Originally Posted by
Justdoinmyjob
Actually, this argument has been made about Comair and before that, ASA. In the end, no, they are not employees of Delta. As much as some people want to believe it, according to the FAA and IRS, they are not employees.
Mesaba's losses, and those of all the DCI carriers, (pass through costs,) are already shown on Delta's bottom line. Their income however, is not. This does help Delta Inc. as they can use the loss to a tax advantage.
While I empathize with those looking at the loss of a job, you need to remember that this how the industry works nowadays. Regardless of where the money comes from, or who calls the shots, we are all digits to be manipulated to get the maximum output with the minimum cost. The heyday of the industry is long past and anyone who jumped in without realizing the potential for this to happen didn't do their due diligence.
Besides, wasn't there talk of the Saab's going away earlier in the year? Unfortunately the writing was on the wall for all the DCIs as to what they could expect, regardless of who owned them. Shrinkage and consolidation are the words of the day, and the price to be paid for the rapid growth of the early '00s. The problem is that like a Ponzi scheme, it's the late comers who pay the price, not those who benefited the most.
And that is why I said it is just a matter of semantics. We aren't really Delta employees, Delta does not treat us like their employees, and doesn't pay us like their employees. They just own us and make the general public think we are Delta employees. They make our FAs wear the same scarf that their own FAs wear. They make every single major decision concerning our operation. They do not allow us to search for other opportunities to keep our pilots working, we are only allowed to work for them. If you don't want to use the term employees of Delta, that is fine. A more proper term might be slaves of Delta.
No need to feel empathy for future furloughs. We are all among the lowest paid in the industry, finding a job that pays more will not be hard for most people. I am not sure what you mean by the writing was on the wall for the DCI carriers in shrinkage and consolidation. Most DCI carriers are currently hiring/recalling for additional flying. There has been no consolidation what so ever.