Will be back shortly.....

 

You got to go take a Harry Alger?

 

FTB;

This post boils down the issue perfectly. While I love the bumper sticker idea, I am not commenting on that. The issue is: Delta, assisted by DALPA, has outsourced half of its flying...To the lowest bidder.

The logical conclusion says that a 400 hour GoJets newhire is a suitable substitute for a 3 war combat pilot (or a 12000 hr regional captain DAL newhire) where DAL passenger safety is concerned.

As I said in another thread, Delta Air lines is in the ticket selling business...DALPAs core business is providing safe air travel. DALPA has allowed their core business to be outsourced.

I realize this is simplistic, but it really is the crux of the issue.

It is not quite as bad as in the right stuff where the astronauts were perplexed that NASA was going to send a monkey to do a man's work. Or was it send a man to do a monkey's work. Anyway, they unionized...Damn starvoyagers.

 

I would be against any staple or even flow of a DCI carrier. Sorry guys, but we have to maintain quality control in our pilot group. There are a ton of great guys at the regionals, let them get hired through the traditional interview method that Delta has been using pretty successfully throughout its history. A staple/flow allows the tools (which there are also many) to get on without being screened.

 

It would be a mess for sure because pinnacle would have to be purchased in bankruptcy, then you would have to either merge comair and pinnacle doh or you would just keep them separate and the. When a new vacancy opens at delta it would go date of hire between pinnacle and comair. It might seem like I am just looking out for myself here. Do I want to be a delta pilot, of course and I'll try and get hired. In the meantime with pinnacle in chapt 11 and delta a creditor, I think it's the perfect time to try and change our industry before our fo's have to go to the bottom of the go jet seniority list

 

I'm not quite sure the traveling public cares. Some have brand loyalty, mostly tied to frequent flier programs, but most shop for the cheapest ticket. Shame doesn't enter the equation, this is purely business. The top dogs at Delta aren't paid to feel good about themselves, they're paid to run a business and make money for stock holders.

 

I agree too much of our flying is outsourced. We need to find a way to bring as much of it back on our list as possible.

As for the 3-war pilot stuff v. the 400 hour Go-jets angle. I wouldn't paint with too large a brush, many of the pilots at regional carriers are highly experienced, including combat time. I'm sure the company would have little difficulty trotting out a few guys at DCI with air medals.

In case nobody has noticed, there hasn't been a great deal of hiring at the mainline carriers these last 10 years. So if the only game in town was getting hired at a regional, then that's where some of these pilots ended up.

We can justifiably be proud of the experience level, professionalism and history of our pilot group, that should be brought to the public's attention, but I'm not sure we elevate ourselves by denigrating others. Let's keep the focus on what we bring to the table, experience, professionalism and a proud history. Didn't British Airways have an add that did that?

 

Even using category status pay they are stapled. We also will be acquiring a bankrupt carrier. An arbitrator could rule the way you stare but there is little fact to support it.

 

Flare...nose tracking down...deploy buckets...back to APC...err nevermind you're probably on one of those sweet reserve scheds

 

It's simple. Good enough to fly Delta passengers, good enough to be Delta pilots. That is the take our union would need to take. Some pilots here do not like that and want to have DAL pick each pilot. Well, it does not work well for any sort of integration. Until pilots get religion on the issue, not much will change.

A double staple that protects the DCI pilots seniority on their current equipment is the most logical way to go. With retirements kicking in, they hold their bidding rights on their current fleet, but vacation, and pass benefits et al would probably have to be reset. They get stapled to the bottom of the list after a DCI intergration. Once they bid up to mainline jets their system seniority prevails going forward. It protects them where they are and us from an errant arbitrator going forward. Most DCI pilot see the writing on the wall and this sort of scheme or plan is a life preserve for many of them.

It is all talk though until all delta pilots and DCI pilots want to get serious about it. DCI need to realize where their careers are going and have logical expectations of any intergration. Anything short of this the deal is effectively a nonstarter for Dal pilots. All the dci pilots I know freely admit it too.