Questions for Northwest pilots:
 

Got a class date scheduled for 5 May, and was hoping to get some info from those of you already at Northwest. I live in Seattle and am hoping to get SO on the -200 in ANC. Assuming no merger:

1) How long to hold FO on the -200 in ANC?

2) How about the FO on the 330 in SEA?

3) How many days off on average do blockholders in SEA and ANC get?

4) Whats an "average" trip length?

Thanks a lot!

You won't be able to hold anything in SEA for a very long time under current conditions. New hires are getting SO on the 747 in ANC, but you won't be able to touch a widebody FO seat for quite a while.

guys in my class got ANC SO block and they arent even out of training yet. So thats probably your best bet. Congrats!

Eleven yrs at NWA and I cant hold any widebody reserve positon as a F/O.

Jun '08 pilot position awards. Most junior reserve.

ANC 747 F/O 11/96
SEA 330 F/O 05/96
MSP 474 F/O 11/96

If we merge that will change.

Thats true, 11/96 and just got the right seat in MSP. Is that you JC?

I am a little uneducated on the subject... Can you explain how it will change if you merge?

According to the press today, that may not happen. Too many roadblocks. Will be nice to breathe easy again. ;)

3 times the number of widebodies and ER flying goes junior at Delta. Also, Delta as 8 777's coming that require dual crews due to stage lengths and another 8 that are widely speculated about.

Right now I hold better seniority on a 767 than I do an MD88. It is because the fleet and block hours have been growing quickly.

I don't think it will change that much in a merger. The integration plan that puts NWA pilots into Delta widebody AC, is exactly why there is no merger. If a NWA pilot wants to fly a 767ER, we are accepting applications. If a DAL pilot wants to be a 747 SO, NWA is accepting applications.

I hope we can come up with an agreement that brings the two groups together, without instant stagnation or a backward slide.

Thanks, thats the kind of info I was hoping for! Factor out the fact that there wasn't any hiring for a number of years and its not all that bad really.

Positions
 

With a hire of 11/97 I am DC-9CA reserve out of Memphis. I got this before a WB FO position. Not all want the DC9 though, just want to make CA in case of a merger.

Hired in 2/97. Very good seniority on the 320 now. Have no hrs on the -9 (new hire went to the -10 in HNL. Spent 5.5 yrs wrenching on the -10 and
-200 in HNL and ANC) so why go be a CPT when they basically have no life. With DL, have no want to go to NYC on the 767. Happy were I'm at. As they say..."Been there, done that". Like going to MJB, CUN, PVR, SJU, CZM, LAS, etc...especially when its snowing outside! QOL is more important than anything right now.

Nough said......

You know what's funny is that a 2/97 hire at Delta can hold senior ATL 767 Domestic or International lines (i.e. QOL, avoid snow in the winter) or MD88 Capt ATL or NYC or 737-800 Capt NYC. That is why we are worried about this merger.

That is because you had your retirements, soon we will have ours.

If the company stays solo, the FO seat in the 747-200 will start to open up in the next few years. The waiting list is only 18 people long. Once the 787 comes on line and retirements kick in, you should be golden out of ANC. I just heard that we re-upped the contact with DHL so that should help the freight division. SEA is very senior but who knows how the next 5 years will be. I think NWA will be the place to be once the retirements kick in and we get a new contract.

That is good news. Any source??

Actually that is what is misleading. Yes we did have a couple thousand guys take the money and run. Yes that did help the upper end of the seniority list. However at the same time we were getting rid of all the old aircraft. So while the upper end of the list was moving up the lower end treaded water. Now we have growth aircraft and we are seeing rapid movement since we are no longer getting rid of aircraft each time we get a new one.

If you look at the the retirement situation at both airlines then yes NWA has more retirements until 2021 then we have double the number of retirements each year. So who will get that movement?

He is right. Prior to 9/11 I was an 88 captain. Now after those 2000 retirements you talk about....I am an 88 captain. During all the retirements, I did not move much, but in the last year as the 757s have come on board, I have started to move up again. I will move even more as the 777s come on line. We do have movement here at Delta, it's just based on growth not retirements.

Somebody had to move up. If 2000 guys left. Somebody had to move to the left seat?
IM

PLEASE, can we have a thread or two that does not become nwa vs delta. They are both great companies, I wish you the best where ever you are.

Not Here
 

Don't turn a simple question about NWA into a SLI thread. Save it for the merger forum. Please don't turn this website into another FI. If you are trolling for entertainment go to FI, if not contribute to the topic at hand or start another thread in the merger forum. Thanks and Cheers.

I'm in your class. I'm hoping for the DC9

No, because there were no left seats to move into. After 9/11 through the bankruptcy, DAL parked 15 MD-11, 54 737-200, 26 737-300, 15-767-200, 4 767-300, and the remainder of the 727 fleet (about 50 airplanes). New aircraft deliveries to mainline ceased in late 2002 and didn't resume until last fall. The fleet went from about 550 to 440 active jets, and during this time Delta implemented PBS, which eliminated additional Captain seats. Also, some of the pilots that left weren't Captains, they were either flight engineers from the 727, military retirees, or folks bailing to another job or career.

The early retirements didn't cause much movement, it just saved a whole bunch from getting furloughed. Even with the exodus, DAL had 1060 long term furloughees, the last of which was offered recall in February, 2007.