1) Yes, buddy passes can go anywhere Delta or Delta Connection flies. They can't be used on flights that are code-shares (ie, some Air France or KLM flts have a DL flt number - usually odd #s like 8000 or something. They show up in travelnet but you can't book them).

2) You can do what you are asking - it's called Open-jaw, and I've done it with my buddy passes before internationally. Also, say after the buddy pass riders is in Europe, and he decides that Spain was really cool and he wants to go back there and fly out of Madrid rather than Milan, you can change the buddy pass after travel has started. If you do it on TravelNet, the only charge is the difference in mileage and airport taxes. (usually not much difference). It was only one buddy pass.

I think the pilots of Delta Air Lines have done enough to position Delta for greater gains in the future. If Delta makes billions of dollars, I still get paid what the PWA says I'll get paid. RA gets paid more to position the company for greater gains in the future not the pilots. If it isn't a full restoration, then the amendable date better be in 2013.

As for the latter, nope, can't predict the future, but any one who invests is betting on a certain future. As for the former, I guess I've not been around long enough to have an innate distrust for corporate management yet. As a shareholder (yes, we are all shareholders now) I can see the benefits of this strategy and think it is a rational thing to do. Everyone who invested in the new Delta post Ch 11 wants to get paid. The only way that happens is if we are profitable. Labor friction induces inefficiency and inefficiency raises costs and that reduces profits. I think that is why we as a labor group were engaged about this merger from the get go. That and visionary leadership from our Glorious Leader, Lee.*



*I threw that in TIC just to get the goats of the Hate LM fan club:D.

Even if Anderson's goal is Jan 1 2012, that's over 18 months away. That's an eternity in this industry right now. Begin negotiations now, maybe, but I doubt he commits to anything substantial before the amendable date. Too much can change for the worse, suddenly.

Don't you mean 1 JAN 2013? The PWA expires 31 DEC 2012.

I'd be happy with "one bite at a time" in order to bring out pay and benefits up to normal levels. I think that the circumstances that brought the C2K payrates was an abnormality: it was the middle of the tech boom where business fliers were buying tickets at any price to go make deals and money was freely flowing through our economy. Back there also wasn't the "lowest deal" websites that have ravaged the yield everyone pays. I'm not saying we should not get paid more - I'm just saying there was a lot of extra revenue that I'm not sure even exists anymore.

As for getting the C2K contract, I wasn't here so I don't know much of what went on - I know that United pilots had the airline over a barrel and United pretty much had to cave in order to keep their airline functioning. Maybe DALPA could point to United and say, "see - they think they can run an airline at these payrates - why can't you?"

So - those are the reasons why I don't think we can demand and get a C2K contract. We can demand it, and spend from 2012, 2013, and 2014 fighting the company about it and not get it. Or, we can spend 2012 working on a contract that has decent pay raises, a short contract length and lots of work rule improvements then do it again in 2015. I think we as a pilot group will have a higher overall career compensation if we get smaller, constant improvements rather than a few, large improvements.

Can anyone tell me if an OAL employee listed for an Iternational flight can upgrade to first class on a Delta flight? I was supposed to find out on my last trip but everytime I thought about it I got too busy with all that weather this week and a divert to add to the mess. Thanks!

Well - what kind of ticket are they traveling on? If they are on a Zed fare, then yes, but the chance is slim. If they are just on a regular ticket and want to upgrade, then it depends on the fare class and Delta's rules for purchasing an upgrade.

Zed fares traveling on Delta are listed as S4 using the date of travel as the hire date, so they would upgrade after all the employees, retirees, and buddy pass riders.

I notice I have a lot of flights hubbin' and spokkin" out of the ATL next month with several layovers there. Is an ATL DC-9 base in the works there on the next AE?

They have two ways around this:
1) Convert you to SC within 10 hours
.... 1 a ... and then go ahead and assign you the trip with the intention of notifying you at the last minute "do the best you can"
2) Calling you at 03:00 to tell you that you were assigned short call at 05:00 and you failed to acknowledge, but they don't have anything for you. Bleary eyed you turn on your computer and learn that you have a trip with a 06:40 duty in. You can waste 10 minutes on the phone or spend that time in the drive through line getting a cup of coffee. I recommend the coffee. Dunkin Doughnuts opens at 05:30 near my house.

I've only had them own up to a SC during a LC window as a proffer once. Depends on who's working and how desperate they are.

The fix is to print your schedule daily to a PDF file. It is just like "Wind Shear" and other "emergencies." If you prepare & brief, then it never happens.