NWA-Delta Merger = Very few job cuts

[Superpilot92]

Tanker Clown has -0- airline experience yet spends his days trying to prove he is better than any airline pilot on the forums.

Tanker Clown goes great on the Ignore list.

 

[Tanker Clown]

close to retirement and not even 3000 hours? As a tanker pilot? Got to be one of those losers who got a job as the OGCC's butt boy, and spends more time in the office than in the cockpit. Why else would you have so much time to post on here? You obviously have a hard on for airline pilots. Probably some guy in your squadron who left for the airlines years ago banged your wife.

You sure you're a pilot? Cause you talk a lot like the non rated weenies I knew in the Air Force.

michael707767, thank you for your concern about my flying hour program. If you must know, I had cancer (a very survivable one) and it took me a while to get back on flying status. For that, I apologize. The AF makes you jump through a million hoops to come back after that.

On another note, I see that you flew the mighty E-3. While yes, tanker folk aren't exactly the top of the food chain, the AWACS holds it's own special place. The E-3 is the only jet that the whole rated world looks down on. They tend to attract the absolute last guy to graduate from pilot training. Good job micheal707767, you must have done quite well.

 

[michael707767]

The E-3 is the only jet that the whole rated world looks down on. They tend to attract the absolute last guy to graduate from pilot training. Good job micheal707767, you must have done quite well.

yeah, I did horrible. That's why they FAIPed me.

 

[Tanker Clown]

yeah, I did horrible. That's why they FAIPed me.

You must have really impressed your commander when it came time for assignments. What did you do? Why did they punish you? Did you get a DUI?

 

[General Lee]

I usually listen to anyone's opinion, especially on this opinion forum. But, both Tanker Clown and JKE406 bring absolutely nothing to this board, and even I now use ignore, which has blocked out their nonsense. I am sure many people ignore me too, which is fine with me. Serenity NOW!

Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[Tanker Clown]

I usually listen to anyone's opinion, especially on this opinion forum. But, both Tanker Clown and JKE406 bring absolutely nothing to this board, and even I now use ignore, which has blocked out their nonsense. I am sure many people ignore me too, which is fine with me. Serenity NOW!

Bye Bye--General Lee

That's exactly the line you used as 737 Pylt. Man, you need to change it up if you want me to believe that you aren't 737 Pylt.

 

[michael707767]

You must have really impressed your commander when it came time for assignments. What did you do? Why did they punish you? Did you get a DUI?

He was real impressed when I volunteered to take an assignment that other guys had DOS'd over. But I avoided extending my commitment and got out right on schedule. That was all that mattered to me.

 

[dtfl]

Almost to retirement and haven't ever flown fighters? Lemme guess, by choice, right? HaHaHaHaHaHa

Ok now!!!! :erm: ..make sure you are pointedly making fun of tanker clown only....there are some of us that are near retirement and indeed DID turn down fighters.

I thank the gods for the tankers that appeared in my windscreen on stormy nights over the Atlantic or on scary nights over Afghanistan.....I dont applaud this person's sarcasm and desire to pick fights, so he is blocked. You should try it.

 

[dtfl]

He was real impressed when I volunteered to take an assignment that other guys had DOS'd over. But I avoided extending my commitment and got out right on schedule. That was all that mattered to me.

My buddy was told, by his WG/CC after a 5 yr FAIP tour "You will pick a fighter or you will no longer by my #1 pick...and you'll get what you get" So he picked one...hated it...SIEd and they let him come into AFSOC, which was undermanned at the time. He's taking over a SQ soon.
You guys got a raw deal.....

 

[Jmoney]

Nice....

Just like AWA and USAir? Most of the people who got canned were management types and ground people, like ticket counter and ramp personel. The two hubs that are likely to have some overlap are MEM and CVG, and we only have 56 daily mainline flights at CVG. MEM is probably the same for NWA mainline flights. There is also a gaping hole on the West Coast, with room to add more of those mainline flights at LAX (gates currently occupied by Expressjet E145s, and currently flying routes to get our name out there). We'll see, but there will have to be something in writing to appease everyone involved, and those could be tied to incentives etc.


Bye Bye--General Lee

I wouldn't hold that merger up as an example of something that went well. Their stock went to around $65 and is now back $16-if I am not mistaken.

More inane ramblings from an ego-freak who has the business acumen of a spotted lizard.....
-Thank You
Genital Lee

 

[zonker]

Looks like the doosh bags at Pardus Capital Management have been working the phones this week.

