DOCs on the MD-90 are approximately 5%-10% higher than that of the 737-800. No, the -90 doesn't have range of the -800, but with an asset cost 1/4 of a -800, the net CASM of the -90 is much lower. Cash preservation allows the company greater flexibility to manage business. Now, how the pax feel about the -90 vs. -800 is another topic.

On another topic, I'm seriously concerned with the domestic product DAL is providing. My last 4 day had one leg that left on time & arrived early. That's out of 7 legs. In LAS, the longest runway is closed for construction. We took a 30 minute delay for them to figure out how many people we could take. Why do they NOT know this BEFORE we board? After we boarded they wanted to pull the jetway back up and remove 2 pax. Absolutely unacceptable. It caused us to be behind the rest of the day, arriving at our overnight 30+ minutes late.

This is the 2nd trip in a row where our on time performance tanked. Something has to change. The product is just terrible right now.

I agree. On my last trip (short one), 1 out of 4 legs was on-time. And I'm not talking a little late - the closest to on-time we had was 45 minutes late.

Leg 1 was MX problems. The plane came in with 4 MELs and went out with 6. The delay was MX trying to figure out if they could defer an exit row armrest (the one that goes on the emer. exit). Once they figured out they had to fix it, that only took 20 minutes. It was the 40 minutes where they went back and forth that was the problem. Leg 2 was follow-on from that problem at the next station. Leg 3 was on-time (in ATL, after an overnight). Leg 4 was delayed waiting the inbound aircraft due to some "communications problem" in DTW. Never figured out what that was.

Someone was asking last week about DC-9 MX - from reports I'm hearing from friends, something has changed with the MX, because they are breaking constantly. It wasn't this way, I used to commute on them every week to NYC and in two years, never had a delay.

Is it company readjusting staffing? Are they afraid to hire because of the IAM hasn't settled? Is the operation just running too lean?

I am pretty sure that once it shows up on your timecard as a GS - you have the rotation guarantee. I had a GS last year that was NO OP'd before I even left my house and I was paid for it.

Scoop

Similar experience I just had on my rotation. Speaking of LAS - we had to wait at the gate 5 minutes with an engine running for a block in crew. When I was on the walk around I asked the ground guy what was going on and he told me they should have not blocked us in for 15 more minutes because now they were "bumping up against turn time". He said they would rather have us sit off the gate with an engine running so it wouldn't look bad on them now that they are too busy to turn the jet quick enough.

We can't win when the ground guys are holding us off the gate so it won't reflect poorly on them. Everyone is focused on how to avoid blame and covering up the issues in the process.

Fly Delta Connection Jets?

Yeah, but it takes a real MAN to fly the FLUFF.;)

As a pax/non revver/DH'er/commuter, I'd rather be on a MD than a 73 with the one exception of those few rows in the back by the engines and the brake squeals and vibrations its prone to get.

Don't know that I've ever sat in those seats in an actual 90 though, but I can't imagine they are a whole lot better than the 88.

But anyway 2-3 seating is way better than 3-3 seating (a same total seat count but way less middle seats) and the majority of the 88/90 is quiet and smooth, with closer to the front being one of the better rides in any cabin IMHO.

Yep, EXACTLY!!

But you only got regular pay, correct? The only part of a GS that is credited if you don't fly, is the value of the trip, not the double pay. You have to fly it to get the GS pay.