uaav8r

Hello DAL guys. Your peers at UA and AA are anxiously waiting to see if your new TA passes. It is obvious that we all have a horse in this race. The scope section of your contract will have huge ramifications for the entire airline pilot profession. As a 15 yr UAL pilot I know firsthand the damage that large RJ's (70+ seats) can have on the career of a major airline pilot. Though I'm sure you are already well aware of it, I wanted to throw in a comparison of the large RJ fleet sizes at AA,UA & DL. These numbers may not be exactly precise but they are fairly accurate.

Current American Eagle large RJ fleet - 47
Current United Express large RJ fleet - 152
"Proposed" Delta Connection large RJ fleet - 325

I realize that the number of 50 seat RJ's and large turboprops is a variable that has not been mentioned here. History has shown, however, that these smaller regional aircraft do not pose nearly the threat to our mainline fleets that these "large RJ's" do. Due to range and CASM issues it is much more difficult to replace an MD80/B717/737 with a Q400 or EMB145. An E175 or CRJ900, however, can and do replace mainline aircraft. I realize that scope is but one section of this TA, but it's career effects are huge. Thank you in advance for your leadership in this pivotal year of airline contracts.