now we are on the same sheet. that’s our baseline when he started to go all in on gold. heard more than a few followed his lead in 2011, convinced it would plow to $50k because of his “analysis”

This is correct^. It’s up 33% Q1 yoy.

Also,
2025 Q2 PTIX $2.6B
2026 Q2 PTIX $1.0B forecast :eek:

This isn’t correct, is it?

Edit: I should finish reading before posting. Others beat me to it.

United just posted their results


https://i.imgur.com/QVUL64M.jpeg

yeah there’s no way United pulled that far ahead. I believe there’s a hidden Sale/leaseback in their number to the tune of $400mil+.

The second comment on the Q1 earnings thread in the United section says it all. They raised A TON of money.

Regardless of accounting principles one looks at, UAL posted some very good numbers. Happy for them. Hopefully this is a shot across our CEO's bow and he starts to look at some serious personnel changes in Flt Ops. We're a solid air line. We just need some Flt Ops folks that actually know what they're doing.

Maybe one that wasn't in charge of the downfall of now Defunct Comair, Now Defunct and Endeavor?

I can think of at least 4 that need to be replaced.

The basic fact is they didnt hire enough people and/or didnt have the courage to tell network that they cant fulfill the flying hour program (i dont know what the civ equivalent is)

now we are where we are and they wont admit they screwed up. Theyll try anything to squeeze the pilot group regardless of the impact because they know they are going to get fired anyway.

we have zero reserves for may in my category and a ridiculous amount of open time. I cant imagine that its going to get better this summer.

It lives in 2 places - NPD and NPS (network planning strategy). Least the last time I saw them, they could have changed the nomenclature by now.

Anyway, yeah the present Flt Ops mngmnt team was handed a gift of an operation firing on all cylinders. In a little under 7 years they've managed to wreck it. To a point it's going to take $$$, time and managers with the knowledge and capability to dig us out. I don't see our prospects in that regard changing very fast even if the top is sliced off and replaced with competent people. It's going to take a few years to correct the flight path trajectory we're on right now.

I think we kick the can for one more summer. Schedule pull down similar to last year will save them. Last year tariffs, this year fuel... [mod edit]

Not everyone loved them but that’s essentially when Dickson and Graham exited. There is no question things operated better under their watch(and Gil Wests).

Id take Graham back.

Yeah and the CPOs underneath him were genuinely helpful and pleasant to interact with. It all starts at the top.

wtf? Are these real?

Yes. Why wouldn't they be?

I forget who it was that replied to me, "Yeah, well, I'm coming for THEIR lunch!" when I warned that UAL was coming with some passion for ours. It's foolish to disregard them as anything other than a true competitor who's stated policy was to (parahprasing here) "spend some money and kick a little a**." Kirby may be tired of antagonizing American. Who does that leave?

Meanwhile, we won't spend a dime to improve and we keep everyone in the dark about the 'plan'. He's over there running a modern airline. We need to pay attention.

"United Airlines will bump fares 15% to 20% this summer, its busiest season — letting travelers foot the bill for the airline’s jet fuel costs that have doubled ..."

A5S

https://nypost.com/2026/04/22/busine...amid-iran-war/

I love how many people are surprised that United is making money. Too many deltoids think the world revolves around Atlanta and every other airline must be inferior. This attitude has permeated the 4th floor and led to a sort of cancer that requires surgery to remove the malignant leaders.

The pre-tax income gap is mostly noise. UAL's $870M GAAP pre-tax includes $444M in sale-leaseback gains on aircraft transactions — essentially UAL sold planes and leased them back, booking a one-time accounting gain that flows straight through to pre-tax income. Strip that out and UAL's adjusted pre-tax is $498M vs Delta's $532M. Delta actually wins on an adjusted basis, which is the only number that reflects actual airline operations.

Everyone relax. There’s zero chance United jumps us overnight - especially in a fuel crunch. That being said, no doubt they are knocking on the door and who knows what Delta plans to do about it.

But I’m not so sure United is the juggernaut you all think they are. They do A LOT of smoke and mirrors advertising (fleet orders, Evtols, Kirby himself, etc) and A LOT of low margin flying, hence the quick pull down in flying they had after this conflict started. They’re also in a margin war with AA at ORD. I wholeheartedly agree that our management team moves slowly. But I’ve also learned that margin discipline looks very slow (read not flying from EWR to Nuuk).

Anyway, I want my PB days and normal reserve back!

I couldn't care less how much money United or American made because there is absolutely nothing I could do or say that would change anything. I'll continue to show up, fly my contract, and hope the people who get paid to make decisions continue to make us profitable. I hope United and American do well because that means, hopefully, their pilots do well which means we will do well as a pilot group.

I think you missed the greater point. It’s all like “two fleas arguing over who owns the dog they live on.” I also hope that our people who can do something about our operations do so. The numbers are merely indicators of something increasingly dysfunctional over here. It’s the only reason anyone cares. They may as well be eggplant emojis. Ours are just turning in to something else….the gummster fire continues. Feel the churn!

Aside from that I fly the contract 4-5 days a week anymore and just absorb the crew swaps and delays. Four days, four FOs again this week. It was better not all that long ago. I hope we get those days back.

"Feel the churn"

I like it, imma steal that. Good lanyard fodder too.

They lost Q1 to us, unlike in 2025. That’s competitive regression. Mind you, they lost Q2-4 and full year results last year too (and will do so this year too).

The real benefits of Trainer will be revealed in Q2-4 where you will see DL pull far ahead on United in profits. UA’s unregulated growth is biting them now with fuel, SFO and ORD capacity reductions, and FA TA costs (technician contract still do). Plus, they carry $31B of debt to Delta’s $13B and continue to be a non-investment grade carrier.

Trainer, AMEX, our stronger JV/partner ties (LH Group melting down in Europe currently vs AF+KLM), the growing MRO business, hub dominance (pricing power during downturns), and continued investment in premium will grow the gap from DL’s competitors. Revenue diversification will win out.

Delta is hemorrhaging millions in premium payout and still out performing the rest. Once corrected the performance gap will continue to grow, once again. Some people think our “image” is damaged- it isn’t. We just leaped to #1 per ACSI above WN. Planes are full, enhancements to the product, air and ground, are being made continuously, and the NB/WB/pilot group is all growing.

We're dead last in cancellations for some time now.

That's not a premium product.

This is the issue. Are we mostly on time and do we have minimal cancellations? The refinery, premium this, premium that, new routes etc etc. NONE of that matters if we have 10x the cancellations of our competitors day in and day out. This place used to be freakishly reliable.

Are we first or are we last cancelations? Oh well, if you're not first, you're last!

We will be the only airline giving a non trivial amount of Profit sharing next year, thanks to the Refinery.

Also folks, the true number that matters is PTIX, because that determines profit sharing. Delta Q1 PTIX was slightly higher. Everything else is just noise unless you're an airline analyst

do you think the family of 4 on vacation having their flights canceled within 7 hours of departure cares a single iota what our PS may or may not be next year? read the room a little.