Rudder

Anybody know where one can read the actual marketing agreement between AS and DL?

Superdad

It IS different because NWA guys were flying widebody international. AS pilots performed ZERO wb international flying. I worked hard to get to DAL so I could fly international and I don't think that it is too selfish of me to try to protect that expectation. Give the AS guys DOH, I don't care, there is only 1600 of them. But they should not have the opportunity to get on a WB unless no other DAL pilot wants that spot.

Fishfreighter

Personally, I'd go for that. Unfortunately, DoH isn't a factor in the ALPA merger/frag policy.

Superdad

True, but when you are only talking about 1500 pilots being added to 12000, it becomes a lot more possible.

Just out of curiosity, I have seen a few AK pilots post that they have no interest in the wb flying. Is that the general consensus amongst your peers?

Fishfreighter

I'd venture to say our group is pretty happy with domestic narrowbody flying. Most of the ex-military guys have done the international thing. Overall, I'd say the average Alaska guy has no interest in working for DAL, AA or any other large legacy carrier, especially since our top Capt. rate is higher than your 757/767 rate.

We're pretty happy in our niche.

That said, everything is for sale if the price is right. Someone makes a big enough offer and they'll get us.

If a merger were to come, I could see a fence at your 764/A330 level and a ratioed SLI using the rationale specified under the ALPA merger/frag policy.

Superdad

That does not sound too bad except that the vast majority of our international flying is done by the 757 and 767ER, not the 764/330 group.

Herkflyr

First of all, opinions on this or any other message board (including mine) mean zilch. That said, I don't necessarily agree with that sentiment. The bottom line is that in theory at least, the only reason for a merger with AK is the same reason as the original DAL/NWA merger--the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. We would actually be more profitable because of a merger with AK than without (in theory only of course!).

So do we tell AK guys, "sorry, you can never fly our widebodies, even though your presence in our now larger airline has enabled more profits and more growth--including widebody growth--than we otherwise would have had"?

I think some sort of fence for a number of years would be the most fair solution, just as no premerger DAL guy should be able to bid the original AK flying for some period of time.

QCappy

So how do you all account for losing over $100 million per year that Alaska gets from its codeshare from AA and others not in SkyTeam? That makes Alaska's current route structure integrated into Delta's a lot less profitable and a lot less attractive in a merger.

Ferd149

Is that revenue shared? I would think AA and others are outside the code share. Not poking holes, I honestly don't know.

Thanks........Ferd

QCappy

That is the amount of revenue Alaska gets from all it's other codeshares that adds to the bottom line. So it would dissapear if Alaska were to be integrated into Delta and SkyTeam.