So thats why they wanted SOC.

You know when I go to the regional forum I kind of want to leave a rope or something here for you guys to pull me back. Just in case I end up getting killed and fall into limbo or something without my totem. But today, I went to somewhere just as bad, airliners.net, and came away with this:

DAL767-400ER (poster, I guess they don't use goofy names there)
Okay, let's see if my count is up-to-date now. So far, we have

16 Delta's own MD-90s
9 ex-China Eastern already in GSO and ATL for modding
3 ex-Hello's owned planes already in GSO and ATL for modding
11 ex-China Southern (don't know about the 2 China-built MD-90s; bought for spares?) soon to be on their way.
These 8 planes (obviously not officially identified, but really, who else could it be?)

That's a total of 47 planes, plus the 16 JAL planes, which will hopefully be made official soon, which would put the total at 63 planes, which is pretty much the minimum fleet number Delta looked for, IIRC.

Now the only ones left on the market are the 11 with the EVA group in Taiwan (not planned for retirement), SV's 29 glass-cockpit birds, and the 5 Lion Air jets.

 

oh wait, wait, ... does this mean I can't start the backyard axe throwing club?



nice jeans!

i didn't make it up, its called the Toronto Backyard Axe Throwing Club or something, look it up, its real. Its in the news. Had to use that pic, even if its not timely. Actually, the real pics are just grunge pot heads throwing axes while drunk.

 

BTW, if this isn't ironic. I went to DTW yesterday. They hooked up the air but it had two kinks and a twist in it so no air. I called. They fixed it. I won't try and re-invent the wheel, unless I find it necessary. They fixed it when we asked. Talked to a mechanic, confirmed that when he was with Piedmont/UsAir, if a mechanic parked a plane then the teamsters rampers could claim 4 hours of pay for not being used. I think it must be a teamsters contract thing throughout their system.

Went through the crew room looking for New, Carl and Ferd:



but no luck. Still the nicest terminal in the system by far, nice crewroom.

But I have a question and I am being serious. In some northern airport ramps, DTW (southeast A side) and CLE for instance, there is a smell of rotten garbage while you're walking around. Is that de-ice fluid or something from years gone by? I was based in CLE for years and never asked. It was super strong there. I just figured it was CLE.

I realize I'm opening myself up for some creative answers, but its really an honest question. The smell is usually in places where you have deicing but you don't deice at the gates in either place but thats where you smell it. Summer or winter.

 

Shot across the bow to AMR. And so it goes. Glad to see and hope we get it!

Delta Air Lines Inc. wants to beef up its flight schedule from both Boston and Miami to London’s Heathrow Airport.
The Atlanta-based carrier said it filed applications with the European Commission and the U.S. Department of Transportation asking for the nod to have twice-daily year-round service between Heathrow and Boston and daily year-round service between Heathrow and Miami.
Delta (NYSE: KDAL) is pitching the flights as a way to add competition at Heathrow. It noted the oneworld alliance, which includes American Airlines and British Airways, holds 47 percent of Heathrow's takeoff and landing slots, while the Star Alliance, which includes United Airlines, US Airways, BMI and Lufthansa, has 25 percent of Heathrow's slots.
SkyTeam, whose members include Delta, Air France-KLM and Alitalia, holds only 5 percent of Heathrow's slots.
The slots for the new service at Heathrow are available after the U.S. and E.U. governments approved an immunized trans-Atlantic alliance between American Airlines and British Airways. The government required the airlines to divest some Heathrow slots to increase competition in the most tightly restricted markets.
If approved, Delta's Heathrow service from Boston and Miami would begin March 27, 2011, and would be offered in cooperation with its trans-Atlantic joint venture partners Air France-KLM and Alitalia.


Read more: Delta wants Heathrow slots - Atlanta Business Chronicle

 

The guy in the middle looks like Conan O'Brien.....He's really winding up as well. Just another day in the ATL pilot lounge.

 

Even the number the company have publicly stated for total MD-90's will more than make up for the loss of the 9's.

 

Also remember that most of the delays are not Flying Ops related. Ergo there is little ROI on dumping money in to our part of the operation until other things are fixed.

 

Buzz, who's the dude on the end doing a one handed throw?

 

Actually, it could be me with some facial growth. Pretty manly, eh?

 

That dude has confidence, go with it!

Now the dude in the red shirt?

Who'd thought you could ever say "when throwing an axe long distances, try and look more like a man!"