imho T, its just like watching flood waters creep up. I parked next to a E175 the other day in MSY and had to look up at it from the 90, they're not small. They may seat half as many but a version of what Skywest is ordering and what RAH is flying in mass is as large as our 717s. They're creeping up.

what small jet scope erosion reminds me of is watching a bill move through congress that you hate. At first you hear its got no chance, then it hangs around, next thing you know it may have 51 votes then it has 60 votes next thing you hear 70 votes and off to the House where you thought it had no chance too. Then it does. Momentum on the jumbo RJ class is just the same to me, its not decreasing no matter what's happening to the 50 seaters- that management wants to replace with 76 seaters.

Sure we'd never let 77 seaters or larger to be outsourced but I have a feeling in 1995 nobody would have envisioned E175s being outsourced much less in 1989. And sure some will pound their keyboard and say not one more pound, not one more seat, etc, but many of the people who said that voted yes on the TA.

 

It should factor into every argument here until we recover the flying lost by Delta pilots.

The point was well made by a Jet Blue Captain who was hired the same month I hired in at Delta. He's 50% in category on that type, holding mostly weekends off ... meanwhile I'm planning a third displacement move.

Delta was a first choice airline. Jet Blue was not. Thus far, Jet Blue has been a much better opportunity.

 

I get your pessimism somewhat, but I don't think it has much merit in this case. We already have (coming) 88 aircraft that fit this metric. I don't think DAL needs any more (although I cannot prove that). Assuming we did, the precedent is already in place for them to be at mainline. How could the company legitimately sell the need to have them at the regionals? The camel looks into everybody's tents ya know..

 

I would argue (if I were management) that it makes more sense to operate them where the type is already being operated.

The CASM on the next, next,generation small jet is in the range to 25% less than the 717. There must be some reason Delta can find the money to buy new jets for Pinnacle, but can't seem to find the money to perform D checks on 757's.

 

This is still a better choice. Oh, and how many categories do they have? I guess if being a medium sized fish in a small pond is a better choice, then you are right, he made the better decision. If being a medium fish in a really big pond is more your speed, then....

The real issue is that if golf had do overs, Mickleson would be champ.

 

If young guys in the early part of a LBP pay scale were projected to be flying those airframes instead of a seat/weight/productivity type scale, we would have a great counter to that argument. If we price ourselves out of the market just because we are at mainline.. not so much. I don't think there's a snowball's chance in Atlanta that those things would ever go to the regionals, but if we insist on being noncompetitive with their costs, then our arguments are weak. Baby steps. The 717s are the first baby step.

 

Having more categories is only an advantage if a person is bidding into them instead of being displaced out of them ... .

 

There are other factors too. They are non union. If they get bought by anybody other than DAL, they are screwed. Would you still believe your compatriot is in a better position? If it is fair to look backward, it is also fair to look forward although forward vision is not 20/20. I know a guy that bailed DAL during BK for SWA. I am not so sure that other than the fact that he is driving to work (which might well be a great decision for him) that that was a better choice. I THINK.. he would be holding 7ER-A right now had he stayed.

The dam will break here. Eventually.

My glass is still half full.

 

Management says if the glass is half full, then it has twice the capacity needed and will reduce capacity until it achieves maximum utilization of the glass.

 

That is a really sad perspective.