Originally Posted by
Bucking Bar
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.
Exactly. Not only that though, but the mid range and most of the senior pilots also inherit the downward effects of this, and every pilot feels the effects of such a massive portion of our flights, block hours and pilot positions being shopped to the lowest bidder.
Some of the code share/JV stuff at the top end sould be doe by us, but some of it (like intra-France or Russia, etc) is a net positive resulting in feed and all that. But 100% of the bottom end = our jobs lost. 100%, every time, and it negatively effects every part of the list and its a swampy foundation to try and build a "restoration" contract on if we don't fix it.