another one who thinks he knows "Joe". The truth is that "Joe" gets a rise out of saying things that make you guy's blood pressure rise. And you fall for it every time! :D

Actually, that's not true. As part of the deal for SkyWest to buy ASA, (and thus financing DAL's exit from bankruptcy), SkyWest Inc. was guaranteed a large portion of DAL feeder flying (purported to be 80% of ATL and SLC). That's why CMR is getting hosed, because DAL can't go after ASA/SKW, has had no success with Mesa, and RA plays golf with PCL's PT. The cuts have to come from somewhere. Unfortunately, XJ is probably next. I thank the heavens every day that DAL sold us. Being a DAL WO is probably the worst thing that can be wished on a regional.

You don't have to have a Ph.D. in Psychology to understand that some people are not applying because they afraid to fail.
Then their mind is racing day and night to justify their decision and tell everyone about it. Even tell that their imaginary friends confirmed it.
It's all good. The important thing is to be grateful for what you got.

69 guys retired yesterday, didn't they? How about it?

See? You're pontificating about someone you've never met. "Joe" isn't afraid to fail and he isn't jealous. He's lazy. He enjoys his time off, either at his cabin in the mountains or on his sailboat in FL. Why would he want to start over again, take a huge pay cut that would take 10 years to recoup, and lose his seniority just to do the EXACT SAME JOB on a bigger plane?

Some said "a future"? Think outside the box. ASA isn't going anywhere. Some airline will always need feed, as Pan Am proved. ASA in particular has a bright future... even if it's not with DAL.

The bottom line is that "Joe" points out the irony in a lot of the mainline pilots' attitudes that "what's mine is mine and what's yours is mine". I agree with him when he says that you shouldn't have let the horse out of the barn with scope. But you did. Now it's too late, because that horse mated with the other horses that got out and created a gigantic herd of wild mavericks. You can't put that back in the barn. So instead of posturing and running your mouths about taking it back, and pounding your chests, why don't we just find a way to mutually coexist?

Joe;
You are correct. There are some that may regret it but they are not at DAL.

As you refer to the bug smashers, that is the problem. They are no longer bug smashers like the 110 and the 120 that we flew up to a decade ago. They are Large turbo jets that in some instances can go up to five plus hours en route. That is the issue. Those jets et al used to mainline jets (732 and DC-9's). That is where the heart burn is coming from.
As you state many mainline pilots would love to fly those jets. That is correct, because everyone that is in this industry started their primary flight training or UPT with the understanding that the 70+ (DC-9 or the like) seat segment would be their first CA seat. Now the first CA seat will be in a 130, 142 and possibly a 150 seat jet.

It is not the DCI/Commuter pilots who agreed to this. You are just doing the flying that has been contracted to you. A comprehensive E and A that takes in to account more than just dollars needs to be done to re-asses if this is truly the best course of action to take.

There are many reasons not to outsource. There are also reasons to outsource as well. The question comes down to how much of a good thing is too much. As the Delta pilots on this board have overwhelmingly stated, in their minds we are way beyond this level of outsourcing being a good thing. That is why many state, I was my CA seat back. I want my career expectations back.

You are a smart guy and do not take these attacks personally. It is just a bunch of guys that are frustrated and fatigued with the way the boat is steaming. They want a course change. Many realize that it will take time, patience, lack of ego, and humility to have any positive change in the careers of Delta pilots. To do this, we need a long term strategy. I believe that there are people running for office here at DAL that see the need for this type of thinking. They will do whats best for Delta pilots, as that would be their job. In the end what is best for the Delta pilots will have a trickle down effect to 90% of the DCI pilots who hope and pray that DCI is but a stopover.

On all but the widebodies, the FOs at Delta are making less than the senior ASA/CMR/Skywest.

Wrong again Joe!!! I was an 8 year guy at skywest. 400 outta 2700 when I left. I make the same in year two at Delta flying narrow bodies. I will make substantially more in year three. Upside pay potential at mainline ... stagnation at the commuters. Also have 16-17 days off just like the commuters. Oh, and a much larger contribution to my retirement. I will concede that job security as a junior guy was my main sticking point coming to a carrier just out of bankruptcy. A nice California base was also difficult to leave. Your pay argument will never cut it though.

There is another side to the pay argument not mentioned. The hourly pay rate is only one part of a contract. The Delta contract offers many ways to exceed your hourly rate. I flew recently with a copilot making 120 an hour who broke 200k last year. I normally figure that I will see about 1100 hours of pay per year and I don't fly that much extra. Things happen. Recently I had a trip bought and picked another trip up on top of it and got paid for both. Only worked 3 days but got 43 hours pay. Overtime now pays double if you choose to fly it. Pilots who know how to work the system can often generate 1400 hours or more pay in a year. That is going to be a lot harder this year with manning way up but everything goes in cycles in this industry and we will be undermanned again. Perhaps sooner then some think.
The last point on pay. Delta is flying under a 1113 forced contract. That ends in 2012!

Quite the contrary. Most of us find it nauseating that you've been allowed to fly our aircraft for so long.

The fact you've been driving daddy's car for a while doesn't mean the keys belong to you...

With that said, when I say that "you" have been flying "our" aircraft for so long, I should point out that stopping outsourcing would have naturally shifted the definition of "us" to include "you". We're not against more qualified pilots flying Delta jets for Delta, we're against other companies poaching our flying. It's that simple.

What the heck is happening to our stock this morning? A combo of the market in general going down and Mesa's announcement that they're countersuing us? It's down almost $0.50 already!

I flew with him many times. Thanks, just sharing.