chuckyt1

Great post Tinkerbell, thanks for the kind words.

As a side note, I very much like to engage the customer. Sometimes it is, unfortunatley, not possible to meet those that get off quickly. TSA rules and and all.

Any chance you'd like to run a legacy carrier?

Carl Spackler

Then I wonder why so many MBA graduates rapidly forget about this portion of schooling?

Maybe it's just laziness or lack of creative problem solving ability. There is no doubt that for most, the great lesson of Herb Kelleher and his leadership at Southwest Airlines is NOT imitated very often.

Carl

Tinkerbell

I am not sure they forget, Carl...I think it's more of a they didn't have the opportunity to learn it in b-school. Leadership in organizations is a fairly recent topic...the last 10-15 yrs or so.

I do hope that the new and younger MBA graduates learn the lesson well. For better or worse, in order to be at the helm of a major legacy carrier, one has to be older and have more years of experience. It takes a lot of insight to change the way they run a business (especially if it seemed to work in the past!).

However, my intention was not so much to shed light on mgmt's perspective...rather it really is to congratulate all of you on a job well done, all the time. I can tell you all feel frustrated, and understandably so. Everyone deserves and enjoys receiving praise. I can see how much more frustrating it is for all of you given the nature of the industry and how things are set up.

I, for one, now have a completely diff't perspective every time I set foot on an airplane. I know my opinion doesn't count as much because it is not coming from up above, but definitely be aware that yes, your job is recognized, yes, it is important, and yes, you do it very well!

willflyforcash

Tink, I think about money saving ideas all of the time! Its amazing how much money we waste each time we are at work because we simply don't care! This is my first job at a large company. I have always worked for mom-n-pop outfits (food stores, restaurants, flight schools, charter..) and was always very pro-company! Always trying to make a few extra dollars for the company, while saving money too. I used to really enjoy being a good, productive employee. The small "pats on the back" really made you enthusiastic about helping the company out and above all, representing the company in a good way! However, bad management/labor relations will quickly sour the best worker. Everyone who knows me says I am the last person they would expect to have a carefree and lazy attitude towards work. Its sad, but its reality. And I truly cant see it changing any time soon.

User Name

I just threw up in my mouth.

Peanutcruncher

Thanks Tinkerbell for breaking the ice, so to speak, and if the pilots will forgive another peanut cruncher for also slipping into this forum I would like to ditto your feelings. I'm a little closer to aviation than you seem to be, so I have been watching this beating down for quite some time. I have really been wanting to slip in to let the Delta and Northwest pilots know that I have watch and enjoyed the development of the Northwest and Delta merger among the pilots go from the strong doubt to strong acceptance over these last few weeks. Your observations need a second and I would like to also share what a lot of us on this side of baggage claim are cheering for in the merger because I am hope I am seeing a change in direction with what Delta is doing.

For most of us, there is seldom a thought of what it takes to get us out on Monday morning at 6:30, usually being more worried about how bad the traffic is in Pittsburgh so we can make it to a meeting at RDIC by one. The smile and 'thanks for flying with us' at the exit does not even hint at the long and hard hours of work it takes qualify him to get us from one end of the country to the other in four of five hours. I for one, will tell them that ‘I appreciate flying with you’, because I do know what it takes and I would tell the other 100 or so people it takes to get the plane from down here to up there if I could.

Probably the easiest way to let the pilots know that a lot of us are aware of their plight, and air line workers in general, is to let them know that I had the opportunity to set by a Spirit pilot not long ago. He is a 747 qualified pilot that is now flying MD80's, pretty much the history of most of you. With the fuel prices it seems that each day it’s another airline with the same desire to get more from the employees.

Knowing what you are all going through, a lot of us are paying attention to the Northwest and Delta merger wanting it to be different. From the outside looking in, it seems that Delta's first priority is to join the employee groups to help operate the equipment, and it seems just about every flight I take, they need bigger equipment. It is almost astounding to look at the press releases and see that they are still announcing growth - and are willing to discuss improvement in compensation with the employees in comparison to what the other airlines are doing. The direction that Delta and Northwest is taking will take some time to prove out, and if successful, the industry is going to be the better for it.

