Airline Pilot Central Forums - Any "Latest & Greatest" about Delta?

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- - Any "Latest & Greatest" about Delta? (https://www.airlinepilotforums.com/delta/36912-any-latest-greatest-about-delta.html)

If any of ya'll are afraid of how the new contract will turn out, Hawaiian Airlines is hiring. ;)

https://rn11.ultipro.com/HAW1000/Job...1-67C214C3F4F3

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whidbey (Post 1197743)

It's been said over and over that we have to just take what we can get now vice risk getting the NMB involved. Like many arguments used to sell a yes or no vote, the arguments used to induce fear in this respect leave out discussion of one extremely important variable.

Regarding the recent history of the NMB as briefed to ALPA:

The last nearly 12 years of airline bankruptcies, contract negotiations, and NMB involvement have been under a very labor hostile president and a first term Democrat who is not likely to risk the bad press of an airline in a cooling off period heading into a re-election campaign.

The recent history of NMB involvement with airlines of course is not rosy, but Obama's PBGC head and his actions with respect to the AMR bankruptcy demonstrate that the old saying regarding investments also applies to labor politics.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

Had the APA received a brief about the last decade of action (inaction) by the PBGC, that brief would have been overwhelmingly negative due to the unobstructed run on airline retirements that Bush allowed post 9-11. Yet they saw support from Obama's PBGC guy.

Yes, Linda Pachula gave a dreary powerpoint brief to our union. Of course it demonstrated some ugly historical facts and the limited time and resources of the NMB. What else could it contain? If Obama's policies to airline labor and management will be different in his second term, would she hint that all we had to do is hold out for his second term? Obama's potential second term approach to our situation is nothing that can be telegraphed to either side.

I have no crystal ball, but should Obama secure a second term, it will certainly have different implications for labor than Bush's presidency.

Just my opinion, but personally I would rather negotiate a little harder now and risk our negotiations extending into Obama's (likely) second term rather than sign a substandard contract that risks entering the mid phase of NMB involvement just as a (IMHO likely) Republican president comes into office.

You are confused. Although Airline pilots are technically labor, we will never be able to strike in the traditional sense. We make too much money.... The public thinks we all earn $300k and drive Corvettes. As a Delta Pilot, you are most likely in the top 10% of wage earners in this country. Nobody in Washington, Dem or Rep will come to our side. Voting No based on your prediction of this years' Presidential election is REALLY foolish.

I don't know how many of you guys get them or read them, but great, great letters from the DTW LEC members.

I think the debate we are having on this board should be more in that tone. I don't know about the other councils, but kudos to Council 20.

Read and digest

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boomer (Post 1197807)

Uncle Ronnie? :eek:

He was on a flight I did ATL-LAX not long ago. I had to act like I didn't know who he was.

Quote:

Originally Posted by whitt767 (Post 1197859)

The problem isn't what the public thinks -- its what the pilots think. Until pilots act like union labor, pilots will get no where. You might threaten fines or jail time to other unions; but, its not done because they'd tear the jail down and everyone knows it.

More 50 Seat For Pinnacle

This article comes from Aviation Daily.

Delta Deal With Pinnacle Provides Option For Additional 50-Seater Flying

Delta Air Lines’ revised Bombardier CRJ200 contract with Pinnacle Airlines includes a provision allowing the major, at its “option and sole discretion,” to place 163 more of the 50-seat regional jets in the regional operator’s fleet.
Delta also can place 24 more spare engines for the aircraft with Pinnacle, under the contract terms disclosed in a Pinnacle filing in its Chapter 11 restructuring case. No one from Delta or
Pinnacle immediately responded to Aviation Week requests for an explanation for the provision’s inclusion.
Pinnacle currently operates all 140 of its CRJ200 aircraft for Delta. Delta also relies on SkyWest subsidiaries SkyWest Airlines and ExpressJet for additional CRJ200 feed, with the airlines operating 61 and 99 CRJ200s, respectively, for Delta, for a total of 160, according to the regional airline holding company’s 2011 annual report.
New bankruptcy court filings also show a revision in the labor cost reduction required in Delta’s agreement to provide debtor-in-possession financing.
Under the original agreement Delta gave Pinnacle 45 days from the time it presented its cost-cutting proposals to its unions to reach a voluntary agreement with them. If it did not negotiate agreements by then, Pinnacle would have to file a so-called Section 1113 motion asking the court to reject each union contract.
The revised agreement gives Pinnacle and the unions a little more time to agree on a deal—until July 13, which is more than 60 days from the company’s May 8 presentation of its proposal to the unions.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 80ktsClamp (Post 1197789)

Apparently, as per the C54 letter, nodded to in this, and from other inside sources, there was a push to go back and try to get more money before the big vote. They knew it had little wow factor.

The fact is that this thing is well below the contract survey, and that has been well acknowledge.

Well.. where to we go from here? Swallow this big pill and be glad we have something in our stomach now? Or fight it out and risk going hungry?

And remember these letters are a bit sugar coated. A can not conceive how we get a cost neutral contract and give away more scope. Remember, any "ratio" is just a MOA, side letter away, as history has proven.

Quote:

Originally Posted by boog123 (Post 1197885)

And remember these letters are a bit sugar coated. I was told of some things that went on at the meeting (par for the course unfortunately) that really swayed me to a no vote.

Redact ID'ng data or plain hearsay as required, but let's hear it. Lots of us are still in the "how did this happen" funk and it may answer some questions

Quote:

Originally Posted by Humboldt (Post 1197781)

Quick question.

SFO & LAX. SFO is a little easier to get to, but both about the same amount of time.

Going to NRT. SFO has 767 Business and LAX has 747 Business. Having never been on a 747 with the flat-bed config (never been on a 747 period), is it worth just a little more hassle to get to LAX?

Both flights have seats. I either drive to SFO or fly a commuter to LAX, I'll need to leave the house at the same time regardless. Is the ride in the 747 worth the extra leg?

Thx,
Humboldt

For our honeymoon we went to Phuket. We went ATL-JFK-NRT-BKK-HKT. JFK-NRT was on the 747. It will be worth the trip to LAX to get on the whale. Ask the gate agent to put you on the upper deck. It makes a huge difference. 2 x 2 business class seating. No carts up and down the aisle. I think there was only one FA on the upper deck, so no annoying cat conversations when you are trying to sleep.

Quote:

Originally Posted by forgot to bid (Post 1197849)

Surely it cannot be because the CRJ-200s are unwanted, right? Not ordering more makes it sound like they just don't want them.

So many airlines don't want 200s right now, that Bombardier shut down the assembly line five years ago in anticipation of this very moment. :D