The 330 is the new 767ER. At $334-339 an hour it’s not too far behind. If we had not asked for a ridiculous $12B contract increase we would have surpassed those rates. Even on the soon to be retired 767ER.

Also, inflation has not been 2.5% - somewhat less. Using an inflation calculator $234 in 2001 is ... $334.

 

I believe a accurate ask on the new contract is around 3 billion. 12 is a bit on the high side! 2019 pilot costs were north of 4 billion for the year.

 

All due respect to the younger pilots that may be furloughed, ones that hired in the last few years, look at what the more senior pilots have been through. Though US Airways was about the bottom of the majors pay, back then.

 

I did ask my reps many times what our ask was and was never told. I only have rumors to go by. I heard $3B a year increase. No? $3B cumulative for the whole thing?

 

The landscape changed with 911. Mullins left in 2003. He had the Comair strike earlier and didn’t want another one at DAL so he signed C2K. Nothing to lose. Industry does well,which was not likely, and profits cover the contract. Industry heads into reorganization, which was likely, and he’s got an out from the contract. The writing was on the wall regarding stock price.

His war of attrition on US Airways was a miserable failure. He completely discounted the reality that the airlines are heavily regulated and politics are a wild card that can keep airlines on life support. US Airways was not going to go away. The massive irony is Mullins was one of the top cheer leaders for the ATSS Act after 911. Delta never applied for the bailout loans. You could argue perhaps because he knew he was going to bail and the loans had ties on exec compensation and golden parachutes. America West is ultimately saved by the loans advocated for by Mullins and Parker merges them with a BK US Air. The circle of life.

 

You do realize that would be an additional $207,000 per pilot every year. I know you want Moak back but do you really think the ask was 12B?

 

The ask was about 3 billion a year and that was right at 200,000 per pilot. Hence the mediation. I am not sure if that amount was first or last year of the contract. After running some numbers it almost had to have been the final year. If the union wants to galvanize the pilot group and the ask was a more reasonable number they should release it. It’s going to come out one way or another.

 

Clearly its already been leaked to you. *Shrug*. If it gets us to mediation faster and a contract faster then ask for 5 billion more next time. I was pretty excited to get mediation started, rather than dragging this crap out. If Covid hadn't happened we'd probably be within a year of a contract right now.
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Your assumption on what speeds up contact progress has been shown to be very wrong based on past history. Keep in mind the zone of reasonableness the NMB has long preached. Here is a quote from the current head of the NMB.

"Traditionally, both sides start by exchanging unrealistic proposals that unreasonably raise people's expectations," she said. "Moving to what I call the 'zone of reasonableness' takes a long time and uses up lots of energy. With interest-based bargaining, both parties start in that zone of reasonableness and stay there. They focus on solving problems -- not wish lists -- and the discussions tend to be much more fruitful."

 

With this ALPA team we'd never have a contract. They pretty much decided at the special meeting to do absolutely nothing and pray for a government Hail Mary. Way to go!! So glad I gave all that money to the NC so they could work for nothing.