Dal Int'l Comes Home To Roost

[lowecur]

When you skew your business model the way DAL did a few yrs ago, it's bound to come back and bite you. Add in the top heavy pacific routes of NWA, and it stinks of huge cutbacks systemwide with the closing and reduction of existing hubs in the next few yrs.

Good luck to Anderson and crew, and for that matter...the whole industry that relied on International Travel to subsidize the losing domestic market.

Most of the international carriers are reporting traffic is down 10-15% in the quarter.

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/081121/delta_air_lines_outlook.html?.v=1

 

[ACL65PILOT]

Yep, we are looking at a 7% or so cut. It is basically Norther Europe that is hurting us.

 

[ACL65PILOT]

This is in line with what I have said for the last two months. Fact is that we are taking some of our lift out of Europe. The areas in which we do not have a good code share feed are the hardest hit. (Think London and Great Brittan mostly)

 

[PuffDriver]

Yep, we are looking at a 7% or so cut. It is basically Norther Europe that is hurting us.

Looks like we'd better hang the out of business sign, only Home Depot ran out of them after jblu, airtran, United, spirit, et al took what was left in stock

 

[boxjockey]

I would think some cuts are inevitable. At CX, we are seeing significant drops in load factor, especially in the front-end. We have a pretty diversified route network, and have a high-end product, and are still seeing a big drop all over the system. Maybe you guys are able to get better yields elsewhere, but I would say that counting on international growth to make up for domestic weakness isn't going to be the cure-all anymore. But what do I know, I'm only a pilot....

box

 

[BID]

So with this reduction, does this mean Delta will not hire in the next couple of months?

 

[Monster Buck]

From our CVG memo....No anticipated hiring in 09. Unless you were just being sarcastic.

 

[ACL65PILOT]

It is not official yet.
It was unclear if future capacity reductions would mean a net reduction in international capacity next year or simply smaller growth

But like I have said, if we keep our current 09 plans and do not reduce, we will need bodies. If we go ahead and do a pull down, no we will not hire. There will be no need.

That is why the AE yesterday was very important. It shows that we are watching the situation, and did not want to commit to anything drastic yet. We will go one way or another in a few months. If this continues, not hiring will be least of our concerns. I have said it was to early to worry about furloughs. But, if this trend goes for three more months, I think that it will become a real possibility.

 

[ACL65PILOT]

Buck, the key there is "anticipated". There are reasons that we cannot hire outside of the economy.

 

[Monster Buck]

Buck, the key there is "anticipated". There are reasons that we cannot hire outside of the economy.

I understand...but those reasons were known before....(dealing with the merger and sli and.....)and we are looking at the continuation of this bad economy as new reasons. Thats all.

 

[ACL65PILOT]

I totally I agree, but some of the reasons do not have to do with pilots.
As much as the other employee groups despise us, they do look to us with some level of envy. (Envy for pay, QOL, etc) Having us prosper (hire) does not look good when synergies are taking place. Add to that representation votes. Make sense??

 

[General Lee]

At least oil is lower. I guess it could be a lot worse.

Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[ACL65PILOT]

Quite true General. Oil going though the floor is preventing this from being a blood bath.

 

[~~~^~~~]

...some of the reasons do not have to do with pilots. As much as the other employee groups ... look to us with some level of envy. (Envy for pay, QOL, etc) Having us prosper (hire) does not look good when synergies are taking place. Add to that representation votes. Make sense??

A lot of sense.

 

[Noserider76]

It's becoming pretty obvious that, barring a massive national economic stimulus package (many trillions), this industry is in for some very hard times in the near term. If your sitting there looking at your beaten down retirement portfolio and you or your neighbors looking for work, are you going to make that trip you don't really need to make? Luckily fuel is down to more manageable levels, thanks to the economy. Batten down the hatches if you haven't already.