Delta management realizes that it's in their best interest to facilitate easier commuting. The alternative would be paying relocation expenses-- something they surely want to minimize.

A decent commuting policy has a small cost, in the form of the occasional positive space pass. Building commutable trip, however, is a no cost item.

Are we shrinking? I know for a fact that the pilot group is shrinking - has been for years, but is the Delta network shrinking? Do passengers buying a DAL ticket have less options?

When you include outsourced flying I am not sure that DAL is shrinking. Lets see who else flies DAL passengers:

DCI - 9 or 10 carriers decided on lowest cost.
Alaska - Tons of passengers via domestic code-share.
Joint Ventures - Can't keep track - but I am told they are good for DAL Pilots. :cool:
Sky Team - Who the hell isn't in Sky team these days.

So although we, meaning Delta Air Lines are probably shrinking at a good clip - the Delta Network is definitely not shrinking.

So I don't think the "You can not shrink to profitability" mantra applies anymore - it is pretty much an obsolete way of thinking.

Scoop

Good to hear, Scoop. Which has me thinking...not enough side/under/over/anyboob on here lately.

http://thechive.files.wordpress.com/...pg?w=919&h=617

The profit is also being helped out in a big way by all of the fees that we are charging for everything. They are not taxed and go right to the bottom line. Shrinking my not be making the money, but the way the price structure of the services is now being used.

I have years and years of Herc flying in my log book. I have no problem flying a turboprop.

Props, RJs, Delta Private Jets: If it says Delta on the side, a Delta pilot should fly it.

Turboprop scope is something that absolutely needs to be in the next contract. And, my ego has no qualms about flying a Q400.

Commuting
As a commuter I am sick of the commuter/ non commuter threads. We are expanding into the busiest most delayed airspace in the world (NYC), with fewer seats (econ comfort) and with that expansion creating hundreds of new commuters. Get over it. If you are not a commuter as it has been said before its better if you understand the plight of commuters and help better commuters lives too here's why.
The easier it is too commute the less we (commuters) will require contractual protections for commuters and guess what that means more attention paid to pay rates, schedules etc. If we are over 50 percent of the pilots at delta we have a majority.

Everyone will be affected if we operate less reliably canceled flights, more reserves working, more reroutes etc.
This commuter/non-commuter debate is very similar to other fights we have had within our profession that have had adverse effects for EVERYONE. Age 65, RJs and now big RJs.
the more we work together, learn together and support ourselves together the better we will be.

I'll define a commutable trip as one with a mid-morning or later sign-in and a completion before the last flight of the night out...

There are early morning departures from most (if not all) pilot domiciles. Those trips need to be covered...

I live in base and don't particularly enjoy 0-dark-thirty sign-ins. If my seniority allows me to hold trips with more gentlemanly sign-ins (AKA: commuter friendly) I will bid them if I want to. (I suspect many pilots who live in base will do so as well.)

I'm not out to screw someone, but sign-in time is one of the parameters I evaluate when I look at bidding. I'm not going to bid "crappy" trips so the more junior commuters have an easier commute.

If a commuting pilot don't have the seniority to hold commutable trips, perhaps they should consider bidding a category that allows them that ability.

Agreed. I commuted for 7 years and it sucks. I won't ever forget what it's like, even though I hope to never do it again.

*If we keep having negative bids, I may be commuting again anyways. It's been said before: If one of us has a problem, we should all have a problem. The "me, me" mentality is mutually destructive.

My company, Pinnacle has major debt to Delta and is likely to declare bankruptcy in the coming months. We are starting to back out of the deal with United on the Q400's. After we declare, those Q400's will become Delta's property, it's anyone's guess what they do with them.