Originally Posted by acl65pilot

Yes a new contract with significant restoration is a must.

Originally Posted by tsquare

I also prefer the QOL I have right now. I would HATE to have to go to work for a living...

Originally Posted by Jughead

I hate to interrupt the complaining, since it's rolling along so nicely, but I have to pass along some sad news:

Charley's on B and C concourse in ATL is closing permanently as of the end of the month. Popeye's is moving to that spot. I don't know what is going into Popeye's current location. If you have a punch card, use it before the end of this month.

That is all. Please resume speculation and complaints at this time.

P.S. This "break room" under B-18 is nasty.

Originally Posted by freightguy

You are partially correct. I don't think a DAL 320 captain will gain much by going to Tiger, Jetstar, Air Asia etc. But for DAL FOs, it is a different story. Many of us still qualify for some of the captain seats in the Far East and the ensuing pay which is close to three times as much as what I'm making as a widebody FO at Delta. Nobody is laughing at my NWA furloughee friend who turned down DAL for Tiger. He is doing pretty good. DAL management or DAL pilots can laugh all they want... he still makes two to three times more than his peers (in his seniority range).

Originally Posted by alfaromeo

The airline business has been in a negative stability loop in the last 20 years. The highs went higher and the lows went lower. 2003-2005 pretty much signaled that something had to change. Instead of making the business a high risk gamble, through consolidation and better balance sheet management, Delta is de-risking our business and producing a model that can generate consistent profits, which by the way will fund contract improvements. Part of this new rationality will be the lack of the explosive growth followed by furlough models we have seen.

Originally Posted by georgetg

Alfa, is it unrealistic to ask for de-risking our employment status and producing a model that can generate consistent seniority advancement while funding contract improvements? Or are those items mutually exclusive?

Cheers
George

Originally Posted by Check Essential

Yes indeed.
We are leaving the market and shrinking and the low cost guys are moving right in.

Wall Street Journal

FEBRUARY 16, 2012, 3:11 P.M. ET
UPDATE: Spirit Airlines Sees Capacity Up 23% In 2012 Vs 2011

• --Florida-based carrier's expansion provides a particular challenge to AMR Corp

--Spirit plans to add seven planes this year, boosting its fleet to 44
--Notched up its fifth-straight year of profitability
(Updates with executive comment beginning the third paragraph. Updates share price.)

By Doug Cameron
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

Spirit Airlines Inc. (SAVE) announced plans Thursday to accelerate its expansion, boosting capacity by 23% this year in a move that highlights the opportunities for U.S. low-cost carriers as larger network rivals shrink domestic flying.
The Florida-based carrier's expansion in cities such as Dallas, Chicago and Denver, and into the Caribbean and central America, provides a particular challenge to AMR Corp. (AAMRQ) as 60% of its network overlaps with the third-largest U.S. carrier by traffic.
With the three largest U.S. carriers--United Continental Holdings Inc. (UAL), Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL) and AMR--all pledging to keep capacity flat or lower this year, smaller airlines are filling some of the gap.
Spirit grew capacity by around 15% last year, and the 23% expansion eyed for 2012 lags only the 30% growth targeted by Virgin America.
Ben Baldanza, Spirit's chief executive and a former American Airlines' executive, said on a post-earnings' call that he sees opportunities to expand profitably beyond those captured by its existing fleet plan.
Spirit plans to add seven planes this year, boosting its fleet to 44, and has around 100 Airbus aircraft on order for delivery between now and 2021.
Baldanza outlined the capacity plans alongside a sharp rise in fourth-quarter earnings, notching up its fifth-straight year of profitability and an operating margin of 25.7% that leads the industry.
Net profit in the quarter rose to $24 million from $9.5 million a year earlier, with revenue up 26.7% at $273.9 million, driven by higher ticket prices and its focus on charging for extras such as bags. The result beat analysts' expectations.
The stock recently was up 0.3% at $19.29.
-By Doug Cameron, Dow Jones Newswires; 312-750-4135; [email protected]

Originally Posted by tsquare

How do you know this?

Originally Posted by tsquare

You gonna eat crow if it DOES get released? OR are you gonna find something else to be critical and divisive to cry about? Nevermind, I know the answer to that.

Originally Posted by tsquare

And one more thing... What if the opener that DOES get released isn't what Carl thinks is sufficient? Buuuuut, it represents the desires of the pilot group..

Originally Posted by tsquare

We all know that you think the whale should only work on sunny Wednesdays and pay $1000/hour, but what if the pilot group said.. in the surveys.. that the whale and the 7ER should pay the same? (Read banded payrates)?

Originally Posted by tsquare

You might get to see the opener, but you have little idea of what goes into that opener too.

Originally Posted by tsquare

So maybe the surveys SHOULD be released.. what would say if they are, and you don't have as much leverage as you think?

Originally Posted by johnso29

I'm actually shocked that anyone on this forum thought DAL would do anything other then shrink once the merger was complete. Organic growth after merging 2 airlines(which was done to reduce capacity and increase pricing power) would defeat the purpose of the merger in the first place. I'm still pleasantly surprised we made it through without furloughs.