The consensus is that it is risk versus reward. The risk is that we are crappy negotiators, write really bad contract language for the JV and outsource international flying to JAL. My observation so far is that DALPA tends to do all the hand wringing and debating in secret then pass an agreement and then the pilots find out how crappy it is after it is too late for input from the pilots actually doing the flying.

The reward is if we negotiate good scope language, keep AMR/BA out of the deal, gain sole US carrier international access to Haneda in the bilateral and at the very least split new flying proportionally with JAL unions.

For the few on the DAL-N side that remember him, we should renew our consultant contract with Mr. Morita in Japan. He has always been an avid supporter of NW and has saved the bacon of many pilots (and the company) on numerous occasions.. I hope he has not passed on as I have not seen him in many years.

Bombardier Celebrates Groundbreaking for New CSeries Aircraft Manufacturing Site


September 15, 2009 — Montréal
Aerospace

Today marked a major achievement for the CSeries aircraft program as Bombardier Aerospace celebrated the groundbreaking of the first CSeries aircraft building in Québec, Canada. Located at Mirabel, 45 minutes north of Montréal, the Complete Integrated Aircraft Systems Test Area (CIASTA) is a testing and systems-proving facility that will house a virtual CSeries test aircraft. The CIASTA will test aircraft systems for reliability and functionality one year before the first prototype aircraft flies.

Attended by Bombardier’s employees, suppliers, partners, customers and the media, the groundbreaking lays the path for the new aircraft’s entry into service in 2013.

“It’s a red-letter day for the program and an important day for Bombardier Aerospace,” noted Guy Hachey, President and Chief Operating Officer, Bombardier Aerospace in his remarks to the assembled guests. “Today we begin work on the facilities that will be the site of the first CSeries test aircraft. Eventually we will erect a complex of buildings here that will total 860,000 square feet – that’s the size of 15 football fields – to produce the CSeries family of aircraft.”

The CIASTA will be constructed as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building, the first such building for Bombardier Aerospace in the world. LEED is a third-party certification program and an internationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings.

The design and construction of the CIASTA is on track and is expected to be ready for test rig assembly next year. Wieland-Dafco Québec Inc. and Ghafari Associates LLC have been contracted to construct the building.

As part of Bombardier’s mandate to contribute to a more sustainable future for aviation, the company’s priority is to design and manufacture the most fuel-efficient aircraft with the lowest gas and noise emissions in their category. The mandate also extends to Bombardier’s manufacturing processes and facilities. Making effective use of existing resources where possible, the CIASTA will be reconstructed from an existing fuel-flow building.

“We seek consistency and uniformity when it comes to being greener whether it’s our aircraft or the facilities in which they are tested and built,” said Mr. Hachey.

The CIASTA will house, among other things, the CSeries aircraft Integrated Systems Test and Certification Rig (ISTCR) or Iron Bird as it is usually called. This will be the first complete test vehicle enabling earlier product maturity. Flight control systems, avionics, electrical and environmental controls will be tested one year ahead of the actual flight test program. Other test articles will include an Interiors Rig, a Systems Integration Test Stand (SITS), an Engineering Simulator (ESIM) and Flight Controls Integration Lab (FCIL).

Bombardier achieved another milestone for the CSeries aircraft program recently when the first test article - a fuselage test barrel - arrived ahead of schedule at its Saint-Laurent, Québec site from China on August 19, 2009. The test barrel is now being prepared for fatigue testing including pressure cycle testing representative of the life of the aircraft. The test barrel will be used to demonstrate manufacturing and engineering structural concepts before the CSeries aircraft’s final design phase begins in 2010.

Earlier this year, the CSeries aircraft program officially transitioned from the Joint Conceptual Definition Phase (JCDP) to the Joint Definition Phase (JDP). The latter phase will bring with it greater product definition and is expected to close with the preliminary design freeze.

Since launching the CSeries family of aircraft at the Farnborough Air Show in July 2008, Bombardier has recorded firm orders for 50 CS100 and CS300 aircraft from Deutsche Lufthansa AG and Lease Corporation International Group. The CSeries aircraft which are optimized for the longer range, single-aisle 100- to 145-seat market will deliver the lowest operating costs in their class, exceptional operational flexibility, widebody comfort and an unmatched environmental scorecard.

About Bombardier
A world-leading manufacturer of innovative transportation solutions, from commercial aircraft and business jets to rail transportation equipment, systems and services, Bombardier Inc. is a global corporation headquartered in Canada. Its revenues for the fiscal year ended Jan. 31, 2009, were $19.7 billion US, and its shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD). Bombardier is listed as an index component to the Dow Jones Sustainability World and North America indexes. News and information are available at Bombardier Inc. - Bombardier - Home.

Notes to Editors
Photos: CS100 and CS300 aircraft.

Photos from the groundbreaking ceremony will be available shortly in our

lifted from the onion.

There's only so many places you can go for headlines like:

NuGuy, check your PM

My favorite is still: Tom Coughlin Retires From Family To Spend More Time With His Team.

The Giants Coach said he valued the years he spent with his family, but wants to focus on more important things now.

My all time favorite "Long awaited baby boomer die off begins."

[quote=Nosmo King;678924][Begin Sarcasm]

This is because there is no O&D traffic in Tokyo. Obviously Tokyo has the same lack of international travelers, population base and economic base as Keflavik. This is what makes it an apples to apples comparison. We should just drop out of Japan altogether and do nothing but overfly. Nobody in Asia wants to fly to Japan and nobody in the US wants to fly to Japan, and the Japanese hate to travel, so its all an illusion.
[End Sarcasm]

Nosmo,
Better to not give our "Crack management team" any ideas. Besides being the number 1 airline in the world at "poising," DAL is also the undisputed world leader in pulling out of markets. ;)

Scoop

This is the best onion news report: YouTube - Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard

Besides funny rumors generated by the onion, are they any really good Delta rumors? ACL? Nostradamus? Anyone?