May be a while before that happens. We're putting in the requisite 50+ per month we need to maintain current state and meet growth demands. The leadership team has been quiet lately, I have a feeling something is ready to pop very soon. May not be the contract we're hoping for - yet - but something...my contacts in the school house said there's been lots of closed door meetings between all divisions. Stay tuned!

 

Looking at this as "reserve time" is false advertising. Every airline has senior bases. First the most Jr. line holder for August in DTW is an October 2007 hire, so 10 years not 17. Second the most Jr. Captain line holder in the company is a July 15 hire... That's two years.

If you choose to remain on the 900 in the most senior bases then you may sit on reserve for years. This is a choice.

I live in the Detroit area, I have a family, I want time off, I'd prefer not to commute. I do commute to a captain line. I have been here less than 4 years, I have been holding a captain line nearly a year. In the winter I regularly get 15 or 16 days off, in the summer I get 12-14. I get commutability on all but 2 ends of trips most months, and if I need to commute in I leave late, or get home by a little after 7am. The motels because I book in advance run 2-3 hundred a month. My monthly credit runs 85-95 a month so I can afford those motels vs. sitting reverse and getting min credit. In the past year I have never missed a trip because of commuting and only been given positive space once, in this case the board did not count it as a call in honest because I had done my due diligence to get to work on time and they put me on my first flight choice. (second flight had canceled.)

So all these excuses "impossible to commute from DTW," "Not enough time off," "hotels and crash pads are unaffordable." Are all excuses, commuting to a line in a year I get more hard time off, more income, more time with my family, and get to work every time.

At any airline you can choose to sit reserve for years on the Sr. aircraft in a Sr. base. It is your choice, but it is a choice, if you choose this you can't complain about it and say that reserve is 17 years, that is false advertising. Right now reserve for a captain is 2 years 1 month at EDV. I'm not saying that choosing a reserve line in a Sr. domicile is a poor choice, but you have to weight your options and if sitting reserve is so bad, make a new one.

The point I want to make is anyone considering EDV should know at the moment you can be PIC quickly and get control of your schedule very quickly here. Once you do quality of life is good for a regional, from what I can tell better than most.

 

If you include CDO lines, junior CA lineholder is Nov 15...

 

One of the greatest predictors of success in life is the ability to delay gratification and have the moxie to complete a goal. EDV is not most pilots end goal, to go beyond you need to work, work, work. Delta is not looking for an average pilot. They want someone who is customer service orientated, they want someone who will wear that hat not because they get something for it but only because they asked, they want someone who can see beyond there own wants and sees how a profitable company benefits thousands and is willing a sacrifice a little to make that happen. They don't want someone who thinks "your *** poor attitude of work" I hear Allegiant is hiring.

 

Mainline pilots have had unprofessional behavior issues, and I'm sure Delta doesn't want to add this guy to seniority list through a flow so there is another wildcard in the deck. It you don't think that behavior like this is taken into consideration you are greatly mistaken sir. Delta does not want to take on pilots they didn't interview, that's the reason for SSP and DGI. Delta wants to have the last say if someone is on their seniority list, a right of refusal. This right is to weed out pilots they don't think will meet their standards, and while we fly Delta passengers on our aircraft, our aircraft says "Delta Connection" and not just "Delta." Today passengers know the difference between regional airlines and mainline, and they have different expectations. One national news making event shedding poor light on our company will have an effect on how Delta sees our pilot group and if they deem us worthy of a flow. Pilots not understanding this will only strengthen mainline managements belief we are not worthy.

 

You are flipping kidding yourself if you think passengers know the difference between mainline and regionals.

 

Correct, and most passengers wish that they were flying mainline AC instead of CRJ's so don't give away our jobs while we're still here.

 

I agree when people ask how long I have flown for Delta, I tell them I work for Endeavor, and they ask who is Endeavor. I don't think the majority of the passengers know the difference between a regional and mainline. They do know, however, that they don't like the CRJ. To the passenger, its all branded, "Delta."

 

If I were Delta, I would just restart the SSP again, just keep interviewing the rejects till they go away someday.

 

Seven years ago yes, but after Colgan there was a huge media push to put light on regionals. They see us branded Delta, but more and more people and passengers I talk who ask where I work and I say "a Delta Connection carrier" ask "oh Endeavor" I also think that the folks Delta markets to are more savvy than some of the other airlines and understand that a regional model exits. While I would agree that some have no idea, the number who understand we are not Delta today has grown exponentially since '09.