Market development requires competitive equipment. We can't develop a market with inferior equipment and high costs. We are sitting ducks for Jet Blue and even Southwest Airlines.

Delta management intends to acquire market share and then constrain capacity until it is profitable.

Someone used the phrase "MBA death spiral." It is apt with the use of 50 seat RJ's to develop markets with too few seats to spread the fuel and trip costs amongst. The E175 is a mainline equivalent. Really, what we need is to fill the scope gap with mainline equipment operated by new hire mainline pilots at reasonable (market) costs.

I remember riding on a DAL 767 from DFW-MCO back in the early 90's.

No trying to start an issue, but what was the cost of fuel than and what was the fuel burn on the 10?

Great point.

You actually raise a good question.

Maybe some Diesel-10 drivers can chime in on the hourly burn, pax count for the domestic DC-10s and some guys familiar with the RJ can throw out the same numbers...

Cheers
George

Right on Scambo!

I'm surprised in his slot swap defense, Dickson pointed out LGA MSY because the top market for LGA is Chicago by far. Here's how we have been "developing" that market recently:

In 2010, Delta ended Midway-LaGuardia service and replaced it with O’Hare flights. Prior to that the MDW-LGA flights replaced O’Hare-LaGuardia flights in 2007...

Chicago is a market more than 5 times the size of MSY (2800 vs 440 daily originating pax)
Delta has been serving it for years.
It was promoted as one of the crucial HVC heavy routes.

What equipment is flying that?

Cheers
George

Burn is approx 17K/hr depending on weight/stage length...
I think 292 pax

80 point bucket range.

I have a question, if we're going to make a system that results in senior pilots not flying on reserve while pilots a few % points below them, or even 1 number below them, pick up all of their flying why don't we make a system where the senior regular pilots get paid alv but don't work and their flying is done by a pilot a few % points below them for no pay? If its fair for reserve why not regular line holders?

DC-10 ..17,000/292=58 PPH/PX
CRJ200 ..3,200/50=64 PPH/PX
737-700 ..5,000/130=38 (published is 34.46 so my swag is fairly close)

That's why we can't win this fight with the wrong equipment. Richard and Ed made it sound (during the Winter quarter conference call) that LGA isn't expected to be profitable. It allows us to reallocate airplanes from markets which lose more, into a market where they will lose less. Still, the long term answer has to be something like this that closes the scope gap.

Lufthansa sees CSeries fuel burn per passenger bettering A380, 747-8 | ATWOnline

ftb- I believe I am about 2 months senior to you. How dare you suggest abrogating my seniority by questioning these new rules. I've paid my dues, sir, 2 months worth, and I'll be damned if some junior slug like you tries to impede on my new quality of life! Shame!