the skies. Why can't government accept a modicum of responsibility for its role in the customer experience when a system under its purview does not deliver?