This is old news, the same stuff we've been hearing for a year. And the 737-900ERs are replacing SOME of the older 757's as well as older 320's and the DC9's that are being parked.

 

I KNOW it's old news but I guess some missed it.

Someone was asking about new 777 Rumors, and they are just that, rumors. I am on the 777 and I fly with the 777 LCA's and talk to the 777 Instructors, I always ask 'what's the latest rumor?' They are saying the same things I mentioned above, re. no more new 777's.

Back when JAL was going bankrupt, there was a small hope that we might be able to pick up some of their -used- 777's but that ship has sailed.

 

Understood. Thanks for the clarification. There were hopes of cheap 747's too. Some people know how to fabricate some crazy rumors.

 

It's wishful thinking, but like Tebow in the Superbowl, not gonna happen.

 

Air France has 76 widebodies coming ... no need for us to spend cash. By the time our Joint Venture is in technical non compliance, it will be renegotiated.

 

At the last LCA meeting RA discussed the 777-300. Stated we need the aircraft and would get some eventually. It would however more the likely be a 747 replacement. 747's are dirt cheap right now with lots of them parked. Management's focus seems to be paying debt down. Thats not a bad thing but if fuel prices spike we will be stuck with a ancient fleet. They are rolling the dice that jet fuel remains in the current price range. If it spikes we are in trouble.

 

It's just a matter of time SkyTeam will create a central BOD, and a supreme leader to lead us all.

On the side of the MadDog that used to be owned by a distant Delta Air Lines, will be replaced by "SkyTeam, operated by extinct Delta Brokerage Air Service".

 

Management's Mantra has been, "Pay down the debt" so until they get that paid down, I doubt we will see anything in the way of new wide body aircraft.

As BB mentioned, all our JV partners are getting them, so we don't need them, right?

Everybody sing along:

You'll look sweet,

upon the seat,

of that 737-900 Er built for you!

 

And we are getting 787's...eventually.

Oh, and we are all going to die...eventually.

I'm betting I see the latter before the former.

 

That's sort of what we got in the merger ... an extension of the T.K. rope off the seats plan. The economic disincentives to furlough likely prevented furloughs, so far. Of course, if Delta can't sell the seats, it is less of a disincentive to Delta during a protracted downturn (as we may be entering if many economists are correct).

Unfortunately there are times when an airline needs to shrink, or else the thing is likely to go out of business. Our leadership has been there and does not want to return to bankruptcy. A hard floor is unlikely to be negotiated in the interest of preserving jobs for "the rest of us."

At the same time we want all of Delta's growth. Not simply stagnation above a floor number. We want any new flying to be us.

What we want is the contractual right to our flying. Delta can run its airline as it sees fit, we'll be in charge of pilot labor. We don't care what Delta flies, we simply want to be the pilots who's labor is needed.

ACL65 is of the opinion that as 2013 and pilot hiring needs approach, Delta will want to extend our seniority list down to some regional partners with the quid pro quo that they'll buy "our" airplanes. That makes sense on many levels but would be quite complicated to execute.

The last thing we want is a floor, or a ceiling. We do not need a repeat of Compass with pilots off the seniority list, forgot in a merger and tossed to the side while our fleet replacement jets are outsourced.

Bottom line, as a union we need UNITY and as long as we keep that as the central goal, we'll work out the details when the time comes.