There was a big jump forward in the seniority list released today, about 84 numbers for me. I saw some folks earlier today questioning where those folks went.

I just went through the prior seniority and category lists, and todays Nov 11 list and compared them, finding where the differences are. It is mostly FURLOUGHED PILOTS dropping off the list.

The furloughed list says that from the date of furlough (1 Nov 2001 for the original 400 this decade), you have 10 years to seek re-employment and inform Delta you are available for training. Today is 1 Nov, and counting up from the bottom of the list, I found roughly 70 folks on the furloughed list that I estimate are from the original 400 furloughed on 1 Nov 01, who have now dropped off, and are not back with the company.

So, it's really a "paper increase", no real gain and no-one flying actually dropping off the list, just list-fillers that haven't actually been here and flying for a long time.


I believe we will see another move forward in the next few months as MIL LEAVE folks drop off the list also. Almost all the furloughs were recalled in Nov 06, with the last folks being recalled in Jan 07 I think, maybe Feb. In any case, Nov 06 was 5 years ago... anyone who accepted furlough recall and then went on MIL LEAVE, who has NOT come back, runs out of their 5 year USERRA recall/return rights about now, with everyone done by Feb 12 I'd think. With 334 currently NBC/MIL Leave pilots, of which almost all have seniority numbers indicating they were in the furlough group, I would expect a large number of them to exceed their 5 year limit and begin to drop off the list.

Of the furloughed pilots, there's still 212 left on the list, and I'm not sure why many are still there; I know for certain that many of them I see were in the original 1 Nov 11 furlough, and have not come back. I've heard rumor that there was a possible extension to this 10 year furlough return limit, but I have not been able to find it in the PWA; the only thing I did see said there was a 10 year limit. Maybe alfa or sailing or someone expert in the PWA and it's changes might shed some light on this.

Hate to see folks drop off like that, but I'd guess it means they've gone on to bigger/better/mo $$ things.