Originally Posted by
Jack Bauer
From the weekly trim tab....
This weekly trim tab eludes to more west coast flying announcements in the coming weeks. It will be interesting to see:
1. How much is done on mainline vs Skywest for example.
2. If it's all just seasonal flying and/or utilizing airplanes that would otherwise be sitting on the ground.
3. Whether more routes are added that could directly compete with Alaska.
4. If after adding a handful of routes we retreat like we did with all the added International flying...."We are no longer going to run widebodies from ATL to MCO but rather branching out and taking the world by storm"....until we didn't, circa 2008/9.
Yep, although the "capacity discipline" came from new management with different ideas. Notice that we did not hear much from Glen Hauenstein for a few years after the merger and now are only starting to hear his voice again in some of the conference calls.
After seeing the result I think the industry as a whole has mostly followed Delta's leadership in seeking a reasonable return on capital. But, from the line perspective we sure miss the good deal that was 2007 / 2008. My five year guess from merger to turn around (from a bidding perspective) looks like it is going to be right on the mark. (and I thank our MEC & Delta for avoiding a furlough during the interim)
My understanding was that Delta's resources were pretty well maxed out for this Summer. Wonder if an uptick in flying might drive a different result in this next bid and perhaps a revision to our hiring plans? It makes sense to staff the Douglas right seat with new hires rather than trying to push down 767(ER) pilots who will bid right back at the first opportunity.