As a youngin in the industry, I found the forum on Delta pilots cleaning out their lockers, and the insuing discussion about scabs somewhat interesting. Being that a lot of the precedence that will affect the industry in the future was set some 20 years ago, I was wondering if some of the oldtimers can give a short "history lesson" about major airlines.
PanAm/Eastern/TWA/People Express/Western/etc... What happened to all these airlines? What went bad?

When were some of the huge mergers that took place? What airlines merged? Why did they merge?

When were some of the big strikes in recent history? How long were they out, or were they ordered back?

What are some of the big incidents with scabs? Any details?

Any response to any of these questions is appreciated.
Thanks a lot,
Ryan

Just about all you'll ever need to know:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/081...g=UTF8&s=books

Ditto! Hard Landing is a MUST-READ for anyone in or interested in the airline industry. "He who forgets the past is condemed to repeat it in the future"

read FLYING THE LINE. Get it at Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/096...Fencoding=UTF8

I'm guessing there will be few, if any scabs at a Delta strike. The CFO and CEO have said under direct court testimony that they have no intention of operating the airline during a strike.

In fact, they testified that Delta's DIP financing from GE will be revoked by covenants if a strike lasts longer than 48 hours, and the company will liquidate then, if not sooner.

A strike, if it occurs will be very short lived. It will end within hours of starting by court injunction, tentative agreement, or destruction of the airline. There will be no time for replacements or scabs.

----

"Delta management told arbitrators that it has no contingency plans for a strike, will not try to operate during one and could not survive for long. Delta's cash position is built entirely on its $1.9-billion debtor in possession (DIP) financing from a syndicate led by GE Capital Corp. and Morgan Stanley Senior funding. The DIP agreements protect the lenders with restrictive covenants that would be violated almost immediately in a strike."

A Delta strike will mean instant (job) suicide for the pilots and instant (job) murder for the other 41,000 Delta employees the pilots will take down with them. A real pity. And hardly democratic.

What the Delta pilots have to understand is that, as outrageous as the loss of their pensions and the steep cuts in salary may be, this is The Future for commercial aviation. I wish it weren't so, but the demand for cheap tickets by the American flying public continues to ravage the cost structure of the legacy airlines. Anyone planning (or currently trapped in) a professional flying career with the airlines needs to get a grip and accept that a probable salary ceiling will be about 100K for experienced captains. Again, I wish it wasn't so, but that's the writing on the wall. At least you can have a very decent standard of living for 100K, and can raise a family. Definitely won't get rich, though.

So what is "democratic" about big business? I think the Delta pilots understand far more than you do about the situation. After all, its there keesters on the line.

Seaber. Thank you for your opinion on what a "decent standard of living" is for an airline pilot. I'll consider that an outside opinion.

Those on the inside, pilots and managements, are aware of, and understand forces impacting the future of the commercial airline business. Its not that we can't "get a grip" on what's happening, it's that we need a reasonable, and mutually agreeable way to cope.

Management at Delta has so far chosen to use the blunt hammer of bankruptcy profiteering rather than the consensual negotiations that have benefited both parties for the last 65 years. So what you need to understad Seaber, is that THE METHOD of determining the outrageous concessions is what is at stake here.

Delta has really refused to negotiate anything since declaring bankruptcy in September. All along they've been counting on simply taking the easy way out and voiding the pilot contract via the 1113 process. Delta pilots refuse to accept that. They insist on working together, rather than being dictated to.

That's what this is about. It is a real pity that Delta management is willing to risk the "murder" of tens of thousands of non contract employees all in a misguided effort to try and bust the pilot union.

Delta management is forcing this strike. It's not very democratic of them. But that's what despotic dictators do. It's what Frank Lorenzo and his cronies would do. And that's who Delta management is taking advice from these days.

When I look back at the Delta pilot group of today as compared to the one I knew over my career, it's like two completely different groups.

I wish you guys the best of luck. I hope you really are as unified as you appear to be.

Funny how the public will stand up and demand low airfares, but really won't do anything about the soaring cost of health care.......