Absorbing PCL would trigger a couple of things. First of all they would have to pay DAL rates for those A/C to the current PCL pilots (who would become DAL pilots) which they won't want to do. DAL rates for 10yr CRJ-900 CA - $114/hr 10yr FO - $78/hr. Your current CRJ-900 10yr rates (according to this site) are $88/$45 respectively.

Secondly, I realize they have done flow through in the past with Compass but that was a remnant from Northwest. With a flow through DAL loses control over who they interview/hire. I'm not saying anything negative about either pilot group I just think the DAL hiring folks like to have that control. I wish we could fold in all the RJ flying to mainline, it would be better in the long run for all of us but you have to follow the money since that's what this business is all about. It's cheaper to operate the aircraft at a separate carrier at lower wage rates.

What will be key in the coming years is where the next order of 100 seat jets is placed. JetBlue and USAir have set a nice precedent having that size aircraft operated at a mainline carrier and I know most guys I fly with and talk to agree we have to protect/tighen scope first and foremost. Without an aircraft to fly there is no job and all the other aspects of our contract are irrelevant. Best of luck to you.:)

An LCA I spoke with this week was waiting for what the big news is as well. He didn't know what it was, but he was expecting something that was significant enough to be considered "newsworthy."

I miss Tebow.

There's just something about how an underdog can inspire the unexceptional.


:D

Isn't that what we have the Maddog pilots for? Inspire Boeing and Airbus folks? ;)

Stop pointing that out to people. We have a good thing going here in ATL88B on reserve. I don't want to jinx it.

You speak truth.

Sorry.

Just trying to keep the buckets fair.

A C-5 fly over is pretty cool.

At the end of our contract in 2015 our CRJ 900/200 rates are 115 and 108 respectively for year 15 and 99/90 for year 10. What they could do which I am sure about 90% of pinnacle would be happy with is lock in our current rates until the end of the collective bargaining agreement 2015, at which time new rates negotiated with DALPA or DPA would take affect. It seems like a perfect opportunity to take back flying thats why i am bringing it up. I know what you are saying about DAL controlling the hiring and understand, however when the numbers start to creep up to over 500 pilots a year you cant be that selective.

Management at Delta would fight that concept to their dying breath. Divide and conquer is the cornerstone of their entire management strategy. It would also put a B scale into place at the airline. That is something I would never agree to. If the airplanes come over they come at full rates.
Even if management were to entertain the concept we would have to show we could operate the aircraft and be competitive with other airlines. We have tried on two different occasions to show that on aircraft under 70 seats and sadly we could not even make the numbers remotely close. Managements numbers showed a even bigger gap. You also have to question if Pinnicle management would want their airline to cease to exist along with their jobs.
The last problem is seniority integration. Pilots will say almost anything to get on a mainline list or to move their list to a solvent carrier when they are bankrupt but when the dust settles and they have arrived all that is forgotten. The lawsuits soon follow. Anything that goes against the spirit of the new federal law would have a chance in court. I suspect SW has not heard the end of their integration. Once the airtran pilots are on the SW side of the fence watch how fast the lawsuits start flying. In that case I think they have a real chance unlike most situations in the past.