Eventually you have to ask, what is Delta's core business? What is ALPA's core business?

• Our Association's President negotiated contract that just transferred at least 100 jobs to Teamsters.
• Delta Air Lines outsources as much passenger lift as possible. In every area, Delta management has chosen to outsource nearly to the limit permitted under contract. Yet, we provide our TOC as a service to other airlines, as we do our reservations systems. What is it we do?
• Alaska Air Lines is in the process of turning on the spigot to SkyWest. If I am not mistaken, 50% of that capacity in large RJ's are Delta seats.

Frankly both ALPA and management NEED to be hammered on this topic. I list ALPA first because they have an affirmative duty to protect jobs. Delta, listed secondly, because I'm tired of hearing happy talk about "insourcing" when in fact, we aren't. Sure we pulled down Comair which made some folks happy, but Comair is a Delta subsidiary and as far as our bottom line is concerned, a Delta flying operation.

Captain O'Malley, what is our core business?
Mr. Anderson, what is our core business?

Now what really bugs me ... Delta signs these capacity agreements which locks Delta in for flying services. These contracts leave Delta less able to adjust its own capacity. When the need for adjustments come, during a down turn, our own DC9's and MD88's become the accumulator in the system. Our junior pilots become the only source of capacity reduction which Delta has immediate (90 day) flexibility to park.

Meanwhile the flying we don't do continues and grows, through 9/11, SARS, and other factors beyond our control. In case anyone missed the news, the Middle East is boiling over again, meanwhile we lock into a contract for flying services not performed by our pilots.

Under contract, the expendable pilot, is me.