Staffing has hit critical mass. Delta will make it rain. Although temporary, just look at what they unilaterally gave the FAs

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sure would be nice if our pilot group could put work rules over shiny pay rates for once.

 

you mean like paid trip drops not using sick leave for FAs for boosters while they tell pilots to use sick leave?

 

In 2007 Delta’s cost per block hour for pilots was 470.00. In 2019 it was 1239.00. The 2019 cost was probably the highest pilot block hour cost at any airline world wide and did not include profit sharing which would have elevated us even higher. That’s the value of knocking out timely contracts that compound. You also have to understand the RLA and how it functions. It flat out blocks grand slams.
As to your assertion that other parts of the contract have been neglected the DC plan went from 9 to 16%. Sick leave went from 65 hours to 270. Reroute pay improved dramatically. Greenslips went from 150 to 200%. Restrictions on greenslips in months with training or vacation were removed. Reserve duty rigs were improved to match line holders. Reserve pay was increased from a flat 70 hours to a average of 76. We retained the best crew augmentation policies world wide while almost everyone else caved. We improved disability from 40 hours a month pay to 50%FAE including profit sharing and made it fully pensionable. We increased min layover times substantially. We added more reserve days off and obtained early release options. We added a average daily guarantee. We improved on duty guarantees after midnight. We added time limits for return to base on reroutes. We added a enhanced disability account. We increased vacation and training pay. Increased distributed training pay. The above is off the top of my head and probably about ⅓ of the improvements since bankruptcy. The work rule changes alone reduced our productivity 20% from 2007.

 

Agree that management might begrudgingly offer to make it rain, only because they still don’t get it. This group has (IMHO) finally moved beyond the finer things in life to the finest thing in life - quality of said life. When management finally understands what it will take to ratify a TA, I suspect they will drag their heels and miss a golden opportunity for us all to go print money.

As was offered in the financial thread - if you always expect rational human behavior, you’re going to get burned repeatedly. EB and his minions can’t stand the thought of good deals being had by Delta pilots and will trip over themselves to hold the line against anything that resembles a contract we’d all sign tomorrow.

 

Benefits too. I would love to have Delta Deposit IRS Max contribution to HSA pilot's accounts every year

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Sick leave? They told us they're going to use unpaid personal drops.

 

THIS^^^^^

Inflation wasn't a thing 3 years ago. Everyone's taken a pay cut (not to mention lost a huge cut of any cash savings); anyone who buys gas or groceries knows it.

Remember:

A 10% loss requires an 11.1% return to make whole.

A 15% loss requires an 17.7% return to make whole.

And so on. It's not about "shiny new pay rates", it's about keeping what we already have. Inflation isn't going away anytime soon, either.

Determining actual inflation is rather tricky, however. Federal pensioners and Social Security recipients received a 5.9% COLA this year, MUCH higher than the previous year 1.3%.

 

I know we focus on pilot wants in the next contract but several people have mentioned the company wants as well. Curious what some of you think their asks will be. Not sure how they can get much more productivity out of the pilots at this point or get any less credit in the schedule at this point, unless they go after the international schedules (keeping the 330 and 350 schedules a mix of domestic and intl and shortening ground times or something like that). Go after more sick time? Etc..etc..? Thoughts?

 

Lol, what? Someone get this man a HS Economics class.