Don't forget most people would put me in that bucket, too. Shame!! Shaaaaaaame!!

 

Welcome to the club!!!!

 

LOL...
Well, you two are too hard for me to categorize, I have to take each of your posts on it's merits We probably have 40% congruence of thought. Well, 20% for SailorJerry heh.

SailorJerry I just can't decide on... at first I thought he was right in there with slowplay and sailing, but sometimes he posts fairly radical positions and sounds like a 10-year stagnated 2001 hire furloughee SHOULD sound who had even an ounce of healthy skepticism.

I never feel Johnso29 is trying to push some agenda or talking points, but is just enthusiastic about some things I am a bit more cynical on. I'm about as optimistic as they come on Delta really, but all my "data analysis" flags are raised when I see certain numbers thrown around that I know are exactly what I'd be pushing if I were the guy trying to throw folks off the scent when they got too close to an ugly truth.

I think somewhere there is a nefarious guy with an evil agenda of trying to sideline critical thinking, who is like "Hey Evil Brethren, I have some more GREAT numbers we've calculated that are SURE to draw attention away from where we don't want it. If we use the inverse of how the numbers are usually expressed they sound really low! I'll pass them along to our Enthusiastic Dupe, johnso29, to slip the info out there in the stream hey? These nums are so tempting he's sure to be all over them within days!"
It's like Satan and his minions slipping bad info to a really honest and enthusiastic Priest, who spreads the bad word all unbeknownst to himself, in his fervor to Spread the Good Word Or the Patriotic Intel Guy who THINKS he's passing info to Israel, but has actually been turned by the Russians and is doing the exact opposite of what he thinks he is. Heh. Maybe a bit overboard, but I do get a chuckle with this image every time I see johnso jumping on some data that I myself think is bogus. The nice thing about johnso is that he doesn't get so worked up that it gets insulting, so it usually ends up just a difference of opinion that folks may be willing to consider, since no one flat out called them a dou che.

It won't let me post another smiley, so here's a "LOL" to keep it light.

 

"Capacity Discipline", don't get too excited

 

Gentlemen, this has nothing to do with who is or who isn't optimistic about our airline. We all hope for the best. This is a debate on exactly what will make our families futures the brightest while not killing our golden goose. To be lumped in with the slowplay/sailingfun/alfaromeo group doesn't mean you're too optimistic about Delta. To many of us, it means you hold our bargaining agent in the most favorable possible light...no matter what. Even when that national agent does something as egregious as the Pinnacle deal. When I see you instantly go into the "defend ALPA mode", it makes me just do the face palm.

Carl

 

Delta is like a elephant. They never forget so yes they hold long grudges. The A321 rumors are just that. The company has stated they want 30 to 40 more narrow body aircraft to augment the order for the 900's. That could be more 900's or A321's. One way or another you are going to hear about both aircraft as they are played against each other. No real new news here. What is new however is the discussion of some bridge widebody aircraft. The company originally said they were happy with the WB fleet and they would place a WB order for aircraft this year however it would be for mostly replacement aircraft after 2017. They are now hinting at a bridge order for 10 to 15 widebodies for near term delivery that would be growth aircraft. They are talking 777 or A330. I suspect whoever offers the best deal will get the contract for both orders. The A330 has had a recent gross weight increase which makes it a more attractive to Delta then in the past.
Going against Alaska in SEA I suspect is not going to happen. We don't have any gate space on LAX or SEA. If they add some more international in SEA then gates will be really tight. The same applies in LAX and contrary to what has been posted here Alaska is not using are gates in LA. They swapped the gates they had in LA to move over to terminal 6 to co locate with Delta but the additional gates gained in 6 belong to them. We can put some pressure on them with bigger aircraft but any route we go head to head on with them becomes a large money loser for both sides. Alaska has deep pockets and a long battle could happen. I think RA will reach a mutual agreement with them instead of going that route.

 

In general, I'm an optimistic person. There are days where I feel pessimistic and perhaps feel we should have done better here or there. But then I talk to pilots from other airlines and realize that they gripe about the same things we do. At my gym this past week I was chatting with another regular who is a SWA pilot. Things are slow over there right now too. He also told me many CAs there are telling the junior FOs that they should bail for DAL or UAL!!!

Anyway, the cynicism tends to put me in a bad mood. And since I fly very little on reserve I'm home a lot. If I don't counteract cynicism with my own optimism, then that cynicism spreads to my home life(I know, it shouldn't. It really shouldn't) & makes my wife unhappy. So really, it's a defense mechanism to protect me from an angry wife!

Carl,

You and I really don't agree on anything ALPA related. And while we likely never will agree, I do appreciate the way you present your debates. You tend not to insult, & I appreciate that. I have nothing against debates and the sharing of differing views, so long as they're presented in a constructive and respectful manner.

FYI, I was unhappy with the Pinnacle deal. I wrote my Rep regarding it. I haven't defended that deal. I don't like the precedent that it could set.

 

Yeah. Kingsley is a real radical outsider. He'll shake things up for sure.

 

I have a feeling your mood will change as the full productivity the company won (ie you are away from your family not by choice) is put into action over the coming months. Giving up work rules that decrease quality of life. DUMB DUMB DUMB! You will see. I have lived through this before and it's not fun.

 

I'd heard so much good about constructive engagement when I stepped foot through the door here that I assumed that ALPA could do no wrong. By the end of my newhire pizza and beer fest I was angry enough to say something to the newhire guy. ALPA, as you pointed out earlier, was in fact the guiding force of the pilots - not the other way around, as it should be. It was clear, and remains clear over 2 years later that all committees are operating and dictating opinion TO the pilots while intentionally withholding facts. I never went into defend ALPA mode about the PNCL thing. (Mr Johnso on the other hand...) but I was at least put at ease after I reached out to my rep and got the facts. It's been years since anyone said "well the pilots think..." to management here. That's wrong.

I always tried to make sure constituent pilots have all the facts. We lead busy, complicated lives as pilots, and there's enough information flowing out there that we could literally be overwhelmed by it. I'm thankful that some guys are crazy enough to try to wrestle with it all, but I'd appreciate a bigger picture view, and I'd appreciate more reps flying the line, rather than being part time office jockeys. Been there, tried that - you lose touch after about 10 days away from the line.

Bottom line, ALPA lost the right to make up my mind for me after 10 days on the property. If I support them, even over something contentious, it's because unity is the prevailing winning condition. I assure you though, my own opinion and my own perspective is my own, typically derived from my own facts. If that's optimistic, then I guess that's a good thing. We're moving in the right direction, but I was certainly hoping for a larger shift in direction and tact from ALPA with a new poodle...err...MEC Chairman in place.