Outsider Noob Hub Question
 

Any idea/speculation if Delta will be adding new hubs/bases in the near future? If so where?
I am aware that things change overnight lol. Couldn't find any similar threads.

The better question is what pilot base they close next, or what airport gets added to the list of must be covered by base X.

We don't open pilot bases. Only close. There is only one permanent base. AtL. Nothing else matters.

My guess:
HPN or SWF added to nyc
MSP and DTW consolidate

what makes you say MSP and DTW will consolidate? Are you saying both close?

We were starting to take acton on opening up a BOS pilot base but got derailed by Covid. We have more than enough flights to support a Pilot base from there - the problem is they are divided among numerous fleets so it it much harder to justify.

With that said, if we do ever open another Pilot base, who knows if we will, my money would be on BOS.

Scoop

BOS has been rumored for well over a decade. Twice in print in company pubs, yet NOPE. That should tell you the kind of insight we have on bases.

I'm just going off of it being our two "closest" hubs and we don't open pilot bases ever. (I know JFK is technically barely closer than MSP from DTW, but both are midwest, culturally closer together)

When have we ever done things that make sense beyond the next fiscal cycle?

Also, there is some company-union politics that factor in. When you add a new base, it's a new/reactivated council, which adds more seats to the MEC, and think of MEC like the Senate. If you are Party X, you don't want to give statehood to a territory that will usually side with Party Y.

Right now, if something is good for ATL, they have 1/4 the votes in the MEC. Not too hard of an uphill battle.

Lets just say I wouldn't be 100% shocked if their best guess as to who would be the BOS LEC was part of their decision to not open BOS. I also think getting rid of a LEC that was the support base for the MEC Chair was part of the decision to close CVG as a pilot base. What they saved on office space/staff is probably 70% spent on hotels for overnighting crews.

Theres no chance of them consolidating MSP and DTW into a single base. Come on now. Maybe consolidating international in DTW and making MSP a domestic base like SLC with just a few W trips to cover the usual codeshare hubs.

I could see HPN becoming a satellite of LGA. We're doing a lot of flights out of there now. A 717 buddy told me they're even going direct to PBI and MCO now. Does mainline even fly to SWF?

Boston makes sense but it has nothing to do with union politics. Our union is so weak they're no threat to whatever the company wants and they'll always have the votes in ATL. Not opening BOS is because they don't have room. The Taj Mullin is too small and too cramped for what we already have there and Massport is already charging us out the wazoo. My bet is they're waiting to see what happens with JetBlue/Spirit too. Not to mention that a BOS base would make NYC staffing even worse.

Fixed it for you. Making BOS a pilot domicile could be done in the blink of an eye. The company is either stuck on paralysis of analysis or they simply don't want it to be a pilot domicile. Probably the latter.

We don't have a NYC angry puppy category anymore though. I don't think a handful of mainline 717 flights is justification for making HPN a satellite. As for BOS, it could easily be a 320 base tomorrow; simply swap out every 737 flight with a 320. 220 would probably fit as well. But we work for Delta Air Lines where making simple things more complex than they need to be is how we do business.

Getting marketing to agree to keep one plane on a route is like coaxing a cat into bath water. You must have lost your mind! LOL.

When we basically bought LATAM there was a strong indication we might, just might open a Miami base. Obviously that did not come to fruition. Delta never openz new bases we only close them. And with the super base of PTC mafia in ATL, there is little to no chance of ever getting a base anywhere else in the southeast. If we were to open a new base my money is on Boston.

HPN I can see them trying to add. That is a stupidly expensive cab ride though. But again, not beyond what a LAX commuter has to deal with when they get a SNA or ONT trip.
SWF is all Allegiant, NetJets and Play (ULCC to Iceland) it seems now, but as NY airports max on capacity I can see it coming into play. I have flown the ER out of there, but that was a charter.

Consolidating MSP and DTW isn't realistic/logical but that has never stopped them before.

BOS has room. Seen it. Been in it. Could be move in ready in a week.

Disagree on the union thing. Right now, with ATL getting 4 votes, (and likely to stay that way unless we open a huge FL base, also unlikely) I am sure they factor that into their calculations. Something big enough to go to MEMRAT they have to convince all of us to pass it. Right now, if it's good for ATL and 2 other bases, it's probably gonna pass MEC. And then the commuter heavy bases get whacked with it. Add another base (BOS, MCO) and then the deal has to be good for them too. As of now, if the deal is a no brainer for ATL, they are already halfway there.

Why does 44 get 4 votes? They're bigger? So what? NYC is almost the same size as ATL, if they add on HPN and Stewart then it will most likely grow more. Your comment about base opening is a real concern for the PTC crowd. Very prescient of you. I'm fully convinced there were ulterior motives around closing the DFW base then the CVG base. HINT: They were not fans of the 4th floor or the 44 crowd. But that's just me with my tinfoil hat on. You can search around here and other forums that talk about it, DFW in particular. Conincidence? Perhaps not.

All they'd have to do is switch out 717s for 319/320s which are already in LGA. Cab ride? Company doesn't care, that's the pilots problem. Just like getting out to ONT. Likely HPN trips would never go to reserve, just like EWR trips, because so many pilots live in CT. They'll grab them all.

Union politics and memrat? GMAB. The only time we've ever shot a deal down was TA1. That was a no brainer. The company has no fear of memrat. And even on issues they do, they know the union will have their backs, like when Hartmann gave away batch sizes. Still no explanation of why that was handled how it was. Shut up and get back to rowing. No, the company doesn't fear this union any more.

That's basically it.. It's in the ALPA bylaws. ATL is big enough that it gets 2 reps per seat. Without digging into it, I can't say how much smaller they have to be to go back to 2, (don't forget SIM which is very ATL heavy) but lets just say we had some massive ATL exodous to a MCO base. If ATL remains a 4 vote council, its power is diluted by even the smallest council having 2 MEC reps.

it may, but when I was NYC based EWR went senior til it didn’t, then it was VERY junior. I expect the same if we allow HPN (which we shouldn’t)

thats…the point, If the argument is more bases dilute the sway ATL and C44 has. With votes coming down to 9-8 adding another pair of LEC reps might disturb that. Not saying that’s MY argument, but it’s not a totally illogical one.

Last time I looked, ATL's 4 votes actually waters down their membership's voting power especially when you consider SEA has two votes. And, in reality, it really doesn't matter. If a minority council thinks a vote is unfair, they can call for a roll call vote and each rep can vote with as many votes as pilots they represent. Not to spoil it too much, but that gives ATL even more power.

Yes I kNow they can call a roll call

Last I looked at it NYC had a more members per vote if a roll call is called, but straight up numbers they get half the votes of Atlanta.

If you look at this as a "everyone has their price" standpoint, if there's more people there's a much greater cost.

*not saying there is any impropriety amongst ALPA reps. Just stating its harder to convincee 11 people than 9, especially when they may not have same end goals"

You could probably make the argument that NYC needs one additional vote as it relates to SLC/LAX with 1100. Currently NYC has 2800 pilots and ATL has 5000.