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

johnso29 05-31-2013 01:58 PM


Originally Posted by forgot to bid (Post 1419179)
ATL 88B!

23 GS today as of 3pm. now just imagine how bad it would have been if the contract had made us less productive not more?


Originally Posted by A6danimal (Post 1419188)
And 4 in MSP, 2 in CVG and 2 in NYC. Of all of those (including FTB's above), 17 are 2nd GS of bid period and 2 are 3rd GS. Captains have 4 out of base/instructor GS's (CVG/MSP) and 2 IA's (those in MSP). This while we are still staffed at or close to what we had before the last AE chopped MSP88B by 30 and -A by 20. Maybe someone realized they were wrong and that explains the new AE?
Prediction: MD's out of 717 categories BACK into 88's!!:eek:
You THOUGHT you'd get the summer off ...


Gentleman,

Mainline block hours are increasing. Why do you think Flight Ops has been begging to hire? I bet we see reserves not flying to ALV + 15, GSs flowing, and the metrics starting to suffer. Why do you think they have gone to uplinking numbers, single point disconnecting of the tow bars, and taxi time reductions? They know this summer will be tight staffing wise, and they're doing every little thing they can think of to help. Hiring is around the corner IMO.

forgot to bid 05-31-2013 02:01 PM


Originally Posted by johnso29 (Post 1419292)
Gentleman,

Mainline block hours are increasing. Why do you think Flight Ops has been begging to hire? I bet we see reserves not flying to ALV + 15, GSs flowing, and the metrics starting to suffer. Why do you think they have gone to uplinking numbers, single point disconnecting of the tow bars, and taxi time reductions? They know this summer will be tight staffing wise, and they're doing every little thing they can think of to help. Hiring is around the corner IMO.

Did you mean I bet we see reserves flying to ALV+15? You said not.

Scoop 05-31-2013 02:04 PM


Originally Posted by sailingfun (Post 1419284)
It could also be that they use a standard template for painting gates. In most airports these type functions are controlled by the airport authority and don't even involve Delta. If anyone thinks that Delta concluded a secret deal to purchase aircraft for near term delivery and went out and ordered ramps painted before anything else they are smoking something I need to get a hold of when I retire. The RFP's are for deliveries starting in 2015.


Sailing,

I agree 100% - lines painted at the gates don't mean squat. I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to take a shot at the seemingly never-ending codeshares/JVs.

By the way, if each individual codeshare or JV is good for DAL Pilots we should be hiring Pilots by the thousands with all of our code-shares, JV's and whatever it is our deal with Alaska is called. :p

Scoop

fishguy79 05-31-2013 02:05 PM


Originally Posted by forgot to bid (Post 1419281)
Yeah SD's Flight Ops Weekly Update is out on the subject.

FTB cliff notes: This AE and Surplus bid will make staffing adjustments for fall of 2013 and spring of 2014. Since the last AE they've received clarity from Network and thus will take this opportunity to adjust staffing accordingly focusing of course on 7ER, 88 and A320.

Conversions/training off this bid would be as early as July and completed by December of this year.


I hope the rumors of displacements are not true. If it is true then it is complete BS. I am getting sick and tired of being LIED to by the fourth floor... After the last massive displacement bid, they came out and said this should be the last. We will be posting AE's for the new A/C. It is bad enough they were able to staff almost a quarter of our "growth aircraft" thru a displacement bid, now it appears to be continuing. I do not get paid to make these decisions and I really do not concern my self with how they decide to do it. But I do take offense to being misled by almost every leader in the flight ops dept. I do not believe for one second, that they do not have a plan on where we are headed. It must not be pleasant because they are certainly going out of the way to be deceptive. vent over.

Purple Drank 05-31-2013 02:08 PM


Originally Posted by sailingfun (Post 1419284)
I If anyone thinks that Delta concluded a secret deal to purchase aircraft for near term delivery and went out and ordered ramps painted before anything else they are smoking something I need to get a hold of when I retire.

Just like the 717s?

We all know how that worked out for us.

