What do you think would happen if next time they call you for something you put them on hold for 3 hours?

 

You have until the 17th to enroll in the electronic delivery option so I would assume they won't be available until then. I think the last few years they have showed up a few days after we get the mid-month check. I'd bet sometime early next week they will be there.

 

Agreed, and many are saying the upcoming one will be similar to the last one in that its nominal in numbers but mostly widebody positions. That drives a disproportionately larger amount of training events once the dust settles. I think pretty soon they will have to really start fat staffing the bigger planes, especially in the left seats. Retirement numbers coming up are huge in a few years, and its realistic that at least some statistically significant percentage will punch out earlier than the mandatory age for one reason or another.

 

I have posted in the past that I did not expect any new narrow body aircraft in the fleet prior to 2016 and more likely 2020. There is a interesting memo today that suggests some new aircraft as early as 2013. The timing is however interesting since it matches our new contract time frame. I expect to see the company once again try and play growth against getting a lower cost contract. This is straight out of their past contract playbooks. In some cases they followed up with the promised growth and in other cases especially regarding the 100 seat size aircraft they did not. Here is the memo.

January 13, 2011


Delta is beginning to plan for the future of its domestic mainline fleet and is accepting requests for proposals or RFPs to replace more than 200 narrowbody aircraft to provide long-term mainline domestic growth.

Late December, Delta sent a RFP to several major aircraft manufacturers for the eventual replacement of aircraft such as the Airbus A320, the DC9-50 and the Boeing 757-200, and to provide for long-term mainline domestic growth.

The proposal marks the next phase of Delta’s mainline fleet strategy, as older domestic mainline aircraft begin to approach retirement age, smaller regional jets and turboprop are phased out and the airline works to grow its domestic business.

During the past year, Delta has focused on combining the Delta and former Northwest fleets and investing in existing aircraft, with improvements including WiFi on all two-class domestic aircraft, interior upgrades and the installation of additional first class seats. Delta also has made some strategic aircraft acquisitions, including new and used aircraft, supplementing DC-9s and other aircraft that have retired from service.

Since 2007, Delta has invested in 60 mainline aircraft, including 10 Boeing 777-200LRs, 12 Boeing 737-700/800s, five used Boeing 757-200s and 33 used MD-90s.

At the same time, the airline has removed more than 70 50-seat regional jets and 25 Saab 340 turboprops from the fleet.

“Our strategy has worked well, with the improvements to our existing aircraft and the cost-efficient airplanes we’ve added to the domestic fleet,” said Nat Pieper, v.p.-Fleet Strategy and Transactions. “We’re now starting to plan for the long term, to ensure that we continue to maintain a flexible, cost-efficient fleet that meets our customers’ needs in the years to come, replace retiring airplanes and provide for domestic mainline growth.”

The RFP asks for proposals to deliver 100 to 200 firm aircraft, with an option for 200 more, starting in early 2013. It asks the manufacturers to consider large, medium and small narrowbody planes to be operated by Delta as mainline aircraft.

Nat said that Delta also continues to look for opportunities to purchase used aircraft.

He added that the request for proposals is a first step, and no decisions have been made regarding future aircraft purchases.

“We’ll evaluate all of our options,” he said.

 

That is talking about less snow in England. I don't follow your logic, it actually goes against it.

 

Makes a lot of sense, and I am glad that they are doing this now.

I knew they could not wait that long

(Does not mean that anything will show up, just want to see what the viability is)

 

Big Guys Finish Last in 2010 Airline Rankings - WSJ.com

THE MIDDLE SEATJANUARY 13, 2011
The Big Guys Finish Last in 2010 Airline Rankings
By SCOTT MCCARTNEY

Big was bad when it came to airline service last year. Delta, American, United and its merger partner Continental placed last in the annual Middle Seat customer-service rankings of major domestic carriers in 2010.

Best among major airlines: smaller carriers. Alaska Airlines and AirTran Airways had the highest percentages of on-time flights and generally lower rates of lost bags, cancellations, passengers bumped from oversold flights and complaints filed with the Department of Transportation. Those two airlines were the only two majors to decrease their complaint totals in 2010—the rest shot higher.

Southwest Airlines is flying into many of those big-airline headwinds as it grows. The low-fare carrier used to be an on-time machine, regularly providing flights so punctually that it was a major marketing point for the airline. But Southwest ended 2010 in sixth place among the nation's nine major airlines in on-time arrivals, according to data compiled by FlightStats.com, a flight-tracking service, and the DOT.

As Southwest has pushed into more big-city hubs often plagued by delays, it has increasingly struggled to avoid late flights and resulting problems like misconnected baggage. Southwest ranked No. 6 in baggage handling and seventh in the frequency of involuntarily bumping passengers from its flights.

 

Let's not get carried away: all they are actually "doing" is writing a memo, and sending out RFP's.

You can't fly a memo.

 

...and here is the little sentence that shows you the memo is probably More "M. Campbell" than "R. Anderson":

"...The RFP asks for proposals to deliver 100 to 200 firm aircraft, with an option for 200 more, starting in early 2013. It asks the manufacturers to consider large, medium and small narrowbody planes to be operated by Delta as mainline aircraft..."

Why on earth would you include such a stipulation, other than to drive negotiations? Does Airbus fail to include pilot cupholders if it's not a mainline airplane? Does Boeing not put sheepskin on the seats?

 

BINGO! And as Sailing pointed out, this does smack of previous-contract playbook talk. Also, any talk of hiring may point to future 'hostages,' if you're a cynic. (Just ask the '91-'93 peeps.)