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)

Quote:

Originally Posted by sailingfun (Post 1265301)

Actually jetblues growth in Boston has been a almost route for route swap of AMR's flying. aMR drops a route a JB picks it up the next day under the marketing agreement with AMR.

So, where did our loss of one third of the market go?

... and US Air, and airline which we share more overlap than any other carrier ... is growing and plans more growth.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 80ktsClamp (Post 1265459)

So the over/under is 3500 to 7000... That's almost as much wiggle room as he gave himself on hiring this fall. ;)

So let's categorize all of the company news:

6/2/2012 Pre Contract Vote: The 717s won't come with AirTran pilots, it will be Delta pilots... but no mention of hiring due to the 717s coming. Make sure you attend those ALPA roadshows for more information.

6/8/2012 Pre Contract Vote: Hey, if we get those 717s we'll need to hire (baring some unforeseen event) this year. Make sure you attend those ALPA roadshows for more information.

7/6/2012: Did you know, we need 7,000 pilots over the next 10 years. Although a quick count puts it around 4,018 pilots are 55 or older, 6458 are 52 or older.

9/23/2012: Yeah, for the next 10 years we're going to have 3,299 pilots reach 65 and we've got to replace them. Oh, and we are adequately staffed through the summer of 2013.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p-D236RojR...0/Simpsons.jpg

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bucking Bar (Post 1265535)

Who cares?

As we have seen in the posts aimed my way from Slowplay, identification is used for personal attacks, which have nothing to do with the "Latest and Greatest" at Delta and are frankly, boring for everyone else to read.

wha, getting PM's from Padre saying "we know who you are, you are ######" is boring? :D

Quote:

Originally Posted by forgot to bid (Post 1265538)

Thats too bad, disappointed

Quote:

Originally Posted by flyallnite (Post 1265483)

Do I really have to explain WHY overflying the NRT hub is bad for the NRT operation?

Overflying the hub means the hub is no longer viable. Less O&D traffic, less flights, less jobs for DL pilots. We essentially lose the 5th freedom rights we paid for, and get nothing in return except relegated to a bit player in the Pacific.

I'll give you an example. Over the past few years, we've flown the 777, 747, and A330 from NRT to MNL. Even considered an extra section 757 before the tsunami. If we could make money flying from the mainland to the Phillipines, we'd be doing it now. We can't. What we CAN do is make money flying Tokyo to the Phillippines. If we get shut out of HND and they give the slots to the Japanese carriers or to UAL, then it's goodbye to that revenue and those jobs. Anybody on a DL ticket can connect on KAL if they need to get there, but otherwise, we won't fly it. THAT is why the statement about overflying NRT gives me the chills.

No, you don't have to explain. I'm well aware of the NRT operation and its effects on staffing. I simply think you're jumping to conclusions based on a simple statement.

Yes, losing the NRT operation would hurt. It would hurt big. But outside of any Call to Action by ALPA, supporting ALPA PAC, or requests by Delta to fill out one of their canned letters, what can we do? Why do you want to speculate the worst or worry over what you can't control? I'm not telling you it's silly to plan an alternative, but that's a given for the industry in general. :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by flyallnite (Post 1265485)

Well, here's what JG said...

"In Atlanta, we will continue to draw down the 767 domestic categories as the domestic 757/767 block hours are adjusted with the delivery of the 737-900s."

So where does it say they'll fill the 737 slots with displacements from the 767 category? ;) There have been plenty of memos from Crew Resources stating that they intend to not backfill the positions as people bid off. I'm sure some displacements are likely, but they've been few and far between over the last several AEs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roadkill (Post 1265498)

This, absolutely. All this economy talk is eyewash--nothing has changed since the TA was being sold and all the company strawmen were on here expounding on the upcoming hiring outlook. The reserve utilization giveback was an enormous blow to us, constantly justified by various posters as being "offset" by blah blah blah B S. Staffing is driven by the worst case reserve needs for Jul and Aug. We let them modify the days, and boost reserve ute from 68 hours to a potential 100ish, almost a 50% increase in utilization efficiency for our reserves... 20% of 11,500 is 2300 pilots; 50% increase in efficency of that group during Jul/aug is 1250 pilots.

That's what we bought with the TA, 1250 less pilots via reserve increase. Oh, of course reduced by the nebulous on no-data-to-support bogus claims of vacation, reserve now full, known absences count horse cr*p. I don't believe any of those claims, there has been no data given to support it... NONE of those gains matter in the slightest except for two critical months that drive hiring, Jul/Aug, and if you modify the "offset" claims to the months they actually have an effect, the impact of these offsets is minimal and no where near a full offset. And any pointing to a reserve hiring formula with 60 hours average use is likewise foolish misdirection as the non-factor months Sep thru May drive the average constantly below the hiring trigger--the hiring algorithm is hopelessly skewed to the point of being meaningless. My opinion without supporting data is at least as commanding as all the opposing opinions without supporting data.

