No its not! Especially if you are NYC MD-88 !

I've heard this rumor. But I've also heard the counter rumor ... DC-9s have too many cycles on them. And flying the shuttle trips putting 8 or so cycles on them each day will bring their demise even quicker than expected.

Rumors are rumors ...

-Fatty

Jumpseating on on NW the other day I heard that Delta is making the NW pilots attend a 1 hour class on why the hat is important has anyone else heard this?

My two cents on the hat .... get over it. At least you've gotten a nice pay raise to go along with it.

-Fatty

Yeah i know but there is likely to be alot of that going around. The bus's are going to get moved around also and i will probably have to move bases. Who knows? We havent seen the plans yet. I am sure most of our DC9 guys dont want to go to NYC either ;) If that happens i am sure it will go VERY junior. As far as cycles go, that isnt accurate info. The DC9 fleet manager told me that the Cycles on the 9's arent that high believe it or not. He told me that the -9s could in theory be flown into the 2020's if needed. He said the limitation on the DC9s arent the Cycles but actually its a navigation issue. With VORs being decommissioned left and right they will either have to update the 9's or just fly headings ;)

They could hook them up with GPS if they use the MFDs we have in them. We'll see.

I am pretty sure he was joking :D That or i have missed the memo on the Hat Class LOL

The DC9 airframe is good for 104,000 cycles. Many of the DC9's are at half that, if even that many. Cycles ARE NOT an issue.

If cycles are not an issue, neither is the navigation then. You can fly the NYC to BOS or DCA completely on VORs and the route wouldn't change.

-Fatty

That may be why they want to do it. They can then use the Maddogs on the routes to compete with Airtran. The updated interiors in them would be a good selling point. once the RJs get cut back both will be possible. There is alot of shifting about to happen and we will all adjust. Thats exactly why i am not moving to a base yet because i want to see how it all settles out. we'll see

More flying and hiring at Mainline is always a good thing. Lets hope the rumors are true.

I did not say rumor, just grumblings. A few internal and one or two external with a few of the vendors we use for pilot stuff.

Hopefully it will come to fruition. I know that we have been approved to hire at least 150 on the DAL side for next year. I am sure the picture will become clearer after SLI.

Its only a hat if you wear it. :p