Yes the company is making good coin and firing on all cylinders.... for now.
But the last TA was looking forward for productivity gains. Yes we have been hiring and training a lot but mostly all at the bottom end. How efficient do you think the company will run when 500+ guys are going out on the top every year and we are taking in 1000+ at the bottom?
First off - the market for Pilots is heating up. Compensation is increasing everywhere. Simple supply and demand here. DAL is no longer the airline of choice for many but basically an just equal among the Majors. How long before we start becoming a lot of folks second choice?
Second as mentioned above the training burden has not even really kicked in yet. We have had a lot of training lately, but mostly all on the bottom end of the FO side. In a few years every category from 777A to 717B will have massive turnover every year. I have no idea how to even calculate the required training evolutions.
And don't forget many Pilots are still going above and beyond to keep the operation running smoothly. If this thing drags out and management is seen as stalling morale will plummet. Any good leader in the military or business knows the value of high unit morale and the deleterious affect of low morale. This is especially true for a service industry like an airline.
Additionally the company has many things in our PWA they would like to modify. This industry is continuously changing and our PWA will limit the ability of the company to change and evolve.
Finally one of the companies highest priorities is keeping the other employee groups non-union. DALPA has always remained neutral on this issue but that could very well change. The FAs have come very, very close to voting in a union - it would not take much of an effort from DALPA to push them over 50%. I have personally discussed this issue twice with John Malone and DALPA is looking at it.
Keep in mind I am not even discussing the informational picketing and running the traditional course through section 6.
This is not going to be easy but we have a lot more leverage than many think.
Scoop
