Originally Posted by H46Bubba

When I look at it from a "managment" standpoint I see that Delta really has no other option than to do what it has done to Comair. Of course if I were managment, I would be more open as to why what's being done is being done.
You have 9 DCI operators with three of them being wholly owned. Delta needs to get reduce capacity system wide as well as shed 50 seat regional aircraft from DCI. Of course Delta wants to minimize capacity reduction at the mainline level since it has to protect it's merger synergies until it has it's SOC in hand and all operations are merged. Delta is also protecting it's employees well more the pilots since it will cost them quite a bit of dough to furlough and re-train those who elect to flow down to Compass!

You have contracts with 5 contractors who you can only reduce at a limited capacity due to contractual limits. Out of the three wholly owned regionals, one has pretty high operating costs. As Delta management I can reduce capacity, reduce operating costs and reduce 50 seat regional aircraft all at onece without having to deal with any legal issues or contractual limits. IMHO it's a no brainer!

I still see a merger with Mesaba. Yeah RA and Ng4 say that they went trough all the scenarious before the merger between DL and NWA was announced, but of course they're not going to tip their hand. Delta needs to get their merger completed first before they set all the secondary plans in motion. I have heard that the new holding company is already set up; up in MSP. Some of the back office support here at the GO will start shifting up there sometime next year. As of now it's just wait and see. After Delta gets it's SOC, things will start to unfold that us peons have no clue about or have only specualted on. That's what I'm getting from friends that work at DL and DCI.