Originally Posted by
acl65pilot
For you information, I pointed out a [i]fear[i] about this scenario about two weeks ago. Go look at this board. I quantified it as such. It got almost no traction. Someone posts something from another board, and it takes off. For your info, I was not the one that posted that.
Fact is that this rumor has been around and in very good circles for about six months. IMHO this latest pop up was by design, and not by the union. The company is known to leak out information to see how we react. I too have heard a few ppl talk about this.
From a business perspective it makes sense. It is a lot cheaper to fly the jet at CPS and not bring a new type on here. If it every comes to the point that DAL wants those jets, there will be DAL pilots flying them.
Also of note, there is a lot dealing with the 100 seat airframe going on in the background. Something will give sooner or later....
I think you give the company way too much credit for designing a deception strategy on this issue. Listen to Hank Halter's presentation yesterday at the investor's conference. All he talked about was not having obligations to buy jets and paying down the debt. The company has already decided on a 100 seat jet and it's the MD-90. They can get 4 of them for the same cost as 1 E-195 and they already fit into the fleet. I know it has 160 seats, but at those costs they can afford to fly it around at 60% load factor. More likely, they will use it to backfill A-319 flying out of NWA hubs and put the A-319's into smaller markets to fill the DC-9 retirements.
After what is happening to the 50 seat market, which leasing company would be so stupid as to buy a bunch of brand new E-195's just so Delta can put them on a short lease? These people are greedy but not stupid. How many leasing companies are now getting stuck with 50 seat white elephants? Fool me once..........we won't get fooled again, or something like that. (just a joke, don't get all political on me)
If Delta wants a bunch of those jets they are going to have to pony up to buy them or assume a capital lease. I am not seeing that, not for that jet.