forgot to bid

SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...... SHHHHHHHHHHH.... SHHH... SHH.

I'm using Bill's math. You just talk about the 50 seaters going away, you ignore the jumbo RJ stuff.


Sorry, my delayed response was due to excess screaming in the house.

A ratio is not a bad thing, especially on the growth side. But a ratio that allows DCI 450/325 without growing us is not a good thing, it's a hint or an out for the company.

Leaving the hull count of the PWA would have been imho tremendously better and then add a ratio and then cap them at the current fleet and add sunset clauses. And reduce maximum range allowances.

The key problem is we're allowing them to get rid of what they don't want in exchange for giving them more of what they want. The trend is concessionary where it matters most. Hoping 2015 will be better is playing with fire, if 6% YOY raises is enough for some to say "well, the pay sucks but the rest of the contract is okay, so I can live with it. After all, didn't you hear what ALPA said, this is a good deal." There is no guarantee this trend won't continue in 2015. But again, I'm not saying a rejected TA now will change scope, they want the bigger RJs and it sure looks like they're not going to give that up.

As to Alaska, reducing using them instead of our own jets is a good thing. But in 2015 if we're still using them and they're not going per a merger, I want 0. I'm leaving the Alaska thing alone just to see what the company does in a merger, especially if it's Hawaii. The only way I see growth is if we do Hawaii and replace Alaska. But we didn't put that in the contract so that's all hope and hope doesn't get you far if you're basically renting a car without getting the insurance and entering a demolition derby and hoping to come out without a scratch.

hockeypilot44

The Delta pilots have an "industry leading" TA in scope erosion. Some things never change.

gloopy

I'm actually quite bearish on the long term outlook of the US and global economies. The present path of both is not only radically unsustainable but well into the region of reverse command. Something has to give, and that something is going to be big. When the endless trillions of ineffective debt based stimulus to solve a debt based crisis and fake lying Chinese GDP fantasy numbers (and others) all collide with reality its not going to be pretty.

My main criticism of the company's present vector mostly transcend anything to do with this TA. I've said many times we need to take it to the ULCC's hard and with no mercy. It will cost us money and profits to do so, but the long term ROI is significantly superior because that may be the difference between survival and another trip through BK. The ULCC's simply can not be allowed to fulfull even a quarter of their order books. Their growth must be stopped by any means necessary and at least one or two simply must go away. Sorry sacred cow worshipers, but its either them or us, and I'd rather it be us. There is simply not enough room for a fraction of their order books and the existing legacy airlines. Something has to give, and so far our management is gifting them capacity on a silver platter to pad short term numbers like good little B school bonus mongers.

Then there are the fantasy EGO foreign airlines. While much more of a national policy failure than a DL management issue, we need to show them there will be no quarter for one seat more of US market flying. That too will reduce today's profits but it is vital to show them we intend to go to the mat for our markets or else we will wake up tomorrow and see a fake royal bonanza land grab of 10 times the foreign airline presence we have today.

Maybe this magical 10 billion debt mark will be the turning point. I don't see our current crop of leaders having an epiphany because of it, but you never know. I think they are stuck on consolidation and synergies (more capacity reductions) which another round of will buy them another year or two of their present stratedgy "working" WRT quarterly results. After they mine that capacity and gift it to ever growing competitors, fight's on and we will be in a much weaker position relative to a much stronger and larger competitive field that we helped create.

IMO we need to start getting ruthless like the old Delta was in some markets and the old NWA was almost everywhere it flew. That's not happening, and that worries me, TA or no TA.

As for the rest of your assessment, all the reasons you suggest we take the TA WRT to the money right now makes sense, especially when coupled with the time value of money actuarials. But are the guaranteed negatives in the TA worth those undwewhelming yet meaningful but potentially short lived and temporary positives that we traded things away to get? That's the question.

iceman49

What DCI carrier is listed as RS? Thx

80ktsClamp

That is above the rest.... the best of the best... the truly ultimate operation in the industry:

That is Regional Elite Services, or better known as the ground handlers for the regional airlines.

forgot to bid

Regional Elite handles some of my flights, but I thought all Delta flights were handled by Delta employees even at outstations and all of the regional flights at the same outstations were handled by regional employees. That gives the regional airline a cost advantage we could never have if we operated the same type of equipment they do?

(please note, many of my posts are me being sarcastic, or just plain b****y)

Ferd149

Ferd and Maddog Max solved the whole TA problem (plus many others) last night in Amsterdam. I'd share our results here but the bartender made us sign a non-disclosure.

Sorry

Ferd

contrails

DTW-HKG stops SEP 1.

Elvis90

I jumpseated with an American Airlines crew yesterday, both St. Louis-based and former TWA. The FO was a 1990 hire, was furloughed for 5 years, and is currently an MD-80 FO. I told him that at Delta he could hold a 767 Capt position with that DOH. They both said that Delta is the place to be right now. Also chatted with an AirTran Capt this morning who said that with the transfer of the 717's, he'll lose his Capt position and will retire as an FO based upon their seniority integration with SWA. When I look at the situation at other companies it puts our disagreements about the TA in perspective. Either way, we're still better off than many of our contemporaries.

acl65pilot

Very true, but remember that this company is here and successful because of the sacrifices this pilot group made half a decade ago.