I for one being a NWA guy that does not want to merge, would only want to merge with one carrier and that would be DELTA!!! The rest of the choices out there are terrible. I hope that the Delta guys feel the same about merging with NWA. I think that the Delta guys are a very professional bunch and I have never felt like the operation at NWA was anything but highly professional and above all a safe operation. It will be a lot better to say I work for Delta rather than NWA.

SLI is the sticking point. Probably arbitration will rule. That way some poor Merger commitee guy want be threatened the rest of his career. Would be nice if we could figure it out.

Best of LUCK to us!!

I am all for taking the higher path and I realize that DOH won't work but I think something somewhat reasonable most of us would sign on to. (Non scientific poll)

Q. NWA is going to have us start staying at the same hotel in CDG, where DAL stays. Does anyone have any gouge on the workout facility, location etc. Thanks.

Good Layover
 

Novotel Eiffel Tower:

http://www.novotel.com/novotel/fiche...he_hotel.shtml

In the picture, it is the one with all the red around the windows. As you can see it is very close to the Eiffel Tower and right on the river. Very close to grocery and metra stops. Has a good workout facility, indoor pool etc. They have crew discounts on services and food but I can't quote them off the top of my head.

They have a crew lounge for airline only. Many airlines stay there (DAL alone has 3 - CVG, JFK & ATL). Standard drill is:

Everybody go get some wine, beer, cheese, pate', bread etc... and meet in the crew room around 5 or 6ish. Drink and tell lies for awhile and round up a group to go out for dinner and more drinks.

Caution: this is one of the hardest overnights to make it out of said crew lounge as you often end up staying there shooting the breeze and just going for more booze runs.

All in all, usually a fun time on this one.:D

By the way, I'm with you here.

I will be a pilot of few words tonight as I just finished a great bottle of wine with my wife. As I write this, I'm wondering why I'm even doing this and delaying my departure upstairs.

I'm encouraged to see the constructive dialogue and passion of the two groups. We both have a wonderful, rich aviation history and will jointly contribute to make the most powerful pilot group on the planet. I completely understand the friction of the unknown as we move forward. I am also cognizant of the fact that in a couple of short weeks both sides seem to have reached a more centrist common ground. I believe the joint contract will be reached as will a joint SLI. I am also confident that the joint SLI will prove to be beneficial to both sides in the long term.

I went to the road show the other day and they had representative of the MEC, Negotiating committee and ALPA National there. Our MEC Chairman reiterated his opposition to mergers in general but said that after reviewing all confidential data that the joint company with NWA will be the most powerful U.S. airline able to compete with any worldwide carrier. He also said that talks with UAL had reached an advanced stage and that a joint DAL/UAL company would have been disastrous for the careers of all pilots with those companies. We will have the most powerful network that could produce billions in profits should oil prices stabilize. He said that the only way to get FedEx/UPS type contracts was to produce FedEx/UPS type profits. This combination will produce the most profits in the long-term. However, we will still have a couple of years to realize this. ALPA's EF&A member said that the numbers were run and the combined company will still realize a large profit if the numbers are off by 25% and the costs rise by 25%. In all, there could be a 50% gap in the numbers before the benefits of any merger are erased. He said this was the most compelling merger they had seen and that no other combination could produce this.

In short, I think that if we can successfully weather this storm, we will be poised to reap some significant benefits from it. While I sympathize with the loss of the NWA name, it will be in name only. The spirit will live on as does the spirit of WAL and Pan Am. This company will be better and I look forward to a long career with you all.

Off to the wife................................:D

Well said 4Ever:

I am in the group that are pretty exited about what this merger will bring in the long term. I look at the combined route map, then add in Air France and possibly Alitalia and I see a pretty damn powerful force.

I'm more than a little worried about how this SLI issue will play out as I'm afraid many can't see the forest for the trees, hopefully I'll be proven wrong.

Looking forward to what I hope will be some fun and profitable times in the future with the boys from the frozen north.

(I'm not goin' fishin' when the damn water is frozen over though, unless it's in one of those little huts ala "Grumpy Old Men", with beer and a little pot-belly stove)

Jay5150,

Thanks for the website and gouge. See you guys over there.

Nice Place,

Well the best we can offer going the other way is the "dorm". http://www.radisson.com/hotels/jp/narita/671 Still a good layover with of course the high school reunion in the sports bar most nights. The FAs in general stay away (too tired, too broke, too tired of pilots:D). Same story, meet up place to either head downtown for dinner or just stay in the area. Bad news it it's a bus ride (hotel provides regular schedule) or 5 min pilot walk to other places near by.

Now the good news for 75/76 guys. Out of MSP we do 14 day (may go back to 12 with better rigs) in Asia. We could use a 76 for the Guangzhou (China) run real bad. There has been talk on and off about taking a 300 out or using a big bus but so far its still a 757-200. Here is the place we all try and go though. http://saipan.regency.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp

Guam isn't too bad. But, for history buffs and buffonery boys Saipan can't be beat. Plus, there are a ton of other Chineese cities (with populations over 4 million) we've never heard of just waiting. And, we've had big wigs in Viet Nam looking around.

It can truely be Northwest Orient I mean Delta Orient again.

Ferd

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh Noooooooooooooooo (ok my Olie accent doesn't come across on a web board)

Ferd <------Arizona boy freezing up north

Right on guys, I like this positive switch.