This one's a doozy.
====================================

Source: CVG hub to stay
BY ALEXANDER COOLIDGE | [email protected]
Delta Air Lines is inching closer to making a deal to merge with either Northwest or United airlines, a source close to Delta said today. A deal with either would create the nation's biggest airline.
But few workers dealing with passengers would lose jobs in a merger - and no hubs, including Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International, would close.
The source, who spoke to The Enquirer on condition that he not be named, said extensive talks have taken place with both Northwest and United and a decision is getting closer.
And the source added that pricing at CVG – rated the highest-priced airport in the nation to fly, according to government statistics – would probably stay the same if a merger is completed.

Meanwhile, local business leaders said they were encouraged by a letter they received today by the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber and the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce from Delta chief executive Richard Anderson, where he indicated a desire to keep local service.

"We intend to continue serving Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky with our hub," Anderson wrote. "You can be assured we will consider most faborably those transactions that provide growth opportunities for both Delta and the key communities we serve, including Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky."

Ellen van der Horst, president of the Cincinnati chamber, said the letter was a good sign. "We're encouraged that he recognized the hub is important to Delta and our community," she said.

Delta officials reiterated they are contemplating mergers in the industry, but declined to elaborate. “We will not be providing updates on this process or commenting on any rumors or speculation regarding mergers or acquisitions,” said Delta spokeswoman Susan Elliott today.

The source indicated pledging no mass layoffs would be a key selling point to federal antitrust regulators.

Such a plan would extend to call center operations, such as the one in downtown Cincinnati that employs about 700 workers. The source conceded that over time more reservations in the industry are migrating to the Internet and there will be less need for call center operations, but any potential closure would not be prompted by a merger.

The source challenged the conventional wisdom among industry analysts and experts that any deal would necessarily lead to dramatic cuts at Delta’s hub at CVG or any hub operations across the U.S.

The key justification for any Delta merger would be to create a global airline that would expand international service yet need to maintain an extensive U.S. network to feed overseas routes.

Pan Am and TWA were international powerhouses in their heydays but both airlines were ultimately doomed to fail because they had such inadequate domestic networks.

The source said Delta’s second-largest hub might actually add international service because they are among the most lucrative routes out of the Hebron airport. The airport could see expanded service to Europe and might see direct routes to Asia, for example.

While analysts have contended service cuts would be necessary in a merger, the source said Delta combined with one of the other airlines would likely reshuffle aircraft types and tweak frequencies on domestic routes, but that would not translate into major service or route cuts.

Indeed, any announcement of a deal will likely be accompanied with plans to purchase new aircraft, the source said.

Both Northwest and United have an extensive collection of 100-seat aircraft that could be redeployed in a combined domestic route map to maximize efficiency, putting them on the routes where they will fly the fullest.

In addition, Delta’s route map compliments either Northwest’s or United’s – as opposed to more overlap with US Airways’ network – which makes a potential combination with either the Minneapolis or Chicago airline appealing.

Both Northwest and United are strong in Asia, where Delta has been wanting to expand for years. But Delta has strong operations in Europe, as well as its biggest hub in Atlanta at the nation's busiest airport.

Last year, Delta fought off a hostile takeover attempt by US Airways. Ffighting a combination with the Tempe, Ariz.-based airline last year made sense because the merger didn’t add enough growth potential, Delta officials have said.

Finally, the source said the fate of Delta’s Erlanger-based subsidiary is a secondary consideration in the current talks. While Comair could grow as the combined airline assigns smaller aircraft to service domestic routes, decision-makers aren’t focusing on those considerations at this time.

Delta officials have acknowledged they may ultimately sell Comair, but have said they would keep it as a feeder airline in their domestic network regardless of whether they keep ownership. Delta officials have acknowledged they have delayed any decision on Comair amid merger discussions.
Delta’s board of directors is expected to meet over the next several days, another source told the Associated Press without elaborating on the topic of the meeting.
The AP's source, who was not authorized to talk as the negotiations entered a sensitive stage and asked not to be named, said one point of contention has been what Northwest Chief Executive Doug Steenland’s role would be at the combined company.
Atlanta-based Delta has said repeatedly that if it were to combine with another carrier it would want to be in control, which could mean its CEO, Richard Anderson, remaining in his post and Delta’s chairman, Daniel Carp, remaining in his.

Anderson, who was CEO of Eagan, Minn.-based Northwest Airlines Corp. when it began a drive to cut labor costs before he left in the fall of 2004, was replaced by Doug Steenland. But Steenland actually carried out the cuts, leading to a mechanic’s strike in 2005 and deep concessions forced on the other unions, which took effect last year while Northwest was in bankruptcy.

