Any "Latest & Greatest" about Delta?
09-17-2012 | 07:43 AM
No longer cares
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From: 767er Captain
I don't remember if it was Sailing, Slow, Alpha, TSquare, or Lundberg.
The talking points I remember went something like...
"The TA says the economy can not be used as Force Majeure to avoid the fleets/ratios/commitments"
"Even if the economy slips, at least this TA forces Delta to shrink the Regionals too"
The talking points I remember went something like...
"The TA says the economy can not be used as Force Majeure to avoid the fleets/ratios/commitments"
"Even if the economy slips, at least this TA forces Delta to shrink the Regionals too"
09-17-2012 | 07:53 AM
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From: blueJet
I went back to find some of Lundberg's outrageous claims. Found this instead...
It's Monday. 
Hi boys! Herman's wife here... AKA angrypilotwife.com. Bless your heart! While I am all knowing, and all powerful, I have NOT been posting underboob pics for you. Clearly an oversight on my part. Perhaps we can make "Underboob Mondays" a regular addition to AngryPilotWife.com. I'll work on that for ya'll. BTW, some shapes do NOT occur in nature. As for APW, "They are real, and they are spectacular".
Perhaps we can make "Underboob Mondays" a regular addition to AngryPilotWife.com. I'll work on that for ya'll. BTW, some shapes do NOT occur in nature. As for APW, "They are real, and they are spectacular".
09-17-2012 | 07:55 AM
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From: blueJet
09-17-2012 | 07:56 AM
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I tend to think you guys are correct on one point: Europe's woes are being used to mask a pullback that looks to be intentional and planned, where we feed one another's hub, and forgo direct flights. If it were not so, we'd stick with frequency reductions. I just don't get the feeling there is an intention to add direct flights back later, especially not after a US-based STAR or oneworld competitor gets in.
I think this a foolish move a) because it adds connections, b) because competitors are frequently interested in filling the void, and c) some pax have a prference for a carrier from their own country. JFK-CDG-bravethebaggagrhandlerstrikemisconnecttryingtofibd therightterminalcatchanA320sichourslaterandsitnext toasmellyguyinamddleseat-BUD is NOT the same as JFK-BUD.
When furloughed, I sometimes had to buy tickets for employees, for example to Korea from the East Coast. I would get a limousine to JFK, and KAL direct, over a flight via DTW and NRT. My boss once let a travel agent buy such a ticket on NW, and swore he would never do it again, based on the extra connection(s).
Bottom line, every time you add a flight segment, especially on another airline, you increase the chance of an insatisfactory experience exponentially.
This feels like the SECOND time we're going to squander all of the PanAm Atlantic rights we grossly overpaid for.
I think this a foolish move a) because it adds connections, b) because competitors are frequently interested in filling the void, and c) some pax have a prference for a carrier from their own country. JFK-CDG-bravethebaggagrhandlerstrikemisconnecttryingtofibd therightterminalcatchanA320sichourslaterandsitnext toasmellyguyinamddleseat-BUD is NOT the same as JFK-BUD.
When furloughed, I sometimes had to buy tickets for employees, for example to Korea from the East Coast. I would get a limousine to JFK, and KAL direct, over a flight via DTW and NRT. My boss once let a travel agent buy such a ticket on NW, and swore he would never do it again, based on the extra connection(s).
Bottom line, every time you add a flight segment, especially on another airline, you increase the chance of an insatisfactory experience exponentially.
This feels like the SECOND time we're going to squander all of the PanAm Atlantic rights we grossly overpaid for.
09-17-2012 | 08:06 AM
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From: Light Chop
09-17-2012 | 08:14 AM
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From: Kickin’ Back
Didn't we used to have a "business hub" in the middle of Europe called Frankfurt..........!?!
Denny
Denny
09-17-2012 | 08:40 AM
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From: Light Chop
For better of for worse, this was the emails on hiring and the TA Roadshow slides. I'm going to paraphrase the FLT Ops Comms though:
FLT Ops Comm 6/2/2012 (27 days before vote)
FLT Ops Comm 6/2/2012 (27 days before vote)
When asked about whether the 717s will come with AirTran pilots SD made it clear that the 717s will be flown by current and/or new hire Delta pilots, period.
