They haven't backfilled any DTW717A yet, but I'm sure there will be vacancies soon.

35 DTW717B vacancies over the last 2 AEs. I'm not convinced the wind down is as close as some seem to think. It's definitely on the horizon, but I don't see it affecting current staffing levels. We already had more As than Bs, opposite of ATL.

 

In another three short years, we will have a 777 replacement. It only took a decade.

 

“Hey the -900 isn’t doing what we promised, but buy the -1000, it’ll do it for sure, we le promise”. -Airbus, probably

 

I'm curious, how does the -900 fall short?

 

Tech stop in Cape Town was the big one.

 

Most comparisons are to the 777LR which let you have range, cargo and passengers. The 350-900 forces you to pick 2 of 3, especially the first dozen. The -1000 should cover 3/3. One of our remedies for leaving packs behind on the -900 was to remove 31 total seats while increasing the number of D1 to be revenue positive. Instead of leaving Sydney with 30 open seats now we go out full with 8 more potential D1 ticket sales.

 

Only 30 of 40 MSP220A awarded on the mock…that doesn’t seem quite right…

 

'22 and '23 were busy days for the 220 in DTW. Always stuck at the far low end of the A gates. Always did a lot of un-220 like short hops to NY and DCA. The jet loves their 2.5+ hr hauls to sip fuel. Adding 8+ a year we'll need spots to park them. Also, rumor of the -500 is out there.

 

If the mock bid holds true, just since Oct, the combined DTW category has shrunk by 65 pilots, including the 2 awarded at indoc. Not long ago we had around 200-220 DTW CA (maybe more, I can't recall), we're currently sitting at 180 and projected to go to 160 by June. The current staffing levels have already been affected. Right now, they can award no 717A and hit the 160 projection. Minimal backfill and few, if any, vacancies on the A side seems logical. It probably aligns us with the loss of MSP flying. I agree with you that it's more on the horizon than it is a near rock. On top of the loss in flying and increased mx issues....seat back entertainment, GPS and other upgrades all keep getting "delayed." People are just seeing the writing on the wall and shifting plans.




They're not required to award them all. My guess is not enough people bid it from the categories they were trying to draw down.

 

Also if the mid-bid holds true…. WBA wall goes to a 2010 hire. There was what…only 300 2010 hires & then nothing until 2014??? Very likely WBA falls to 2014 hires by the Dec AE.