In related news, EBay flooded with ads for "Delta Air Lines Westin Heavenly Blankets." Google notes that this is the first week "Blanket" has replaced "seat belt extension" as the most commonly resold airline commodity.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw...anket&_sacat=0

 

I think this summer is going to see the most Green Slips that we've seen in the last 4-5 years. At the last 44 LEC meet it was mentioned than mainline block hours in July will actually be up over last year.

I'm not sure what's up with the 88B RES in ATL but the utilization is way up from a year ago. I can't believe how many guys are in bucket 2 and 3 in one of our slowest months of the year. A year ago many reserves didn't work, this year it's not uncommon to see greenslips going out for the 88B's from time to time.

IMO the hiring question will be painfully clear to management by the end of the summer.

 

Highly doubt that. They're just gonna move all of us bums not working on the ER back down to the Mad Dog. I was in ATL in the winter of last year and wasn't working either. So what did they do? They displaced me to the ER in NY where again I'm not working. Someday they MIGHT figure it out.

Went and looked at all the M88 bases and it looks like all the reserves have been humping this winter. Seems to me they threw a bunch of people off last year and now the flying is catching back up. Guess I'm going to go pull all my 88 manuals back out and get ready for the displacements.

Check out the guys on the 320 in NY as well. OUCH!!

 

As in the entire base? Can't imagine Delta would have just a M88 category for a base.

 

Yes. And I think the reserve utilization increase during high demand periods remains mostly theoretical. In my experience (combined decade on reserve across two carriers) the schedules just are not efficient enough to achieve the max allowed before running into FAR or physiological limitations.

I've done a >24 hour duty day as a result of a late day short call into an flag operation and it was not a good idea. Legal, but not smart.

 

The DTW flying will be funded with the new aircraft deliveries. There are no plans to close CVG at the moment. The company would not want the training involved at this time.

 

I'll have 78.5 hours for February on Reserve. ALV is 72. I shudder to think what summer will hold.

I don't know if ALV+15 will be enough to keep up with demand. I guess once we start canceling flights due to lack of pilots then hiring will commence.

 

Are we putting lie flats in 757s or do they just mean the international business elite seats that it already has?

"Delta is also enhancing the sleep experience by expanding full flat-bed seating. Delta is introducing full flat-bed seats in the BusinessElite cabin of all transcontinental flights operating between New York and Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle beginning in March 2013. All of Delta's Boeing 757 and 767 aircraft serving these transcontinental markets will offer the flatbed seats over the next 24 months. Delta's decision to install full flat-bed seats on its transcontinental flights complements the airline's current investment in full flat-bed seats on its entire international widebody fleet of more than 140 aircraft. By the end of 2013, 70 percent of all Delta aircraft will have flat beds and, in early 2014, Delta's entire widebody fleet is scheduled to be complete."

 

That's how it works at DCI (ASA in particular). It seems mainline has the same playbook.

 

The extra move in Delta's play book is flag operations. IMHO one of the reasons for making the 767 (domestic) category 7ER (international).