Does anyone know if there will be an AE in May? IF so, any information on what openings may be in it?

Thx

 

I heard second- or third-hand that the AE would fill some 777 slots, and that not many of the vacancies it creates will be backfilled--so probably a very small AE.

That's the only rumor I have heard.

 

Heard that it will be the last one for awhile

 

That has to be pretty much dead-on as they have stopped hiring. No one is coming in to fill the junior bases so they can't let folks move out and leave the positions uncovered. Just makes sense, unfortunately. What you get on new hire day one you will be stuck with for a while. Hopefully, we get more aircraft before the merger and let folks bid around before integration.

 

there will still be bids. There will have to be. New aircraft are being delivered. Those spots have to be put out for bid. So, unless the bid in May accounts for all the deliveries in the next year, there will be further bids.

I agree though. Very little backfilling and very small movement.

 

There will have to be one in late summer when the 6 777's start coming in quick succession. That will all be before the merger DCC. We will need more pilots, that is for sure.

 

Sheez, could you imagine if DAL hires for 777s and NWA furloughs to park DC-9s that close to the merger? Wouldn't be good.

Slowing down domestic flying may mean that the 777s are manned by shifting flying and not by hiring. Is this a possibility?

 

I don't think any shifting of flying can occur between us and NWA until we have a joint contract and SLI agreed upon. Until that point, we hire or furlough what we need and NWA does the same. I do think we will see more capacity reductions this fall and possibly this summer, hopefully the international growth will more than offset the cuts that we'll see. I sure wish we had $30/bbl oil and the age 60 rule back!

 

Boy that would be nice

 

There will be more AE's at Delta and there will be some backfilling. Delta is bound by a manning formula on how they have to staff each category. If a pilot bids out of a category and that would put that category below the manning formula then he has to be replaced. Delta had to pay out a big chunk of cash earlier this year because they had left some categories below the manning formula. The backfilling may not be on the same bid. Delta quite often posts a clean up bid a month or two after a large bid to get the categories in the right balance. The 777's coming in the fall will start being filled on the 9 May bid. There should be one or two more bids with 777 time. I suspect the MD-88 Category will be reduced in size and most of the parked aircraft will be mad dogs. That will free up pilots to fill the holes created as pilots go to the 777.