RockyBoy

What are everyone's thoughts on what aircraft, domicile, and seat one should bid in the event of say a DAL/NWA merger? I'm a newbie at DAL and really don't know what the best strategy may be.

satchip

depends on DOH. If it is after mine then you should be in my category.. :-)

LifeNtheFstLne

I would suggest bidding as high as you can possibly hold (regarding aircraft). Depending on what end of the merger you are on... it might be years before you see it again. Example: our 2 year CA's at CAL. Not gonna happen with a merger.

Not a single one of us who is paid by the hour will win out if DAL/NWA or UAL/CAL occur.

__________________
How copper wire was invented: two pilots fighting over a penny.

Daytripper

You got that right! It's almost comical to read the union blast mails saying "we're going to do whats best for our group". That, and a quarter, MAY get you a cup of coffee.

nwaf16dude

I've heard a lot of wishful thinking about a merger from the guys at NWA. Management is so bad over here they think it's got to get better. It might for the top half of the seniority list, but I don't see the bottom half of either side benefiting from it. There are over 12000 pilots between DAL and NWA. I would be amazed if the combined airline needed more than 10000.

JiffyLube

DAL had a mass exodus when they lost the A fund. NWA has an A fund that is frozen. If NWA merge into DAL you would see the top 1/4 bolt and save what they could. 1500-1800 NWA pilots would retire overnight.

Check Essential

Rocky-
The best strategy is to bid what you want without regard to any possible merger. Your seniority will always be protected relative to other Delta pilots so even if there are freezes and fences it shouldn't really matter what category you are in when the event takes place.
That advice would change drastically if it was a "fragmentation" we were talking about where Delta or NWA bought parts of one or the other. In that case your seat and domicile might be critical. For instance, in 1991 Delta bought PanAm A-310s and 727s and hired only the pilots that were qualified on those aircraft. It was ugly and lawsuits were the result. So far however, nobody in management or on Wall Street has even mentioned a fragmentation or breakup scenario so I think its highly unlikely.

nwaf16dude

That would be great, of course. Would certainly help smooth a seniority integration. My experience at NWA has led me to be very suspect of such favorable predictions.
I actually hate sounding so down on NWA. It has the potential to be a great airline again if we just had some decent leadership that was really interested in running an airline. Lots of new airplanes in the fleet with even more on order.

FliFast

As a former TWA pilot merged and subsequently furloughed 5 years ago by AMR/APA, I don't think your bidding strategy should change, but possibly keep your resume current. And No, I'm not trying to be a smarty-pants.

The only aircraft common to both airlines (DL/NW) are the Pratt-powered 757s. In the aftermath of a merger, fleet consolidation may make the 757 a "surviving" aircraft fleet.

Good Luck and stock up on Tums,

FF

DAL4EVER

Heard from a source close to the MEC at NWA that an announcement could come tomorrow. Brace for impact!

One thing in everyone's favor initially would be the summer flying demand. DAL and NWA are forecasting a need to hire nearly 700 combined. Most of the growth for DAL is on the INTL side and those routes are not going to be shed. Granted the -9s will be shed quickly and the retirement of the -88s could be pushed up. But with the 787s coming to NWA, 777s and 737s coming to DAL and a merged list at least a year away, layoffs may not happen quickly if at all.

I woke up optimistic this morning. That could change tomorrow however.