Originally Posted by Roadkill

We were overmanned because
1. pilots are flying more hours than they used to for one reason or another, and we don't have a bow wave.
2. we allowed summer months to be changed to 30 days from 31 giving an instant 3.3% productivity gain. 3.3% of 11000 pilots = 363 pilots
3. we allowed reserves to be used to ALV+15 when needed, allowing a planned worst-case scheduling reserves to be 99 hrs instead of 68 hrs, an increased POTENTIAL use of existing reserves of 45% (31 hours more), which assuming 20% of pilot list as reserves or 2000 pilots *45% = 900 pilots worth (worst case) of reserves suddenly available IF NEEDED, allowing them to PLAN/staff at a much lower level than before. Essentially staff for winter, and be able to increase use for summer now. Say 500 pilots worth.
4. We allowed various efficiency "gains" to be put in place that result in maybe QOL improvements for someone, but also result in less pilots needed. Such as vacation any.
5. We continuously allowed PBS improvements which let the company schedule pilots / block hours on a leaner ratio.
6. Delta collected data on flighttime, block hours, delays etc. that allowed tighter block hours and reduced block hours by running a more efficient operation.
7. We sped up our ops via things like TCIFAST and latency at puchback allowing block times to be shaved by 1-2 min here and there for a more efficient op.
8. Delta got better and better at scheduling, hiring smarter and better folks to do analysis to reduce such things as credit time and trip/duty rig ratios, making trips more efficient (from a pay standpoint), making a more efficient operation.

Now, all these things will be called "wins" for us, and they may be from some perspectives, but they all did cause some smaller number of pilots to be needed for the same flying.

I grow so weary of the same usual suspects telling us how much things are growing, pointing to the same bogusly manipulated stats and sub-group numbers, while we continue to slide backwards in buying power and QOL at the bottom. Yes, there are indeed things to look forward to and things are looking better than they have for some years... but with 70 unfilled ERB positions, and the same or displacements for the last several AEs, there is NO interpretation of the data you're going to be able to show me that isn't going to convince me that my % in category isn't 20% less than it was a few years ago, or that I haven't moved backwards or sat still every AE for years.

Excellent news for guys moving up to Capt, truly! I just wish all their jobs were backfilled and folks below them down to the bottom of the list moved up also.