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Delta to stand alone?

Hot off the press. Curious to see who blinks - or not.

Delta Says Merger Principles
With Northwest Haven't Been Met
By PAULO PRADA
February 26, 2008 4:44 p.m.
In a sign of growing trouble for a proposed merger deal with Northwest Airlines Corp., top executives of Delta Air Lines Inc. Tuesday afternoon issued an internal memo saying that no "potential transaction meets all our principles."

Summarizing the airline's priorities in any merger, including seniority protection for all its employees and keeping the airline headquartered in Atlanta, the memo said the airline will continue to focus on its "stand-alone plan" until all "these conditions are met."

Signed by Richard Anderson, Delta's chief executive, and Ed Bastian, the airline's president and chief financial officer, the memo follows a recent impasse in discussions between Delta pilots and their counterparts at Northwest. Despite progress in merger talks among the two airlines' executives and financial advisers, people familiar with the situation say leaders of the pilots groups have been unable to find common ground on an agreement that would establish a common seniority list for the pilots of a combined airline.

Without that agreement, those people said, the airlines are reluctant to merge because executives are wary of protracted labor disputes and contract negotiations that have troubled mergers in the airline industry in the past.

Write to Paulo Prada at [email protected]

This "Merger" stuff doesn't sound good to me.

More negotiating in the press... standard anderson/steenland act. One of the first tenants is "establish random deadlines." Then there's "blame the greedy pilots", and "appeal to greedy senior guys to convince them to sell out the junior guys."

If the merger was good for the company last week, it will still be good for the company next week, and the week after. All this press is designed to force the NWA guys to cave on seniority. I'd rather not merge than accept a ridiculous seniority list.

Personally, I don't see how we'll ever come up with a list that both sides can agree on.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nwaf16dude (Post 328253)

Personally, I don't see how we'll ever come up with a list that both sides can agree on.

Is that why your merger committee would rather go to arbitration?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Justdoinmyjob (Post 328264)

Is that why your merger committee would rather go to arbitration?

Wanting to go into arbitration seems odd, I don't believe that. I do understand both groups arguments and don't see how there will be an agreement that satisfies each one equally. A few years of a pay raise, which NWA will be getting when the contract expires anyway, does not seems worth a career of bad SLI. JMHO

Quote:

Originally Posted by Justdoinmyjob (Post 328264)

Is that why your merger committee would rather go to arbitration?

Not sure where you get the idea our merger committee wants arbitration. As a 12 year F/O who just got a bid to the B747. I don't want to be screwed by some arbitrator. Not sure what 12 years gets you at Delta, but here, it's DC9 Capt or Wide-body F/O. Within 25 of a upgrade A320 Capt, so hanging out as a F/O till then. I am willing to give up some seniorty if the fence is long enough. :eek: Just tired of eating sh*t in the right seat.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jughead (Post 328245)

Great News! I can't think of any Pilot group that needs a merger right now. If the company wants it bad enough, let them bring us back to pre 9/11 contracts!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Justdoinmyjob (Post 328264)

Is that why your merger committee would rather go to arbitration?

I think it's a great idea. NWA pilots don't need DAL. A 30% raise is not worth 30 years of misappropriated seniority.

In 5 years we will have been better of going it alone unless we get DOH.

If they don't like it, I understand. I will lead the charge with a pin on my lapel. :rolleyes:

Quote:

Originally Posted by nw320driver (Post 328318)

While I don't believe everything I read, it's interesting that they would write this. 12 years gets you close to or actually holding a line on the 767ER as captain..

Here is the link to the whole article.

http://www.thestreet.com/_yahoo/news...FREE&cm_ite=NA

Transportation

Delta-Northwest Deal Could Be in Jeopardy

02/26/08 - 04:38 PM EST

CAL DAL LCC NWA UAUA

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The proposed merger between Delta(DAL - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr) and Northwest (NWA - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr) faces a potential collapse, sources say, for an unusual reason -- Northwest's pilots want to arbitrate seniority.

Delta pilots oppose arbitration, which was shown in the 2005 merger between US Airways (LCC - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr) and America West to be an unreliable method to protect pilots from severe career disruptions.

Quote:

Originally Posted by newKnow (Post 328329)

I don't plan on staying that long (30 years), but I get what you are saying. No need get screwed for the rest of our careers, for some cash right now.