Flying J / Pilot

[Jon Wehrenberg]

I don't know if the news has been reported nationally, but here in Knoxville it has been reported Pilot and Flying J will merge.

Between the two companies they will have 550 locations and will be the largest travel center company by far.

I don't see this as good news. Where the two have locations in close proximity I see them consolidating locations, and the wait at some fuel islands will grow longer. Flying J has always been cheaper than Pilot, but you can bet Pilot will not be lowering its prices and Flying J will be raising theirs.

The merger has some issues because Flying J is in bankruptcy, and the two companies had been in a lawsuit a couple of years ago and the merger impacts the settlement. Flying J travel centers will be part of the deal, but its refinery operations, and aviation department will not be. The Ogden Utah headquarters of Flying J are included, but it will relocate its management of the company to Knoxville, where Pilot is headquartered.

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

It will be interesting to see what happens.

There is both a Flying-J and Pilot at many exits and they are usually operating at capacity.

If they close one they will loose business. If they sell one it would have to be to a competitor, and they would loose business.

Maybe they will keep all or most open and run them independently under the head corporation, such as Volvo and Prevost?


JIM

[Orren Zook]

TA and Petro merged a couple of years ago (2007, I think) without too much of a notice from anyone - I think it's just a consolidation of the major players. I haven't seen much about Flying J's bankrupcy in the news lately either, maybe this merger was forced by the courts.

[hhoppe]

Why doesn't the government take them all over. They could charge the people with the big stainless steel busses twice the fuel rate and provide free fuel for the less fourtunate members of the society.
I'll bet I don't get a Roger that on this idea.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Roger that Harry.

Actually you haven't been paying attention. They are doing that now. It hasn't reached the gas pumps, but the program is at work exactly as you describe across the board. In NY you can tell who the welfare bums (oops, my bad, clients) are because in the winter they are the only ones with the windows open.

The folks that pay for the utilities these bums use keep their windows closed and the thermostats turned down to keep the utility costs down. The bums open the windows because if they get too warm it is too much trouble to turn down the thermostat since they don't pay for their utilities.

In the hospitals and doctor's offices the bums that don't pay (the ones BO wants to provide with insurance) just have the hospitals and doctors raise your prices to compensate.

In grocery stores when you swipe your credit card you have to select credit, debit, or a third button. The people whose food you pay for press that third button. That's the deadbeat button. You can tell them by what's in the shopping cart. Steaks, expensive snacks, expensive pre-prepared foods, etc. You have the inexpensive food because you need to file your quarterly taxes so these folks can continue to buy the expensive stuff. We should require them to get out of line and let us go first.

Now they are getting cell phones. Look on your phone bill. You will see in government code the line that takes a little more of your money so some welfare bum can call for his next line of coke.

It's only a question of time before the gas pumps have that third button that their welfare card can activate to get fuel.

[michaeldterry]

Jon - truer words were never spoken errr.... typed! :eek: