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

Airline Pilot Central Forums (https://www.airlinepilotforums.com/)

- Delta (https://www.airlinepilotforums.com/delta/)

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by flyallnite (Post 1309370)

Here is what I think about that:

U.S.-LHR: We won't lose what we have now. By coordinating schedules with VA and eventually pricing, we'll be able to move much more traffic onto the DL system, where we make 100 percent of the profits. The passenger in England is no longer obliged to take BA and therefore American to get to Des Moines. In the long run, it may allow for larger aircraft and more flights for us to LHR. Do I want that VA A380 in Atlanta? The answer is a qualified yes. Yes, if we don't reduce our service in that market accordingly, because I want that A380 full of passengers that otherwise would have flown AA or United to be on Delta when they connect.

Asia: VA not really a big player there, and LHR isn't really a big connecting point from the US to Asia. That's why Singapore sold their share, it just was too far afield to do anything with.

Caribbean: I think we stand to gain. DL flies all over the Caribbean, and by gaining access to the huge, number one market in England, we now are able to fill those flights with more people- see ATL above. I don't think VA can really feed their network into or out of the Caribbean without us.

Africa: AF/KLM provides more service to the Continent than anyone. If you are traveling from the US, DL has direct service. So I don't think Africa will change much at all as a result of the JV with VA, not a gain or loss there.

Will Virgin Atlantic grow as a result of this? Probably yes. Will they fly to more US markets? Probably yes. But I do think we'll see some growth as a result also. Some of that will be more narrow bodies flying ATL to Jamaica. Some will be bigger profits. Some I hope will be new service to LHR from previously unserved markets. Some will be bigger corporate contracts.

Sir Richard was notably absent from the press conference. He is a visionary, a maverick, and a hell of a showman. But he's not an airline executive. He has dyslexia. The last thing he wants is some analyst asking him questions about a spreadsheet. He built a great brand. His genius is knowing that he needs an expert to save it. Delta is arguably the best run airline in the world today. RA is arguably the best CEO. It speaks volumes that Sir Richard was not present at the announcement. We just picked up a brand that is loved and admired around the world, and slots at the most desirable airport in the world for the price that UCAL paid for 4 flights to LHR, and now they are dead last in the market and the music has stopped.

Who stole your log-in info?

Quote:

Originally Posted by flyallnite (Post 1271596)

Do I think we should have sent the TA back to the company as 'undercooked'? Yes, I do, and I voted accordingly. But we have the agreement now and we'll all have to live with the ramifications of that. Would the alternative have been better? We'll never know, and I don't claim to have that answer either.

Maybe those JV protections in the new deal were worth something after all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by slowplay (Post 1309464)

Maybe those JV protections in the new deal were worth something after all.

Slow,

I think even you will admit we have to be careful here. Delta's actual flown share of JV flying isn't half. In some months it has dipped below 45%. While we have protections, it is going to be tricky to protect what we should be flying out of LHR (or UK as the case may be), as opposed to what we are actually flying. If we adjust the AF/KLM JV language to reflect the supposed Virgin JV, do we use:

Actual flying, which is below our contractual protection
Supposably correct flying, if our production balance were being maintained in good faith
Make up flying, as if the Company were going to make up the EASK deficit

Hence the problem with our three year measurement window. We have no way to cure the current deficit before some other deal comes along. When that deal comes along, how do we deal with the promise not kept, since the cure period is so far off in the future?

I do not want to adjust to the new reality without crystal clear recognition that our EASK balance is in fact in deficit.

Quote:

Originally Posted by flyallnite (Post 1309410)

As for us, our LHR flights are relatively few right now, except for ATL and JFK.

Probably the metric we need to look at is EU flying from the beginning of the current AF/KLM JV, or AZ addition. Our flying has diminished to less than our agreed share. Some of us are watching our contract, and patiently waiting for the cure period.

My fear is:
- we've pulled a bunch of Euro flying
+ we have flown a little more LHR
- yet, we are below our half of the JV flying
-----------------------------
If we let "them" pull our LHR flying metric, we've lost pilots in the deal

The new deal should not provide the Company with an easy way out of not meeting the current agreement, but the task is going to be a tough nut to crack. Further, if we are owed our deficit, an adjusted smaller AF/KLM JV would make it even more difficult to cure. Overlapping and separate JV, with one already in arrears is going to be hard to fix.

Get behind your reps and push. ...

Now that we've got Virgin Atlantic and Australia covered, does anyone see real value in acquiring Virgin America? Do they have any assets or just a bunch of leases and debt? My opinion, but they just don't seem big enough to even come into play. I do think our feed to the widebody Virgins will be the straw that broke the camels back for Virgin America.

Johnso, you really are a fair moderator. I didn't think the pic crossed the proverbial line. It was meant to be amusing. I've read the tos and felt it was grey enough to allow it. Maybe in a pre-Jesse ban world it might have provided a laugh for my APC brothers and sisters. (-: My wife still thinks I'm an idiot for putting a pancake on our cats head. I'm moving on......handshake and a beer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by forgot to bid (Post 1308981)

I interrupt the current train of conversation to remind you a) to bid and b) new Star Trek trailer is out...

BLECH. Most, if not all Star Trek movies are fail.

Lets see, how many ST movies central plot lines are about:

1) Angry, unstoppable alien probe seeks to destroy Earth (1 & 4)

2) Angry, unstoppable villian(s) and/or alien(s) seeks revenge on Earth, the Federation and/or Kirk/Picard (2,3,5,6, Generations, Insurrection, Nemisis, the "Bad Reboot" Star Trek, and apparently this new one as well).

Maybe everyone in the Federation should just move to Andor, since it seems very seldom that Andorians get visited by angry, unstoppable probes or ex-villians seeking revenge.

Nu

Quote:

Originally Posted by hoserpilot (Post 1309478)

Johnso, you really are a fair moderator. I didn't think the pic crossed the proverbial line. It was meant to be amusing. I've read the tos and felt it was grey enough to allow it. Maybe in a pre-Jesse ban world it might have provided a laugh for my APC brothers and sisters. (-: My wife still thinks I'm an idiot for putting a pancake on our cats head. I'm moving on......handshake and a beer.

hoserpilot,

Deal. :) I can't guarantee that every mod would have deleted it, but I also can't guarantee that I'm the only one who would. Moderating can be difficult because even though there are written rules, there are times where interpretation applies. IOW, it's not always a open and shut case. Moderators do discuss reported posts and threads and sometimes disagree as to whether something violated TOS or not.

FWIW, I loved the pancake shot. Maybe it will resurrect the pancake head shot frenzy. :D

Quote:

From todays ALPA blast:

ALPA, joined by Airlines for America and the Regional Airline Association, wrote FAA Acting Administrator Huerta to urge the agency to grant flight-hour credit to current pilots based on their airline training and experience as they draft new regulations to raise certification standards for newly hired airline pilots. This flexibility is important to ALPA pilots who have been flying for a considerable amount of time, but who may not meet the requirements needed to possess an airline transport pilot (ATP) certificate. An ATP certificate will be required by law for all pilots in FAR 121 operations effective August 2, 2013.
Granting experienced and professional pilots credit for their training and employment experience will allow them to qualify for a new “restricted” ATP that will ensure ALPA pilots remain in the air and do not experience a break in employment as a result of the new rules.
ALPA also urged the FAA to act quickly and issue a final rule on the ATP requirement before August 1, 2013. Read the letter.

RAA= this is the same piece of "poop" organization that justifies $19/per hour regional jobs. I actually watched a series on the life of a regional pilot where the media interviewed the head of the RAA. The leader of the RAA was trying to convince the public ,via spin, that Regional pilots made quite a good living at $19/hr.

I am glad ALPA and the RAA are friends.

TEN

Quote:

Originally Posted by slowplay (Post 1309458)

Yeah, poor New York. THey've gone from 900 pilots to 1300 pilots since the merger and added equipment.

What an A-hole comment to make about your fellow pilots, those you supposedly work either for or with?
Since the merger how much has the combined pilot group grown?

It seems to me that we are shrinking as a pilot group. but Ma D is still able to make money in a down economy. This seems to be a direct correlation to all the Codeshares that have been signed to over the last few years...AF/KLM, VA, GOL(???), Aero Mexico, Virgin Aurstralia, Alaska, Some South American Co that I cant remember, and I am sure there is some I missed.
Does anyone else think that its just about a full time job to track these agreements and ensure compliance? Who does this for us at DALPA, are they are on FPL? Cause it seems to me the devil is in the details, and keeping track of xyz to be sure we arent fed a bunch of misunderstandings//IE Lies abouty compliance from the Motherland is of the UTMOST importance to us. If some Pilot aint doing it full time, then we should be contracting that out, cause again...Compliance is critical to our jobs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Purple Drank (Post 1309438)

Does anyone think this VA tie-up will result in any Delta widebody growth?

That's a problem.

My glass half full viewpoint is not likely.