Company: "What are you willing to give up for these airplanes we've already bought?"
ALPA : "Whatever you want! Can we be facebook friends now?"

sailingfun 05-31-2013 02:37 PM


Originally Posted by johnso29 (Post 1419292)
Gentleman,

Mainline block hours are increasing. Why do you think Flight Ops has been begging to hire? I bet we see reserves not flying to ALV + 15, GSs flowing, and the metrics starting to suffer. Why do you think they have gone to uplinking numbers, single point disconnecting of the tow bars, and taxi time reductions? They know this summer will be tight staffing wise, and they're doing every little thing they can think of to help. Hiring is around the corner IMO.

Mainline block hours overall are about the same as last year. Between the early retirement programs and returning leaves pilot numbers are also about the same. The real year over year increases in mainline block hours start in the last quarter of this year when the 717 and new 737' start arriving. One difference is that we are not seeing the reductions this summer we saw the last 4 years.
On Monday we will find out the changes made by marketing be the good or bad.
I am still waiting for someone to explain why we don't have a massive surplus of pilots given the hundreds if not thousands of jobs lost in the new contract.

Carl Spackler 05-31-2013 02:46 PM


Originally Posted by sailingfun (Post 1419332)
I am still waiting for someone to explain why we don't have a massive surplus of pilots given the hundreds if not thousands of jobs lost in the new contract.

We do have a very large surplus of pilots. Very large. Fat in nearly every category except for the 3 summer months that are easily handled by people begging to white slip. That surplus only enlarged by the very large increase in productivity allowed by this contract.

The company has decided it makes economic sense to carry all the extra pilots as opposed to furloughing. That's their economic decision. Once again, we have a very large surplus of pilots at ma Delta.

Carl

Bucking Bar 05-31-2013 04:07 PM


Originally Posted by sailingfun (Post 1419220)
They need to hire to cover the planned increase in mainline block hours driven by the new contract. The RFP'S for additional aircraft are for deliveries in 2015 and later so they would not impact this bid or other bids until the fall of 14. This bid is probably exactly what they say. Staffing adjustments for the A320, 767 and maddog. The question is have they revised the block hours up or down. We will know on Monday.

Connecting the dots:
- more airplanes coming
- planned shift of flying to mainline, increasing block
- YOY staffing neutral because furlough returns exceed retirements
- Continued talk of Winter hiring
- Cheap oil (which benefits Delta)

Two possible scenarios
1) Pushing FO's down to "new hire" positions (which we already did and the 717 went kinda senior)
2) Staffing Captain positions and leaving room on the FO side for new hires

Option 2 does potentially include 330, 320, 7ER A push to 88, 717, 73N A slots. If this happens in Atlanta it involves the top half to third of the list and maybe gets absorbed prior to the bottom third. In fact, if it is positive, excess 7ER B's might be seeing the Jackson MS from the left seat.

... and I'm thinking more option 2 than option 1. Our load factors seem to be holding up.

johnso29 05-31-2013 04:10 PM


Originally Posted by Bucking Bar (Post 1419421)
Connecting the dots:
- more airplanes coming
- planned shift of flying to mainline, increasing block
- YOY staffing neutral because furlough returns exceed retirements
- Continued talk of Winter hiring
- Cheap oil (which benefits Delta; gas guzzling old fleet with no payments)

Two possible scenarios
1) Pushing FO's down to "new hire" positions (which we already did and the 717 went kinda senior)
2) Staffing Captain positions and leaving room on the FO side for new hires

Option 2 does potentially include 330, 320, 7ER A push to 88, 717, 73N A slots. If this happens in Atlanta it involves the top half to third of the list and maybe gets absorbed prior to the bottom third. In fact, if it is positive, excess 7ER B's might be seeing the Jackson MS from the left seat.

... and I'm thinking more option 2 than option 1. Our load factors seem to be holding up.


I agree BB. Number 2 is more likely IMO.

Bucking Bar 05-31-2013 04:18 PM


Originally Posted by johnso29 (Post 1419425)
I agree BB. Number 2 is more likely IMO.

I'm not the expert on the new FTDT stuff, but it seems like the Company might be able to avoid "dinner and a movie" rotations in the not too distant future and use those pilots as MD88A's.

It is not the kind of widebody flying movement we would like to see, but not disastrous either. End of the day, Delta makes some tweaks to increase efficiency.


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