This is just depressing......

 

What's crazy to think about is all the money wasted to hire and train everyone post bankruptcy just to furlough them a few years later.........

 

Its illegal to buddy up under the RLA. What needs to be done is file for a single carrier petition with the NMB. Had Comair and ASA done that years ago things would be quite different now. They were to focused on trying to crash the mainline list and never got their own house in order.

 

Hey, all that new paint more than paid for itself, what with all the increased airspeed we picked up the past few months with those shiny smooth surfaces! This world needs to be run by coupon clipping soccer moms, not high paid CEO's who have lost touch with the real world! Crazy Delta and the image they fight to protect instead of the bottom line and their employees. (Stepping down off soapbox, back to the couch.)

 

Except that in this case the bottom line and the emplyees aren't Delta's, but Mesaba's. While it sucks, being an employee of a contractor is no guarantee of not getting furloughed. With that said, being an employee of the mainline is no guarantee either. Keep in mind that mainline furloughed after 9/11, and I, myself was out for close to 5 years.

 

Maybe it is just a matter of semantics but by default since Delta owns Mesaba aren't the employees essentially employees of Delta? Mesaba's bottom line is Delta's bottom line in the end. If tomorrow Delta absorbed Mesaba, the profit/loss Mesaba made would be that of Delta's. Mesaba exists only for the benefit (and the detriment) of Delta. It is a blurry line but in a way, yes Mesaba employees are employees of Delta. The check might not say it but that is where the money comes from and that is who calls all the shots.

 

Actually, this argument has been made about Comair and before that, ASA. In the end, no, they are not employees of Delta. As much as some people want to believe it, according to the FAA and IRS, they are not employees.

Mesaba's losses, and those of all the DCI carriers, (pass through costs,) are already shown on Delta's bottom line. Their income however, is not. This does help Delta Inc. as they can use the loss to a tax advantage.

While I empathize with those looking at the loss of a job, you need to remember that this how the industry works nowadays. Regardless of where the money comes from, or who calls the shots, we are all digits to be manipulated to get the maximum output with the minimum cost. The heyday of the industry is long past and anyone who jumped in without realizing the potential for this to happen didn't do their due diligence.

Besides, wasn't there talk of the Saab's going away earlier in the year? Unfortunately the writing was on the wall for all the DCIs as to what they could expect, regardless of who owned them. Shrinkage and consolidation are the words of the day, and the price to be paid for the rapid growth of the early '00s. The problem is that like a Ponzi scheme, it's the late comers who pay the price, not those who benefited the most.

 

Wow, don't you have the wisdom of it all wrapped up in that little mind of yours. Thanks so much for enlightening us all with how this industry works. I may have missed it even though I just went back and re-read, but I don't think that anyone here was crying over losing their jobs or complaining that they're in this industry. I know I wasn't, I was simply venting about the current state of the economy and the waste that still goes on that's going to hurt us all (big banks, airlines, gov't, you name it we're digging holes we'll never get out of). The official announcment that the Saab will be gone is no shock to anyone, I think the shock came when the Saabs started to get paint because even though the official order hadn't come from the big D we all knew it would. I'm happy right where I'm at but it sounds like you're still a little jaded from your 5 year hiatus and feel it your duty to warn the rest of us to get out while there's still time.

 

And that is why I said it is just a matter of semantics. We aren't really Delta employees, Delta does not treat us like their employees, and doesn't pay us like their employees. They just own us and make the general public think we are Delta employees. They make our FAs wear the same scarf that their own FAs wear. They make every single major decision concerning our operation. They do not allow us to search for other opportunities to keep our pilots working, we are only allowed to work for them. If you don't want to use the term employees of Delta, that is fine. A more proper term might be slaves of Delta.

No need to feel empathy for future furloughs. We are all among the lowest paid in the industry, finding a job that pays more will not be hard for most people. I am not sure what you mean by the writing was on the wall for the DCI carriers in shrinkage and consolidation. Most DCI carriers are currently hiring/recalling for additional flying. There has been no consolidation what so ever.

 

Am I jaded by being furloughed? Not at all, but it did remove the scales from my eyes. Warning you to get out? Not at all, more like a warning that if you want to remain in the game, get ready for BOHICA. I have spent going on 16 years dealing in one way or another with Delta management, 5 1/2 at ASA and the rest at mainline. I am more than willing to help anyone who wants to pursue a career at this, I am just tired of all the people who jump in eyes closed and when they get burned, get whatever.

This is actually a third career for me, and quite honestly, it is an easy job, if you know how to navigate the pitfalls. I just see a new crop of people who were sold a bill of goods in early upgrades and endless growth, who failed to realize that there will be times of downgrades and layoffs.

I guess I'm just venting too. The advice is free, you can listen or not. I'm glad you are happy where you are. May it continue for you.