Well I am sure you know better than me but I disagree. I have flown with 3 in the last two to three months when captains we getting their line checks and one as a commuter and they all said that they get good info but nothing about staffing for the AIRLINE. The ac they are on, sure but the entire airline? I don't agree. But you seem to know more. I guess that's what experience gets you.

We will be short. A lot, but we will be a lot less short if the flying is further cut due to a lack of demand.
As with everything it is a fluid situation.

My personal opinion is that they will avoid it at all costs. With the CPZ flow it will cost a lot more to get a ROI. Read a longer than status quo furlough.

But, if the economy continues to weaken, all options will be looked at. If it makes more sense to keep us they will, but if it makes more sense to furlough they will do that. It is just a business decision.
Fact is that we should have done in a few months ago. They know that it may be to late to break even on the cost of furloughing.

We are briefed better than the average line pilot... but its not a direct line to RA's desk either.

Everything is so dynamic... any speculation to hiring or furloughing is simply that: speculation.

Kind of a predicament, I'd like to have more people below me but at the same time I'd prefer the airline to be short staffed. Say (DAL side) they need 7600 pilots but only have 7300, great. That means we could sustain more cuts. Oh well, not much you can do but complain. :o

I heard from a CP that we're 148ish surplus overall... when someone says that are they referring to right now in Jan/Feb where we'd obviously be surplused or are they saying even through summer we'd be surplused?
...
Also, as to LCP, I remember in October after one of their meetings the LCP I was pretty darn accurate with what would happen with the fleet although the 747 didn't show up in ATL as was predicted but he also said there would be a "correction" made to having junior pilots in widebodies international or domestic. I think thats been done for the most part. So they have a tendency to be accurate.

What would that number be?:confused:

If delta furloughs who gets first recall rights? The newly furloughed or the ones who are still out on furlough. (the ones who bypassed their call back and assuming they are still senior to any newly furloughed pilots)

We they are on furlough bypass, and the other ones would be on furlough.
The way I understand it, the furlough bypass ones need there to be active hiring occurring to come back. They also need to give 30 days of notice. Now I could be wrong, but my guess would be that the newer furlough would come back first since they are not on bypass.

It is purely conjure. It has been said in casual conversation that WORST CASE, that if they had to furlough they would expect to furlough no more than a few hundred.

THERE ARE NOT PLANS TO FURLOUGH. Guys if it happens it will, and the decision has not been made, nor is it in the process of being made.
Like I said a few moths ago. The next few months are key to the remaining part of our 09 Flight Plan.


Fly smart and hope for decent booking. Everything I have been flying has been full. Future bookings are not as bad as they have been.

I spoke with a UPS buddy of mine and he said that the cargo loads have been picking up recently. I have seen an increase in the loads as well recently. Often times the freight carriers are a barometer as to the health of the economy. If the freight is picking up hopefully that is a precursor to us emerging out of this recession. Most recessions last 12-18 months and the worst ones have been around 24 months. We are 13 months into this recession.

The good news for all of us is ironically 9/11. The airlines have been in such a financial trainwreck the past seven years that they have been forced to stay lean to survive. This has meant a reduction of hiring during the good times and consequently they are lean enough where there is not much fat they can trim on the pilot side without a dramatic reduction in capacity. It could very well be that we skate through the worst economy since the depression with minimal if any furloughs. Those that are will likely be out for a much shorter time than those of us who had to go through the post 9/11 furloughs.