Originally Posted by sailingfun

I know you are new to the industry and I suspect your knowledge of Delta scope is limited to what you read here. Clearly however you understand that network is important. The scope Delta has with AK/KLM is serving us well. We fly 55% of the alliance flights with AF/KLM flying 45%. We are adding UK flying with the JV inked with virgin. Currently Delta pilots fly more flights across the pond then any other airline.
On the domestic side the scope changes have required the company to shift large blocks of flying back to the mainline. We are hiring 130 pilots a month for that reason. Anytime Delta puts a RJ into SEA they have to replace that flight with a mainline flight somewhere else. They can't add RJ flying and in fact have to shrink it. Alaska was the glaring hole in our domestic scope. Delta management wanted to expand that relationship but Alaska did not want to give Delta the priority they needed for international feed. Both sides made business choices they feel are for the best. It certainly is turning out well for the Delta pilot group. We have more then doubled the size of the SEA base since 08 and it will be triple the size this time next year.
The problem you have at Alaska which most of your pilots fully recognize is that you have scoped one aircraft type and have very little protection otherwise. If Alaska decides to buy a 140 seat C series they can put it up for bid. Your going to have to beat Horizon, Skywest and Republic in a auction. That hurts the entire industry because it's almost certainly going to result in a B scale if you retain the flying. We all hope that does not happen because it drags the entire industry down. Those of us who have been here a few years have seen all this before. At Delta we once had to make a choice to lower our block hour cots on the 737-200 to SWA levels or lose the flying to Comair.
Many of your pilots advocated hard for real scope in your last contact. Time will tell how things turn out. Perhaps Alaska management will be very benevelant and things will go well. Let's hope so!