 

[fam62c]

I don't want to see anyone lose jobs but for the merger to actually work there has to be significant efficiency increases. Otherwise, you just put together two big money-losing companies and get one giant money-losing company. The whole would actually be worth less than the sum of the parts. If the amount of flying stays about the same the pilots and FA's may be OK but there has got to be a ton of administrative and support departments that will have major overlap after a combination occurs. I can't even imagine that the flying will stay at current levels. Will the combined company maintain all the flying at MEM, DTW, CVG and ATL? If you retain all of these hubs you are just competing with yourself. Part of the purpose of a merger is the reduction of competition.

Also, how many aircraft types will the combined carrier have? This will be a massive inefficiency to maintain training programs, spare parts, tooling and support services and equipment for this many fleet types. Like it or not, the success of this merger depends on the combined operation's ability to concentrate on the parts that make money and shed everything else. They can say what they want but once these companies are combined they will have to cut and cut more to prevent a large-scale trainwreck.

 

[General Lee]

I think we have some fairly large accounts in CVG, like Procter and Gamble, and I think we will continue to go to many LARGE US cities and maybe a few INTL ones. As far as all of the current RJ flights? I doubt it. Detroit is right up the street.....


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[PuffDriver]

Ok now!!!! :erm: ..make sure you are pointedly making fun of tanker clown only....there are some of us that are near retirement and indeed DID turn down fighters.

I thank the gods for the tankers that appeared in my windscreen on stormy nights over the Atlantic or on scary nights over Afghanistan.....I dont applaud this person's sarcasm and desire to pick fights, so he is blocked. You should try it.

I promise you that I am

 

[Jmoney]

Moron.....

I think we have some fairly large accounts in CVG, like Procter and Gamble, and I think we will continue to go to many LARGE US cities and maybe a few INTL ones. As far as all of the current RJ flights? I doubt it. Detroit is right up the street.....


Bye Bye--General Lee

P&G has an internal flight department..More evidence of your enviable business acumen, there champ! Anyone who matters from P&G is on their own stinking plane!!

-you really are a retarded squirrel, aren't you, gen?

-Thanks again for your insightful foolishness,
Genital Lee

 

[800Dog]

I don't want to see anyone lose jobs but for the merger to actually work there has to be significant efficiency increases. Otherwise, you just put together two big money-losing companies and get one giant money-losing company.


Delta made money in 2007. Unsure about NWA.

 

[Sedona16]

I don't want to see anyone lose jobs but for the merger to actually work there has to be significant efficiency increases. Otherwise, you just put together two big money-losing companies and get one giant money-losing company. The whole would actually be worth less than the sum of the parts. If the amount of flying stays about the same the pilots and FA's may be OK but there has got to be a ton of administrative and support departments that will have major overlap after a combination occurs. I can't even imagine that the flying will stay at current levels. Will the combined company maintain all the flying at MEM, DTW, CVG and ATL? If you retain all of these hubs you are just competing with yourself. Part of the purpose of a merger is the reduction of competition.

Also, how many aircraft types will the combined carrier have? This will be a massive inefficiency to maintain training programs, spare parts, tooling and support services and equipment for this many fleet types. Like it or not, the success of this merger depends on the combined operation's ability to concentrate on the parts that make money and shed everything else. They can say what they want but once these companies are combined they will have to cut and cut more to prevent a large-scale trainwreck.

A network that can fly a person from anywhere to anywhere brings more passengers. Frequent flyer miles are more flexible. There are also economies of scale to be gained in many areas. Clears advantages of superior product drive business. Blue Ray vs HD

 

[PuffDriver]

I will never fly fighters because my grades out of Phase II weren't high enough. It would have been neat, but that ship sailed years ago. If I was biter about it, I am over it.

I want to know, did you, or did you not take a pay cut in '03 or '04?


No

I understand that you did well in '07 (I'm sure you had some longevity stuff kick in). But, did you take a pay cut? Let's put it this way. I realize that '07 was your best year....would it have been better if you guys hadn't taken pay cuts?

No

Circles in the sky, baby. Circles in the sky.

 

[jke406]

never mind.

 

[NuGuy]

I don't want to see anyone lose jobs but for the merger to actually work there has to be significant efficiency increases. Otherwise, you just put together two big money-losing companies and get one giant money-losing company.


Delta made money in 2007. Unsure about NWA.

DAL $418 million. NWA, with only %60 of the workforce of DAL, made $764 million.

If there's any heavy lifting to do on the efficiency side of things, I'd say they better eat their grits and get to it.

Nu