I didn’t see anyone posting notes from MSP meeting today. Here’s some stuff I remember from my memory. I didn’t take notes, so this is not complete or exact quotes from our leadership.

- Financials. Delta is doing great. They want to have 10% operation margin to be investment grade.
- Possible clean up AE for the RMA after the 2013 plan is out (fall). “Big” 365-day AE late this year or early next year with DC9 closing and 717 opening.
- 717 in ATL and DTW. They see some 717 flying out of MSP but not sure how much, or if it translates to a pilot base.
- They will issue electronic manual tablets to 717 pilots. With Auto-FMS loading capability, it will be our first fully electronic fleet. Other fleets to follow.
- Someone asked what happened to the 319s that were competing against 717s. Planning guy said that was “Good question.” He said Delta is talking to all the aircraft manufactures all the time. Also, he said Delta can get 70 more 76 seater, but they don’t have to and always looking for better deals.
- Other than 65 MD90s we got coming, they are still looking for more MD90s if they can find good deals.
- New flight plan format coming
- Auto FMS loading capability coming to many fleets (not M88 of cause!)
- They are ready for hiring. Just waiting to pull the trigger. Depends on 2013 marketing plan.
- Our operation numbers are great.
- As for the consolidation in the industry, they said they don’t have anything to tell us yet, but we are watching US/AA thing to happen and see where it goes.
- “MSP is not going away” But of cause the audience was MSP pilots.
- Don’t have 2013 plan out officially. (But I got the impression that it will be flat overall. Which is better than shrinking we’ve been doing.)
- LGA is growing by 40% and revenue is going up too. We are winning passengers from EWR as LGA is preferred for domestic trip by many.

That’s all I remember. I take no responsibility for the accuracy of the info :p

Thanks! Damn, I'm wondering if that bike is worth it...

Free cookies? Did somebody mention free cookies? I'm in-- :)

Thanks! That's sounding like a much better deal. (It's a nice bike, but not an irreplaceable one. There are limits to what I'll spend on it.)

Thanks for the update Banana.

Outsider question: sounds like hiring is base on the next AE? Marketing for 2013? When will these plans be conveyed? Making some decisions that are pretty heavily based on DL hiring. I understand there is no crystal ball. Just trying to make the best decisions for family.

All we can do at this point is speculate, I don't think Marketing even fully knows yet.

They may be waiting to see who wins the POTUS in Nov, and then see what Wall Street does in reaction (up/down or sideways) but if they are going to err, I think they will err on the conservative side and wait as long as possible to hire.

And I'm pretty sure they are waiting to see what the bookings are for next summer, before they pull the trigger and hire.

Again, that's just speculation on my part, worth what you paid for it...

Somewhere between later Oct to Jan/Feb/Mar...

If you're at Pinnacle.. RUN!

Marketing is waiting to see if the World is going to end in December before hiring and training any new pilots. Why waste the money if there is not going to be a Summer 2013?

Here's Monday's solar storm event with the Earth in scale, courtesy of NASA.


http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000...095/index.html

Marketing should have the 2013 plan to Crew Resources by the end of Oct. I'd expect we would hear about it shortly thereafter.

Ok, two questions....

1. Can someone PM me the email of the lady that runs the vacations? Lynn Ivy or something....

2. If you get canceled on the last leg of a trip can they simply reroute you into a day off, to fly a leg that plenty of long call pilots could have flown, late in the day, by-passing 4 flights earlier that would have got you back to base much earlier? When do you get reroute/extra pay or do you?