Airline Pilot Central Forums - Any "Latest & Greatest" about Delta?

Agree...had to wait over an hour for a gate there once and we got in just before midnight - no IROPS either. We couldn't reach station ops on the radio or the phone for more than 30 mins. :eek:

BlueMoon

11-19-2011 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by acl65pilot (Post 1088067)

Actually guys, it is BWI on the late shift. No worse in the system.

Second that, at night it can take 30 minutes to park with nothing going out or coming in.

Bucking Bar

11-19-2011 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scambo1 (Post 1088029)

When I read that letter, I also noticed this section. I think Mgmt is taking a wait and see approach to other carriers and upcoming developments. Hiring is unavoidable, but the hiring could take the form of a merger.

I don't know anything, just how I read it with a slightly pessemistic slant.

One option that makes sense is a narrow body order this spring. As the RJ's hit their economic life limits those pilots flow through to Delta. Possibly a deal is struck where the small jets are acquired by (Skywest, Pinnacle, etc...) and flown by "Delta pilots" who are today's regional jocks.

It's a win for management (reset longevity, get good pilots and possibly still "outsource" the airplanes) a win for ALPA (it would show the union is relevant at job protection and career progression) and a win for the pilots (since this sort of merger puts us all on one list and creates unity in a fashion that protects and enhances the interests of pilots at the regionals and mainline).

I'm sure there will be the traditional merger and acquisition activity where we acquire a good operation, screw it up, shut it down, then those pilots bid into our bases and displace us and everyone is ****ed off except for the managers and consultants who make a fortune in these deals.

Bucking Bar

11-19-2011 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JetFlyer06 (Post 1088072)

Agree...had to wait over an hour for a gate there once and we got in just before midnight - no IROPS either. We couldn't reach station ops on the radio or the phone for more than 30 mins. :eek:

Is it bad form to let the station manager's phone number slip out by accident during a PA?

I recall one Capt. who made a briefing along the lines of "ladies and gentlemen, if you turn to page 41 of Delta's award winning Sky Magazine you will find a customer comment card. Please write and let us know how you feel about this ramp delay."

Solution was giving the Captain some time off and removing the comment cards.

... asked about the situation at BWI and was told there was an RJ they had to service before us. ... not sure how they do the numbers any more, but the regional guys used to prioritize their own Company's metal so that they would achieve performance numbers. Also, if there is an Alaska flight Delta has contracts which force us to provide a certain level of staffing to Alaska (and other partners) which depletes the number of people working Delta flights. In DFW I was told that could literally take every Delta person but two. ... Still Dallas seemed to always manage to get the job done. Cincinnati, Denver and SLC seem to do well too.

DAL73n

11-19-2011 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scambo1 (Post 1088032)

Shortcall is readily or promptly available. Long call is reasonably available. I think in NYC and LA both, the S/C interpretation is "hey, I'm doing the best I can."

I'll second that. Although, the widely held standard is within 2 hours of any of the bases we cover (which in LA would mean you could be 2 hours EAST of Ontario which could be "who knows how long to LAX) and in NYC I knew a lot of American and United guys who were on reserve with ACY (Atlantic City) being 2 hours from EWR and who knows how long to LGA or JFK.

Bucking Bar

11-19-2011 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueMoon (Post 1088073)

Second that, at night it can take 30 minutes to park with nothing going out or coming in.

Was there a game on?

At another airline during basketball play offs we could see the rampers watching television and when the commercial break came we'd get parked. Sometimes it would still be 30 to 45 minutes, getting later and later with every turn through the hub. ... not that I know anything about it ... but somehow the cable TV feed was disconnected before we left ...

Anyone need a coax connector? I know where there is an extra one thrown back behind a ceiling panel.

forgot to bid

11-19-2011 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JetFlyer06 (Post 1088072)

Agree...had to wait over an hour for a gate there once and we got in just before midnight - no IROPS either. We couldn't reach station ops on the radio or the phone for more than 30 mins. :eek:

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueMoon (Post 1088073)

Second that, at night it can take 30 minutes to park with nothing going out or coming in.

This is a major problem with BWI.

I had 3 flights in the summer and all in clear weather and we landed 10-15 minutes early each time only to park 45 minutes after A0. It's the 10pm-ish flight due in right before midnight or a few minutes after.

Every damn time there was an unattended airplane on the gate (A12?) that had to be repositioned. They said as soon as they finished unloading it they'd get it off the gate and get us in. They were short staffed, taking care of another plane, blah blah blah. Problem is we're looking at all of this out our window. Never saw any plane on the entire ramp being touched in all 3 instances. We didn't see a single ramper anywhere.

Now I forewarned the captain on the 2nd instance about this issue from my first incident. We call dispatch, we acars dispatch, we call BWI ops, everyone says gate will be open. We land and ground says no gate, even comments this happens all of the time. We call BWI ops, no response for awhile and then they proceed to tell us we're early which by that point we were late, then they blamed weather on a clear day and the Captain had enough. He vented.

Needless to say at 130am waiting outside for our hotel limo we find out it was cancelled. Limo said company called around 1230am. Crew tracking and accommodations were livid as they made no such call and wanted us to file a report. We did. Never heard a thing. Don't know if the Captain did but I doubt it. But off we went to the short overnight since the limo couldn't get anyone to pick us up until about 3am. Then it wasn't worth it.

BWI is poorly run.

DAWGS

11-19-2011 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by forgot to bid (Post 1088092)

This is a major problem with BWI.

I had 3 flights in the summer and all in clear weather and we landed 10-15 minutes early each time only to park 45 minutes after A0. It's the 10pm-ish flight due in right before midnight or a few minutes after.

Every damn time there was an unattended airplane on the gate (A12?) that had to be repositioned. They said as soon as they finished unloading it they'd get it off the gate and get us in. They were short staffed, taking care of another plane, blah blah blah. Problem is we're looking at all of this out our window. Never saw any plane on the entire ramp being touched in all 3 instances. We didn't see a single ramper anywhere.

Now I forewarned the captain on the 2nd instance about this issue from my first incident. We call dispatch, we acars dispatch, we call BWI ops, everyone says gate will be open. We land and ground says no gate, even comments this happens all of the time. We call BWI ops, no response for awhile and then they proceed to tell us we're early which by that point we were late, t hen they blamed weather on a clear day and the Captain had enough. He vented.

Needless to say at 130am waiting outside for our hotel limo we find out it was cancelled. Limo said company called around 1230am. Crew tracking and accommodations were livid as they made no such call and wanted us to file a report. We did. Never heard a thing. Don't know if the Captain did but I doubt it. But off we went to the short overnight since the limo couldn't get anyone to pick us up until about 3am. Then it wasn't worth it.

BWI is poorly run.

The other side of the story about BWI I have heard is they do not have enough full time employees. Many ready reserves which have already timed out for the year. This is not just a station manager's fault, poor management all the way up. Communication is not taking place somewhere or the company is just refusing to provide enough full-time positions. I heard we have seven full time ramp positions and the rest ready reserve. If that is true, it doesn't seem to be a recipe for even RA to run a successful station.

BlueMoon

11-19-2011 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by forgot to bid (Post 1088092)

I thought at first it was just because they hated working us at the regional affiliates, and I had been told on more than one occasion in the past that the regionals get worked "when we have the time" , but then we sat next to a MD-88 at BWI waiting to park one night and it was apparent it was just general ineptness and not just "regional hate".

We may be a regional but it is Big D's gas we're burning and passengers we are making late when we sit 20+ minutes waiting for marshallers at an empty gate.

That being said most stations are very good, if they are busy they will at least get us into the gate so we can get the engines and passengers off.

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