FLT Ops Comm 6/8/2012 (21 days before voting)Answered the question about how mainline growth will impact pilot staffing and whether it will jumpstart pilot hiring. Mentions that there is no secret there will be a wave of retirements soon. So the hiring department is reading to start hiring on short notice. But hiring is based on the Network block hour plan which is contingent on the economy plus whether we vote in a TA that will add 717s and what the RMA's effects would be to accelerate retirements. If Delta continues it's business plan, adds 717s, and barring an unanticipated event or economic downturn we could begin the hiring process by the fourth quarter.
TA Roadshow Slides
What happens to manning (assumes static fleet)?
Bid period smoothing and ALV adjustments decrease future manning by
about 300 pilots by summer 2013
Early retirement program is targeting 250+ early retirements
– Attrition from this program will be primarily from the most senior positions
Changes to staffing formula immediately increases manning by 72 pilots
Other contract changes are very small and offset each other
– ALV+15 (decreases manning)
– Increase in vacation daily value (increases manning)
– Reserve is now full at his own guarantee (increases manning)
Staffing formula limits reserve block hour average to 60
– For every hour a pilot is above 60, another pilot has to be below 60
Bottom line is neutral staffing impact with no fleet growth
– Additional aircraft and block hour growth will drive need for hiring
Bid period smoothing and ALV adjustments decrease future manning by
about 300 pilots by summer 2013
Early retirement program is targeting 250+ early retirements
– Attrition from this program will be primarily from the most senior positions
Changes to staffing formula immediately increases manning by 72 pilots
Other contract changes are very small and offset each other
– ALV+15 (decreases manning)
– Increase in vacation daily value (increases manning)
– Reserve is now full at his own guarantee (increases manning)
Staffing formula limits reserve block hour average to 60
– For every hour a pilot is above 60, another pilot has to be below 60
Bottom line is neutral staffing impact with no fleet growth
– Additional aircraft and block hour growth will drive need for hiring
09-17-2012 | 08:44 AM
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From: window seat
09-17-2012 | 08:55 AM
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Jul 2010
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From: window seat
I was very surprised to hear that Istanbul has been dropped. SD said the yields are too low despite high load factors. We recently up gauged the service and have served the market for 20 years. The Turkish economy is a bright spot in Europe. It would have been more accurate to say that Turkish Air chased us out with their recent expansion. Just like Air Berlin did.
He also mentioned how Cathay and others chased us out of some markets indirectly by barfing capacity all over the place. Well if thats our stratedgy we're in for heap big trouble because the foreign EGO Howard Hughes wanna be "Heros of Farnsborough" and their Keynesian fantasy order books are going to drive us out of many, many, many more markets if our pavlovian response is to gift them capacity to keep yields up while we shrink to profitability forever. Even if we somehow manage a different stratedgy domestically against the LCC's and their massive all growth order books (which we probably will) we're on a clearly unsustainable trajectory long term.
How and when (and if) we will change is the question. Particularly when facing reality will mean hitting the quarterly magic in a negative way for a while. Or we can perpetually shrink "just this one more time" and huff off the 10K bong once more as we throw the sofa cushions into the fireplace to stay warm.
09-17-2012 | 09:18 AM
Runs with scissors
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From: Going to hell in a bucket, but enjoying the ride .
We bailed out of non-stop JFK-BOM service for the same stated reason: Yeilds were too low.
I flew it quite a bit, out of JFK and then when they moved it to ATL-BOM non stop. The flight was always full...so...if the 'yeild is too low'...why don't they just raise the ticket prices until the loads drop off, then pull it back a little bit?
Wouldn't that improve "Yeild"?
When I presented this question to my CP, his anwer was: "They are going to use those airframes on more profitable routes." and we have been flying a lot of DTW-China non-stops ever since.
So, what 'more profitable' routes are they going to use those IST airframes on?
I flew it quite a bit, out of JFK and then when they moved it to ATL-BOM non stop. The flight was always full...so...if the 'yeild is too low'...why don't they just raise the ticket prices until the loads drop off, then pull it back a little bit?
Wouldn't that improve "Yeild"?
When I presented this question to my CP, his anwer was: "They are going to use those airframes on more profitable routes." and we have been flying a lot of DTW-China non-stops ever since.
So, what 'more profitable' routes are they going to use those IST airframes on?
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