Originally Posted by REF 5

SWA could be Sears and Kodak too. Make no bones about it, in the airline industry nobody is safe. Many friends that work at big D, believe me, they complain about the same crap. The margins these companies create compared to other industries is horrible. It's unbelievable that the airline industry that created a high single net margin is considered good. Everybody looks at the absolute dollar amount because its big but when look at through a efficiency point of view(margins)its horrible. Airlines business is bad but a necessary business in the economy.

Originally Posted by e6bpilot

Haha. ZOMG. This post is PEAK Delta. Drive by other airline forums and tell them how to run an airline.

You're a pilot, bro. We all see you walking by not waving. I am old enough to remember when Delta was a terrible place to work. You guys hit the CEO lottery with Anderson and here you are. I wish you all the best, but Sears and Kodak had it all figured out too.

Originally Posted by Hotel Kilo

Hello, DAL guy here. Yes, we are #2 at BOS and #2 at SEA. We won't be #2 at BOS for much longer. JBLU is foundering there. We'll continue to capacity dump on them. We've opened the 330 pilot base there and we fully expect to add other fleets to base there. At SEA we are behind Alaska, but not by much. We have plans there and as our 350s continue to roll in expect more of a footprint there as well. If you think we're going to surrender AUS to you I think you'd be wrong. Big plans there.

The problem you all have is you don't offer premium anything. And you are at least a decade behind DAL and UAL on that. The market demographics have been shifting. People, the customers we (DAL and UAL) are targeting, want the premium experience. Do you have galleys in your planes? I don't recall seeing them. Do you offer anything close to D1 or Polaris? Not even your "first class" is comparable to DAL or UAL. Again, you are about a decade behind where the market is moving. UAL and DAL have seen it and they are working to secure that premium flyer.

in order for you to compete with them in the future you're going to have to build lounges, upgrade cabins and service and provide a truly premium product. UAL getting their cabins with more premium is going to give you guys some issues. They fly to more areas that are your "turf" than we do. However, AUS won't be one place we are going to sit idly by. That is a premium market and one you won't be able to compete for unless and until you offer something commensurate with what we and UAL offer.

Lot of friends that fly for you guys, I hope to see you bring your A-game here. But until you get the lounges, the cabin interiors and truly offer a premium product you will lose market share to us and UAL. It's already happening. You can keep flying Joe and Margarita around p2p but in the end the $$$ are in the premium customer.

Originally Posted by REF 5

One of the reasons why the displacements are happening is because of the single fleet type. These displacements wouldn't exist to the extent if their was another fleet type on the property. The other airlines don't play like that because it pretty cost prohibitive to move planes around at network planning's whim every month. I'm not saying to give up scope or turn away from it but at the same time don't shoot yourself in the foot either. Another fleet type pretty much neutralizes the company AND we don't have to give anything for it. Many of us come from other airlines that had multiple fleet types and never had these kind movements outside of closing a domicile and/or retiring a fleet type. The company would love for the pilot group to demand new displacement language knowing damn well they'll never use it to the degree they have.

Originally Posted by flyguy81

If they want another fleet type, that’s fine. I’d love the artificial seniority bump from another fleet. But they’re gonna have to give up the pay we want for it, and fix the displacement mess without us waiting years for retirements, etc to self correct…along with anything else we want.

We supposedly got C2016 done because of the Max….make it count.

Originally Posted by MudhammedCJ

That's what you want. Don't underestimate the rest of this groups ability to fold for a handful of pocket lint and a pat on the head. They will play "us" like a fiddle.

Originally Posted by MudhammedCJ

That's what you want. Don't underestimate the rest of this groups ability to fold for a handful of pocket lint and a pat on the head. They will play "us" like a fiddle.

Originally Posted by flyguy81

I wasn't around for the "Hey, fly these -800's for free and I'll make it up to you later" deal. I would've voted no on that...but I get it. Dangle a shiny new toy in front of a pilot and they'll come running...

Originally Posted by Hotel Kilo

Hello, DAL guy here.

in order for you to compete with them in the future you're going to have to build lounges, upgrade cabins and service and provide a truly premium product. UAL getting their cabins with more premium is going to give you guys some issues. They fly to more areas that are your "turf" than we do. However, AUS won't be one place we are going to sit idly by. That is a premium market and one you won't be able to compete for unless and until you offer something commensurate with what we and UAL offer.

Originally Posted by e6bpilot

I wasn’t either, but it was wrapped in a “hey, if the company achieves these metrics, you guys will get a raise” type of deal. The company was the one that controlled the metrics. Not surprisingly, the company didn’t get the numbers they needed to give out the raises to the pilots. It was definitely Gary Kelly taking advantage of the old “psychic wage” and pilot group that had been trained by Herb to (foolishly) trust and believe in management. Glad those days are over.