That is not a true statement at all. That is speculation. Even if DAL had merged with ASA and CMR there was no requirement to have all DCI flying flown by DAL/ASA/CMR, the growth could have gone to the other DCI carriers, as it did in some circumstances, and DAL still would have retired all the MD-11s, L1011s, 727s, 737,300s and 737-200s, which would have most likely resulted in furloughs.

Let's be honest, DAL bought ASA/CMR for the cheaper labor. Merging ASA/CMR with DAL defeats that purpose. If they wanted DAL pilots to fly 50/70 seat RJs they didn't need to buy ASA/CMR or outsource to the DCI portfolio, they could have just bought the aircraft and put them on the DAL certificate.

It's all about cheap labor, look at what's happening at CMR today, that's what would have happened earlier rather than later had we merged.

The solution was not to merge with ASA/CMR, it was to capture the flying, barring that, to have adequate flow through protections to every carrier that signs a contract at DCI. JMHO.

Could be. When a one-liner in the contract generates this much controversy, I can only imagine what the rest of it will be like.

Since the history of major airlines pay rates vs Southwest keeps coming up, here's a chart from Southwest's SWAPA:

(keep in mind that DAL traditionally was at or near the top of the major airline pay scales so move that orage "industry" line up a few thou...)

http://www.swapaluv.com/wp-content/u...1/pilotpay.jpg

Source: SWAPALuv | Your Source of Information on the Southwest/Airtran Acquisition

Cheers
George

Now now now, FTB isn't as crazy as one might think. The anonymous web postings allows him to do stuff he doesn't normally do, like talk in 3rd person, and post fun pictures. But FTB isn't quite as much fun as you think, he doesn't even drink beer.

My buddy's dad in college looked at me and said "I could never trust a guy who doesn't drink beer." I couldn't blame him but I don't have a mustache though. :D The guy on the radio today said "I never trust a white guy with a mustache or a black guy that doesn't have one." :D

So you can trust me, or can you?

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_a-odO7Cyix...-pondering.gif

why do those colors look so familiar?

Cheers
George

I kind of agree, DCI exists because management teams long ago wanted to whipsaw the mainline operation.

If that hadn't been the goal sure the CRJ-100 might have shown up on DAL's property nearly 20 years ago and probably would've been gone at least 10 years ago.

One of the issues now is that we're left holding the bag for the long term ramifications of outsourcing from 20 years ago and the failure of the pilot representatives to understand and purposefully halt it.

Am I wrong to think DAL signed off on long term agreements with DCI for airplanes they don't want anymore but now are stuck with in numbers so large it negatively effects us, our airline and our flying?

Oil at $100bb isn't a bad thing imo if it squeezes out 50 seaters and we're left concentrating on the E-Jet and elongated CRJs that are meant to replace 732s and DC9s.

Yeah speculation.

Thank goodness the Delta MEC was did not want to try what Pinnacle achieved with Colgan.

Put a thousand on the street, divide up the list between the fearful and the greedy, then let them beat the crap out of each other using interest based bargaining ... that's what I'd do. With this much scope exposure your union has got a runner caught between bases, all we've got to do is run them down.

And your point is? No furloughs? No parking 200 mainline aircraft? No portfolio at DCI? All we had to do was merge lists and we would have been in a pilots paradise these last 10 years?

Pinnacle and Colgan are fee for departure airlines, not mainline, merging their lists did not capture any flying.

I would only add that the "representatives" were reflecting the priorities of the pilots they "represented."

I clearly remember jumpseating on a 767 discussing C2K and the 70 seater when the captain, based on all of his airline experience and wisdom :rolleyes:, confidently stated; "don't ever worry about an aircraft below your seniority number."

I think he was just poking fun, but if there was a point:

No furloughs -> DCI hired many more pilots than Delta furloughed. Furloughs would have been avoided if Delta pilots performed Delta system flying.
No parking 200 mainline aircraft -> Sure. DCI ended up acquiring about 750 airframes. Depending on how you describe "mainline" jets, there was growth in the last decade which could have been mainline growth. As a company Delta grew over the last decade.

The union's job is not to create paradise. The union's number one task is to protect jobs, longevity and seniority. Had the union focused on this task many mainline pilots would have kept their jobs and advanced to the left seat (not just at Delta, but at every airline that allowed outsourcing).

In effect, management captured flying when they acquired another airline's code. That flying became D-ALPA's flying. D-ALPA did not wish to perform that flying and instead attempted to capitalize on outsourcing it. It was a decent economic strategy at its inception, but the reality remains that unions only and best strength is unity. Any time that is traded away the result eventually will be harm to the members who's jobs are lost and concessions for the rest of the membership as the union in it's entirety is weakened.