And for you Delta and Northwest pilots, some of the comments from out here in B23 waiting area are:

Northwest and Delta are the two airlines that we are really glad to see become one. No one would like to see the Northwest name lost. The only thing positive about all the name changing is that Memphis will finally be a hub within the airline's namesake.

Got to think that big profit center at Delta Technical is chomping at the bits to get their hands on the Northwest facilities. I don't think Delta will stand for more than their painting to be outsourced.

One of my first thoughts when the merger was announced was that the freight business had to be a big part of the decision. From some news reports since the announcement, it looks as this is high on the priority of business opportunities.

Delta is doing a good job of keeping Airtran and JetBlue honest, with the combined airline, there is no reason why they can't put their sights on Southwest. The second quarter 08 results proves that Delta can beat them at their own game. With the price of oil coming down, it's really going to make it interesting.

I wouldn't worry too much about the economy. There is a lot of real work out there that has good financial backing for a long time to come. There is three nuclear reactors under contract with a total of 35 in serious discussions, there's still several billion in oil refinery work under way and the facility that I work at is 3,000 skilled craftsmen shy of what we need (today).

It looks as if the 'Spirit of Delta' is coming back to life, and from an outsider's prospective it is very welcomed. Its been a while since we have seen the Delta employees working as hard as they have to promote a business plan and I for one am hoping it just a matter of time before you get a book deal. The loss of this spirit is probably the summation of what all of us professionals (I'm an electrical engineer) has seen happen in the last 20 years. You are aware of what the airline industry is doing, but it has happened to all of us in our own way and we are pulling for you to pull off step one to start turning things around.

Delta's August schedule has already renumbered Northwest's flights for the domestic routes. I'm eager to see the combined schedule and just wonder what the next announcement for the international routes will be. If Tahiti is part of this plan, I will be convinced that this merger is for real.

Appreciate your forgiveness of my interruption and maybe it's not too much to ask for changing the rules of this forum to 'pilots discussions and those who would like to say something nice to pilots'. I just want to express that I am thankful that you have opened you hearts and feelings to the world, and that as an outsider looking in, I think that Delta is going to do very well. If the one's of you that are posting on this board are anywhere close to a cross section of the attitude of the separate pilot groups, the joined pilot group will be what Delta's competitors are dreaming of.

May God bless Delta Air Lines, comfort and prosper its employees and keep them safe, and that their work is an inspiration to all.

BoredwLife

Of the post above.

HOLY CRAP BATMAN!!

KC10 FATboy

Not to rain on the party, but I thought this forum was for airline pilots only? Although I welcome the nice comments, I was drawn into this forum because it gave me the chance to "hanger fly" despite the busy schedule and without the scrutiny of passengers and/or media.

The LAST thing I want is to see is this forum get full of airliners.net people.

<shivers>

-Fatty

shiftwork

So this contemptible relationship between management and workers, prevalent in the airlines, doesn't breed efficiency????? wow I would have thought that the MBA management types would have figured that out????

I guess if you kick your dog you shouldn't be surprised when he bites you.

Interesting post, none the less.

Breckster

Tinkerbell

Hi there again!

Hmmm... I was fully aware that if I participated in the forum and posted something, some people would not like it and perhaps take offense. I apologize if that is the case for those of you who would rather not have regular people like me participate in your forums.

However, I do believe that a dialogue is enriched with different points of view. I really enjoy reading about your experiences (who knows, maybe I was a pilot in another life, I have no idea) and simply wanted to let you know that. I am interested in knowing who is at the helm of the plane I am flying on...when I think hard about it, my life depends on it...a lot. I fly very often. Why would I not want to know a bit about you guys?

On the other hand, it is also good for you to hear how much some of us who stop to think about it appreciate the work you do. Forget the mgmt vs. employee issues for a second. That was not the point I wanted to make. The point I want to reinforce is that heck, I appreciate what you do for a living. Very much so. And it seems to me that other than yourselves and your peers, not a whole lot of other people are aware of what it takes.

I am happy to say thank you and to praise you. Whether anyone wants to accept a compliment or not is out of my realm . But if it is coming and if it is FREE, why not?