I heard a guy in the pilot lounge telling a story about a flight landing at an outstation a few weeks ago with a MX write-up. He said Delta chartered a flight for the replacement parts and a mechanic to fix the bad jet over night.

If it's true...apparently there is plenty of extra cash in the budget. Good thing we let them off with 4/8/3/3.

Lots of guys here have the mentality that since things sucked for them it's ok for it to be bad for others. Examples would include newhires still having to pay for a hotel (even though even the regionals will take care of that), and wanting to go back to a seniority only reserve system where the junior guys take a beating while the senior guys have a paid vacation nearly every month. Things will never get better if we don't change this mentality. We should be trying to make things better, not rationalizing things since they were bad in the past. As a side note it seems like our work rules are going more toward that of regional airlines.

I'm afraid you might be right:mad: That said, in recent years they have definitely found success going after senior guys (less than 10 years left). Then ALPA sells it with catch phrases like "time value of money". A forward thinking union would not go along with this but alas they seem ok trading a minor money grab for scope sales. No long term strategy for the good of all pilots hurts the entire profession forever as David Behncke rolls over in his grave.

For the record the exact same sales job is going on over at Alaska Air Group right now. "Hurry guys take the money...this wont last long...we will worry about tightening scope next contract". It boggles the mind with all the carnage of outsourced flying and what appears to be ripening for more outsourced large RJ flying at Alaska (which could translate into outsourced Delta flying because the union will allow whatever Alaska was doing at Delta in the event of a Delta merger...the precedent has already been established). Still scratching my head how/why a few guys at the top of national and heading these ALPA MEC's continue to make the same mistakes and refuse to implement a long term strategy that would reverse a trend that continues to poison this career.

A couple of points about the foregoing posts.

ALPA had (and has) a role in the furlough of Delta pilots and the "regionalization" of work rules. They both stem from ALPA leaders who allowed and fought for a different, lower, standard of Delta pilot called Delta Connection.

Once we (ALPA, our union) allowed management to enjoy a lower standard (as we just did with Pinnacle) on our property we lost the moral high ground on scheduling, rest and compensation. If the lower standard is good enough for one pilot, management will want the less expensive option applied to all pilots.

The furloughs of the last decade were completely unnecessary and avoidable. Delta hired more pilots within Delta's brand than were furloughed.

ALPA failed by breaking unity. ALPA has not learned from the mistakes of the past, yet. We should be fighting for one, higher standard, for all pilots. Not separating those within the class and craft of Delta pilots.

This is not a pro-DPA post. The DPA does not address this failing either (and lacks the tools ALPA enjoys which would be needed to restore true unity). We need to lean on our Reps not to accept a different, lower, standard to be enjoyed by Delta management on our property.

What happened with the proposed ORD/LAX gate swap with United?

You folks see the order from Skywest for all those big RJ's. They must feel pretty confident that they will be getting scope relief in the future by some union, followed by all the others to "be able to compete".

Total, with options (which Skywest historically exercises) their order book is right at 600 large small jets. :eek:

The crisis bargaining that ALPA addressed with Pinnacle's cut rate Delta MEC end run was complete and total manure (or ignorant). Thanks to the goings on at American and what was Continental, there is plenty of new regional flying to be had.

Or Skywest just morphs into a legacy. NAH!!!

Or they could be thinking of replacing their older 76 seaters which will be 15 years old when these start being delivered.

I think in this instance ALPA was thinking like a business. Perhaps airline management or a consultant said that overall, ALPA will get more dues $$$ and more political power by expanding the regionals.

ie - rather than say (completely made up numbers) 20,000 well paid pilots, 40,000 pilots who are paid moderate wages will result in more dues $$$ and more power for ALPA.