Delta travel priviledges

[JustaNumber]

I just heard of an extreme example, that nevertheless shows the absurdity of the priority system. (I'm not sure if it's true, but I'm passing along what I heard). My (DCI) FO was trying to nonrev to work, and recognized two pot-smoking twenty-something losers who were also trying to nonrev at the gate. They happened to be the sons of a family friend. This friend had once worked for Northeast Airlines in the 1970's, for six years as a FA. She also was on medical disability for 4 years, making her 10-year total employment qualify for lifetime retiree benefits. Northeast merged into Republic (the original one), which merged into Northwest, which merged into Delta. The two pot-smoker losers got on before my FO.

 

[Flyer1015]

commuting is a choice, brah....:beer:

...so is a 80 yr old going on a vacation. And for many pilots, commuting is not a choice. Especially those Mesa and Colgan types where bases open and close like it's a day of the week. You cannot uproot your family and move every 8 months.

 

[Flyer1015]

You're not a Delta Connection Pilot! You're an employee for the low-bid contract carrier. And it'll be a cold day in hell before you bump my father-in-law who put in 35 years, you self-entitled prick!

Actually, I AM a Delta Connection pilot. Sure I work for a contracted carrier, but my regional airline does not sell tickets. They are ALL sold by Delta. People book on Delta. They book a flight from Pittsburgh to Rome via Atlanta, and no one knows the PIT to ATL flight is on a RJ operated by Pinnacle. My airline operates 142 jets throughout the Delta system. Now that we've merged with another Delta Connection carrier, we operate 202 RJs for Delta.

"Self entitled prick"? Hey, I'm just trying to get to work. Sure, go ahead, let that retiree get to where he's going, while I'm left behind and then have to call in honest. One time, due to lack of staffing, my flights were actually cancelled then. Your retiree getting onboard just cost Delta passengers a couple cancellations. Sure, we don't staff properly, but it wouldn't have been an issue if a working pilot could have gone on before a retiree, even if it's a contracted carrier. Because here is the bottom line: Delta Connection makes up almost half of the domestic operations of Delta. For Delta's own operational benefit, we Delta Connection pilots do matter.

Any pass-privileges you do get are a gift.

How about "any pass-privilieges you do get as a retiree is a gift." GM retirees got industry leading medical bennies even throughout retirement and were taken good care of by GM in a retirees golden years. That was years ago, and today, you get a middle finger when you retire. So why don't you consider yourself lucky. And during the time your father worked the 35 years at Delta, Delta did not have nearly 50% of their domestic ops being operated as Delta Connection. Today, they do.

You want higher status? Get a job there....

Sure, why don't you hire first? I already heard about an internal Delta memo stating no planned hiring for 2012.

 

[flyboyike]

So you are saying Delta makes the decision for your company where to base its pilots?

Correct.

 

[flyboyike]

Always enjoy listening to mainline pilots pipe in about hard earned benefits and low-budget contractors. The current generation of mainline pilots sold out the future generations of airline pilots by giving up scope and damning a whole generation of pilots to C-scale wages with no future or benefits.

That's OK as long as their fathers-in-law get on before us "self-entitled (which is not even proper English) pricks". As long as that's the case, all is well in the garden.

 

[flyboyike]

"Self entitled prick"? Hey, I'm just trying to get to work. Sure, go ahead, let that retiree get to where he's going, while I'm left behind and then have to call in honest. One time, due to lack of staffing, my flights were actually cancelled then. Your retiree getting onboard just cost Delta passengers a couple cancellations. Sure, we don't staff properly, but it wouldn't have been an issue if a working pilot could have gone on before a retiree, even if it's a contracted carrier. Because here is the bottom line: Delta Connection makes up almost half of the domestic operations of Delta. For Delta's own operational benefit, we Delta Connection pilots do matter.

That's why I try two flights and that's it. If I don't get on twice, I call in commuter clause. The way I see it, if I'm not entitled to priority, they're not entitled to any effort from me beyond what is required, which is two flights.

 

[filejw]

Correct.

Delta decides where you fly not your crew bases, that's up to your company.
And as far as getting to work, I'm sure DAL
will use any canceled flights for lack of crew during performance evaluation of the contract you are flying for them.

 

[flyboyike]

Delta decides where you fly not your crew bases, that's up to your company.

To-may-to, to-mah-to.

 

[silver02ex]

Delta decides where you fly not your crew bases, that's up to your company.
.

Wrong! Back in 2007 when Pinnacle was award Delta flying (while we were still flying for Northwest) Delta wanted us to open SLC and ATL based. Pinnacle told Delta that they would not make any money with 2 base and 16 airplanes. Which is why Delta told Pinnacle just to open up the ATL base. So it is mainline who tells us which base they want from us.

 

[jonjuan]

Do YOU work at Delta? If not, then shut your pie hole and mind your own business. If you do, then consider that screwing the Connection pilots also screws us in the long run when they can't commute, sick out, and flights cancel.

Ummmm, ever heard of ready reserves sweet cheeks?