Scope: Total aircraft at the connection carriers will drop from 450 to 425; a 5.6% reduction and the total number of seats at the connection carriers will drop by 2%. Additionally, the block hour ratio between mainline to DCI will be improved from 1.56 to 1.81. The improvement in the block hour ratio is the most significant change, which protects Delta mainline flying. The improvement in the block hour ratio means that the mainline must grow by 50 aircraft to get the 25 extra 76 seat jets. The ratio ensures that the E190 aircraft are mainline growth aircraft, not simply replacement jets for existing aircraft. If Delta were to shrink, so must the connection carriers. For every two EMB190 aircraft that come into mainline service, Delta can add 1 (70/76 seat) regional jet to DCI, up to a maximum of twenty-five additional 70/76 seat regional jets. Concurrently, Delta must remove two 50-seat regional jets from DCI.
The C2012 MBH vs DBH ratio was a concession. Plain and simple.
This builds on it, slightly better, but notice they didn’t put a baseline when they said “1.81 means that mainline must grow 50 aircraft.” We have 124 more jets to be delivered plus 60 added in this PWA. How does a 184 aircraft only become a 50 jet growth? By parking 134 jets.
What’s that? The 88 fleet (116 jets) and then some.
We are forever going to be buying and retiring aircraft, what they’re doing is using that natural business process to add larger regional jets to Delta Connection and continue making outsourcing profitable.