And before all the TA cheerleaders channeling Bill Lumberg jump in, please... it's possible for someone to criticize one single aspect of the ta as being less than optimal without you demanding they "show me a better contract" etc... Show a little intellectual integrity and admit that this one area of the TA absolutely suckith, no matter WHAT mitigating other factors you perceive may exist.

+ BBar, +FrmFrtDog, -76drvr, -slowplay. And I'm starting to think Johnso is either running for office or his kid brother has taken over his account lately...

My kid brother is too busy preparing to hand over his Reserve Unit he is in command of over to the next guy, so that he may take an Active Duty position in DC. He doesn't have time for this forum stuff. :p

I actually voted NO to the TA(doesn't really matter as there is no way to prove it) because I felt we left W-2 money on the table, & I couldn't stand 70 more large RJs. But none of that matters, because 62% of the voters said YES. The TA became our contract, and it's over.

So my question is, what good does all the griping do? Will the contract suddenly be rescinded and we will go back into Sec 6 because there is a bunch of complaints on APC? We can't go back in time and change it. It won't happen. The ONLY way it will change is for the griping people to suck it up, and run for an ALPA position. Then get elected, and start cleaning house. If you don't like the decisions being made, you'd better change the people making the decisions. Otherwise, all the complaining in the world won't change anything. I can honestly say that I currently do not have the time, resources, energy, or drive to run for a ALPA position. It is a TON of work, and not worth FPL to me.

And I do agree with you Roadkill. The loss of positions stinks. It could effect more then hiring. It could also bite us in another SLI. But, it's over and we can't change it. So we can move on, & focus our energy on things we CAN change. Or we can continue to waste energy whining about it here.

WRT my conversation with Bar, it had nothing to do with the new contract. I like BB. He's a good guy, and I respect his loyalty to union labor and more importantly has actual unity. IMO Bar is one of the rare, true union people left. I simply disagree with Bar that all things negative here at Delta have been caused by NWA. We simply had a discussion. We did so without attacking each other. We can have disagreements and still be friends. Do you sever friendships because you disagree on politics, religion, etc?

We don't need to be divided on here because of the TA. The ratification window is over. The TA is now our contract. Let's work from here on how to improve it. Let's not worry about what we can't change, and focus on what we CAN change. I refuse to be miserable over things I can't control. I can't control the NRT/HND situation. I can't control the price of oil. I can't control the EU Carbon Trading Scheme. I can't control the economy. I simply can't worry about these things. :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by NuGuy (Post 1265501)

Yup. An "I told you so" isn't worth anything. Only a /doublefacepalm seems appropriate.

Another bite at the apple is right around the corner, and if you think the higher ALV or reserve utilization sucks for staffing, wait until the FT/DT negotiations start.

I really hope some of you have learned an important lesson here.

As far as the HND thing. Back in the early 90s, the government wonks were trying to re-work the Japanese air service treaty. NWA ran FULL page spreads in the Washington Post and other papers DAILY, for months on end, to keep it the way it was.

Flyallnite has it exactly right on NRT. It's really important, and important that everyone understands how it works.

Nu

So, if the TA was not passed, exactly what would the picture look like now? Pull your two hands away from your face and tell me how the world would be different if the TA had not passed, give specifics. I mean other than the obvious lower pay rates, lower reserve guarantee, less vacation next year, etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by alfaromeo (Post 1265557)

The difference would be marginal because while the Company has an additional work day out of the reserves during the peak summer months, there really isn't going to that much more utilization due to inefficiencies in scheduling. Typically, it is the 10.5 hour three days that are in open time.

While FTB and others have done some excellent analysis, I'm not sure the Company can run that hard and maintain the level of operational integrity they desire.

Anyone who has flown 100 hours a month on reserve knows how unsustainable that is from an operational reliability standpoint. 100 hours of efficient trips is one thing, 100 hours of back of the clock, or high cycle flying to a 9 hour overnight at a moldy hotel room next to the ice machine results in legitimate sick calls.

I think the most they can realistically get out of us is another 7 hours a month more than we've flown in the past. In the past a lot of guys pick up once they see they are over 70 anyway, so I'm just not convinced C2012 had that big a negative impact on the need to hire.

Where I do see a potential impact is the loss of a handful of Captain positions, which spreads the pain around due to the stove pipe effect on our seniority. JMHO.

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnso29 (Post 1265556)

I simply disagree with Bar that all things negative here at Delta have been caused by NWA. We simply had a discussion. We did so without attacking each other. We can have disagreements and still be friends. Do you sever friendships because you disagree on politics, religion, etc?

We don't need to be divided on here because of the TA. The ratification window is over. The TA is now our contract. Let's work from here on how to improve it.

Good post and you are correct. The merger no doubt stabilized Delta and gave our Company a more sound economic footing.

Thanks for promoting the "marketplace of ideas" concept.