General Lee said:
Basically the answer to your question is yes. First, the so called 90-seater CRJ is actually an 86-seat aircraft (I don't think that would negatively impact your acquisition of a new 100+ seater). Aside from that technicality, consider this.
Delta gained its advantage (of RJs) over the other legacy carriers because there were no artificial restrictions in the Delta PWA while all of the other mega contracts contained such artificial restrictions. Few could say that has not been greatly beneficial to the Company as a whole, and to the pilot groups as well. [At the same time the other "restricted contracts" have been detrimental to ALL of the carriers that had them].
Subsequently, the DMEC saw fit to succumb to the "political pressure" applied by its ALPA brothers at the big four, and the
"National" union's "policies", and emulate them by imposing a plethora of new restrictions in C2K. The tragedy of 9/11 and subsequent FM, reduced the negative impact of these new restrictions, but once again the company is already pushing the artificial restraints. While I may not be technically correct, the whole concept is close to "restraint of trade".
Now however, in the face of crisis, the other mega MEC's have either figured out or been forced to remove their airtificial restrictions. As a result, hundreds of CRJ-700s, EMB-170's and CRJ-900s are being ordered by Delta's competitors. (Skywest just ordered 30 and optioned another 80 for UAL).
If the Delta pilots continue to maintain their artifical restrictions, this simply means that the advantage gained by Delta will now be ceeded to the competition. The reverse of what happened previously. I cannot see that as beneficial to DAL/CMR/ASA pilots or to the Company as a whole. It is somewhat ironic that while your group does not wish to make concessions, you simultaneously seek to obstruct the Company's effective deployment of assets. I'm not a Harvard MBA, but common horse sense tells me that's not too smart.
Granted, the removal of the restrictions would benefit CMR and ASA pilots immediately. I realize that you are concerned about doing this while Delta pilots are on furlough. I just don't think that a position that reduces the Company's ability to compete will ultimately benefit Delta pilots, furloughed or otherwise. I think the opposite is true.
Hiring furloughed Delta pilots to fill vacancies created by new equipment at CMR and ASA is not only practical it is very possible. I just can't be done in the way your MEC approached the problem and it can't be done with a USAirways-like J4J protocol.
However, I think it could easily be done, without interviews, withour seniority resignation, and without any other encumberances, IF we take the right approach. That "right approach" is of course a matter of opinion, but I think the "carrot" was in fact extended by the CMR MEC. Your MEC Chairman either failed to comprhend it or arrogantly rejected it because "his concept" of a carrot proferred by Delta pilots, was seen by CMR pilots as a ruse on which he could not possibly deliver.
In my opinion, there is no "problem" between the pilot groups of DAL/CMR/ASA that could not be solved, in a manner beneficial to ALL, if we actually sat down and worked out a mutual understanding in which we all participate as equals. What cannot happen is an arrangement imposed by one group on the other, without its true consent.
Whichever one of us is the proverbial "fly in the ointment" must embrace an attitude adjustment. Until that happens, we all suffer the consequences of intransigence.
It is completely legitimate that you do not want any of your pilots to be used as "bargaining chips" as we seek accommodation with each other. I accept that. You all must accept that we do not want our carrers and futures to become your "bargaining chips" either. You have already used us in that way more than once and it is only when that is discontinued (by you all) that we will be able to truly "agree".
Unfortunately, we will all suffer to varying degress until an agreement is reached. So will our Company, Delta Air Lines. If there was ever a case of "penny wise and pound foolish", the current stand-off is an excellent example.
Best regards.
