You are the type of guy who will always say this and never do a thing but complain and b!tch. Always burn off the ear of some FNWA guy about how good it was before the merger. I really do hope you p!ss off, it will be better for the rest of us.

 

One question, would NWA as a stand alone have retired this equipment without a replacement? The answer, no.

 

I am really glad we added Northwest's routes and Northwest's pilots. We are a stronger company together than we were separately. Most Delta pilots I know feel the same way. I was hired shortly after the Western merger and it was the biggest period of growth at Delta ever. My guess is a year from now, this company will take off. Don't let the haters get you down.

 

Yeah, that's exactly what they said on the 11th floor of my office building, then I went and flew for the airlines. They thought I was absolutely nuts. My former employer subsequently imploded during this financial downturn and Delta's doing OK. Who'd have thought it?

If the deal starts to stink, I'll find a better deal. The key is flexibility. Been able to do some cool stuff as a result of not getting locked in. Not putting down anyone who chooses to stay... and no, I'd never mention it to a FDAL or FNWA guy on a trip, unless there was something positive to say for both of us, like the $25,000 in Delta stock sitting in the 401K, that was nice.

My point was, I'm not complaining, I'm planning for contingencies should they be necessary to preserve quality of life.

If I was as young as ACL or Superpilot the math would be a lot different due to attrition. However, if over 40 there is not nearly as much time to make up for the move and the displacement that results from all the people left out of position by an arbitration award that failed to provide any deference to status quo.

 

One question, what is the relevance of NW as a stand alone? The answer, none. As for the hypothetical NW stand alone, hypothetically the 742s and cargo were not making money, why would they have kept it stand alone but not merged? As shown in the arbitration briefs, the DC-9s were in rapid draw-down and RJ's were replacing that flying in many markets.....but even all that is beside the point....the question was, since it appears there will be (according to Nu) a draw-down in fNWA equipment, is that a "good deal" for you, and a bad deal for fDL?

 

Heyas Crunch,

True, and I think our MEC would have had an easier time re-absorbing Compass than whatever bizzare, managment inspired drive the DAL MEC seems to be taking to outsource our jobs in the quest to "improve the bottom line".

The junior guys at either airline were screwed no matter what. That was inate in the deal. The only question was how many, and in what proportion. IMHO, and this is only MY opinion, that a number of junior fNWA guys got screwed a little bit, but a smaller number of junior fDAL got screwed a LOT. Does it balance? Maybe, but that's for each individual to decide.

Look, I didn't intend this thread to go bat-sh!t. I didn't mean to imply anything about who landed where on the list, other than it is what it is.

With that said, you have to understand that DAL/NWA is committed now to getting SOC as FAST as possible. It HAS to happen to stem the bleeding. The first AE after that will be chaos, and there are going to be LOTS of displacements. Unless you are uber senior in categoy, you are at risk.

As ACL pointed out, most fNWA guys are used to commuting, base changes and general mayhem. They'll take everything in stride because that's the way it ALWAYS has been for us.

OTOH, the fDAL guys are the ones who are used to stability and contentment...heck, I saw one fDAL guy on the webboard the other day complain about where the 10-7 page was going to be put, and people are getting bent out of shape over one word in the pushback verbage. If little things like that tweaks someone, imagine what the BIG changes are going to do, especially AFTER SOC, when the REAL changes are going to take place.

This is a public service announcement for the DAL guys...times have changed and the new order is here...hang on for the ride. The fNWA guys are happy to help, but man, you have to ask.

Nu

 

Heyas Wiggy,

The drawdown was temporary, and the cap on the number of RJs was solid. NWA was in talks about the C-series replacement for the mainline, not to mention what ever deal could have been struck with Boeing with regards to the 787. There's no telling where that would have gone. We'll never know, now.

Likewise, the pulldown the fNWA metal is only a rumor, and they have been flying fast and furious lately, as I have also heard that all of the domestic 767 lift is slated for the same drawdown.

Throw in a potential aquisition by SWA of either Sun Country or Alaska, and you have the makings of a whole new ball game.

Nu

 

Both of them?

Lately they have been backfilling with 767 list. The other day I was sent home because a 767-400 was needed to cover the RT. Insufficient seats on the 767-300 that was scheduled.

 

FWIW;
DAL is looking at a 100 seat jet for mainline. It is fact, and they know they need it sooner than later. They may decide to continue to sit on their hand like they have for the past five years, but the guys in route know that this RJ fix is killing them. Watch for significant pull down of the DCI fleet as soon as the contracts expire, and a new mainline platform can be found.
As for the NWA pull down effecting everyone. I hate to say it but no amount of complaining will change it. We are a WE not a them or us. We will all take the pain. That is why it is all being done after SOC. There is a point to that.
A lot of this stuff will be absorbed with new metal that is announced and newer metal that is not announced. Suffice to say we got lots of jets coming so just wait. We need the economy to truly turn around before the publicly ink deals for billions of dollars in jets.
As for the 767. There is strong talk of parking the GE 767-300 domestic birds. No time frame has been given but they will not be around like the ER's will be. They are looking at 20 years for those. They are also looking at parking the 32 5500 series 757's. That probably will come in the next three years, but there will be metal and mergers to deal with at that. (Hope the merger does not happen and with SWA playing games it might not but who knows) The 30 and 40 series 9's will be parked.
Now what replaces it? There are a lot of options. The deal of the day is the 90's and there are a lot of them to be had. The acquisition process for each of these is time consuming so to raise the fleet to 35 total and then get board approval for more will take time. The 100 seat jet is probably a few years away. I say 2012 to 2013 to commensurate with the 9 going to VCV. You also have a few 73N's that we have options for that MAY get exercised, but that is not a first or second option. In fact, at this time they do not want any more. (See if that lasts). Airbus is making some very good offers for 320's and 330's. I am sure if we wanted four engines they would do that too. Boeing is working with the 787-800 issue and I would expect to see an answer on that after SOC. Maybe before, but it depends on the lawyers. There will probably be 777-300's here before the end of 2010 to start replacing or augmenting the 744 lift.
In essence a lot is going to happen in the next four to six years.
As for bases, and fleet movement. A lot of people that are new to DAL are for the first time dealing with the prospect of getting booted out of a base. Some of us are not. Problem is that it is uncharted water for many folks. They will get through it, but they have to point of reference. My advice is to bid a jet that gives you the QOL of life you want, no matter what the base is. After 2012 there are going to be retirements that will open a lot of doors. We are not talking about the rest of your DAL career, only the next four to six years. It really is not a lot of time. It is less time than many of your brethren were on the street.

As for me Bar, if mid 30's is young what does the mid 20's equate too? You had a career change. I am sure that it will be better than people's worst fears.
On a good note, the plan is changing and for the better. Wait and see, I am sure it will change again in six weeks.

 

And yes, we have been upping a/c size a lot of flights as of late. Loads are real good.