There is no more “Delta South” culture. It’s gone. What you’re referring to is the “metro-southerner”. The man/woman who maintains the draw but lives apart from the traditional redneck/hillbilly/plantation-owner stereotype. This new character is travelled, has a hobby, good manners, but will engage in liberal ideas and logic. Imagine if Fog-horn Leg-horn was a hipster...this is the inly “South” you will find at mainline Delta. Aside from that not even the traditional case of new-nepotism prevails at the “new” Delta.

$0.02 portion:
If you...
-don’t have laces on your shoes...
-wear a pilot sweater...
-have a good attendance record
-participate in union politics/positions...
-have less than 3000TT (as a civilian)...
-have military obligations...
-are a check airman...

...you probably won’t get hired by Delta. But rest assured that you have a variety of more fiscally responsible carriers that fly the same aircraft to the same cities.

Don’t get hung up on gold buttons. Your desire to be a Delta pilot and maintain your seniority at 9E keeps the chocolate river flowing and the mustache growing. Your peers at Compass/Expressjet-remnant/GoJet/Skywest etc. will have less competition to goto any other comparable legacy-121 operation. Congrats u da plug now.

Who’s more fiscally responsible than Delta? I you need to back that up with more detail.


GP

And a couple I've talked to became ever more motivated to get hired by a competitor and do everything they can to beat Delta. Unfortunately it's a couple, not everyone.

That's why they suck up the 5% that the 95% can's stand. I just don't like that they are trying to make that the culture here.

Southwest.... 1 quarter, not year, quarter that they have taken a loss in over 45 years. Profitable every year after their first year in business. Can't say the same for Delta, United, or American (or any of the companies they merged with in the last 20 years)

That’s great...one. He stated there was a “variety of carriers” who are more fiscally sound. Which ones?

It would be difficult to beat Delta right now, probably only FedEx/UPS are bigger cash flow engines.

Alaskan is another. Richard Anderson put Delta on a strong footing, but remember when airways was gonna buy y'all? Keep delta my delta.

So you’re saying the more I call out sick the better the chances delta will hire me?

You sir, are dead wrong. I happen to know a few schlubby new hires. Nice guys. Good pilots. They definitely don't fit that "look" you speak of, unless you mean DADBODS?