Originally Posted by acl65pilot

Think business travelers. O and D traffic. Haneda is closer. Think IAD and DCA. We would fill em.

These are the US's slots to dole out per the Open Skies Accord, not Japan's.

Think about our business model and how these slots fit with it.

There would not be a dramatic draw down of NRT. It in the end would be a different clientele.

Originally Posted by dragon

Sorry but we can have the best seats and technology in the world; but as long as we're using second or third rate service we're losing the battle. The cat ranchers have got to be upgraded as well.

Originally Posted by NuGuy

Heyas,

FWIW, I have yet to fly with ANY DALN guy that wants anything to do with a company run pension.

Throwing money down that rathole is just another invitation to do exactly the same thing to our contract that they did back in 2006.

Nu

Originally Posted by buzzpat

I agree FC. But here's my take: I was flying last week in the Northeast as well. The "predicted snow" was no where near what they though. DAL cancelled a lot of flights trying to avoid the new passenger bill of rights that limits ramp time on the aircraft. I spent two hours needlessly in MSP waiting to fly into ATL for the snow that never came. Also, case in point: I flew back into SNA on the back end of a grueling 5-day. We had to wait for 45 minutes upon arrival for our (Delta) only gate to open. We've contracted the other two out to Alaska as part of the code share. Even though one of the Alaska gates was open, our ops wouldn't clear us in. So, we sat, engine running for 45 minutes.

When we deplaned, a Delta frequent flyer platinum dude laid into me about the delay. No clue, no thanks for the pristine landing into a 5701' runway, or the brand new airplane that smelled like a new car with satellite TV and wireless. Nope, he was ****ed that we didn't have a gate. Now THAT'S a company issue, not the weather or the bill of rights. Plus, the Delta ops guy I was appealing to on the radio could have cared less. That's a lack of customer service on all fronts. I'm with you FC, we can bust our ass for the cause but if the rest of the team doesn't step up, its on us.

Originally Posted by tsquare

Why bother trying to explain it to him.. he obviously cannot see anything but NRT and the benefits it had 20 years ago. The Japanese will ALWAYS prefer to go there even if it means an hour and a half more on the train or in traffic... that's brand loyalty.

Originally Posted by buzzpat

I agree FC. But here's my take: I was flying last week in the Northeast as well. The "predicted snow" was no where near what they though. DAL cancelled a lot of flights trying to avoid the new passenger bill of rights that limits ramp time on the aircraft. I spent two hours needlessly in MSP waiting to fly into ATL for the snow that never came. Also, case in point: I flew back into SNA on the back end of a grueling 5-day. We had to wait for 45 minutes upon arrival for our (Delta) only gate to open. We've contracted the other two out to Alaska as part of the code share. Even though one of the Alaska gates was open, our ops wouldn't clear us in. So, we sat, engine running for 45 minutes.

When we deplaned, a Delta frequent flyer platinum dude laid into me about the delay. No clue, no thanks for the pristine landing into a 5701' runway, or the brand new airplane that smelled like a new car with satellite TV and wireless. Nope, he was ****ed that we didn't have a gate. Now THAT'S a company issue, not the weather or the bill of rights. Plus, the Delta ops guy I was appealing to on the radio could have cared less. That's a lack of customer service on all fronts. I'm with you FC, we can bust our ass for the cause but if the rest of the team doesn't step up, its on us.

Originally Posted by FrankCobretti

Speaking of service, here's a message I just got from a friend of mine:

WHY I'M NEVER FLYING DELTA AGAIN (unless you're the pilot): "Vermont. A cold destination. My home state. More than capable of handling the snow that brought wussy DC to its knees. But wait, it's snowing on the east coast somewhere, and my connection has been hampered by sub-par airport... crews in New York and Detroit, unable to deal with a mere 10 inches (of snow, that is). It's Friday morning, and the first time Delta can get me home is...Sunday. On a 5:50am flight no less. So I wait. Nothing wrong with Vermont for a couple of extra days after all. I go to a hockey game. I drink some beer. Sunday morning arrives -- and my flight is canceled. No reason. How could there be one, since there's no snow in sight in Vermont or NYC or Detroit for that matter? Just canceled. Now they can't book me on a flight home until...wait for it...TUESDAY! So I gave up and bought a ticket home on US Air. Lesson learned. Not that I'm bitter or anything.

We can be as prepared as we want, fly as safely as we want. If the rest of the team doesn't hold up its end of the bargain, we all lose.

Originally Posted by Denny Crane

buzz,

I know it might be useless but try writing a ASR/COR on that and ask for a reply. I'd be interested to hear the response!

Denny

Originally Posted by Denny Crane

I hate to say it, and it my not be true in your bud's case, but the cynical side of me says he'll be back if it's the cheapest ticket.