comair?

[CRJ puppy]

did u say flag or faag?

Oh, pull-lease "girlfriend"! Is that the MOST original thing you could think to type?

Your wit has stung me to my core. What am I to do?



"Out there" and lovin' it! Congrats 410dude!

 

[410dude]

Oh, pull-lease "girlfriend"! Is that the MOST original thing you could think to type?

Your wit has stung me to my core. What am I to do?



"Out there" and lovin' it! Congrats 410dude!

Thanks, it's nice to know that all of you are not biggots.

 

[outtahere]

The way I see it the regionals will be the majors of the future unless all of these ego maniac 767 drivers ( GL ) realize the need to incorporate the rj's in the mainline fold.

 

[FlyBoeingJets]

""Delta is not failing to plan, and we are certainly not planning to fail," -DL CFO "

Mr. General LEE,

Your statement from the CFO of Delta Airlines; was that Mr. Polumbo who just quit with little notice?
His exit may say quite a bit of DL future. Best of luck.

It's time to change the quote GL. They may not be failing to plan, but the plan appears to look like rearranging chairs on the Titanic.



Regionals the majors of the future??? Only the ones with cash at their disposal. If you can line up investors, order some planes, get some gates and keep your workforce in line (i.e. hose them thoroughly) the world is your oyster. But only if your business plan makes sense. I wish I could see the future and figure out who will hang on and who will get stronger by taking advantage of the turmoil.

 

[General Lee]

The way I see it the regionals will be the majors of the future unless all of these ego maniac 767 drivers ( GL ) realize the need to incorporate the rj's in the mainline fold.

Hey, I don't mind incorporating them into the fleet. I have never said otherwise. But, and there is a big BUTT, there would have to be seniority integration that is fair to mainline first, since most Mainline pilots made the decision to interview and get hired at the Major. I have no problem with putting any DCI pilots onto our list.


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[ohplease!]

since most Mainline pilots made the decision to interview and get hired at the Major.

Bye Bye--General Lee[/QUOTE]

that has to be the dumbest thing I've ever read on this board and there have been many dumb things posted here.

 

[General Lee]

It's time to change the quote GL. They may not be failing to plan, but the plan appears to look like rearranging chairs on the Titanic.



Regionals the majors of the future??? Only the ones with cash at their disposal. If you can line up investors, order some planes, get some gates and keep your workforce in line (i.e. hose them thoroughly) the world is your oyster. But only if your business plan makes sense. I wish I could see the future and figure out who will hang on and who will get stronger by taking advantage of the turmoil.

Has there ever been another plan at DL? They have probably been thinking about this for the last year or so. I thought USAir and United were the Titanics, but both have succeeded, and USAir has less collatteral than we do. It appears that many investors and creditors want to see these airlines continue, and so do the bankruptcy judges who are pressured by local politicians who don't want to lose jobs. American Express for example, has 25 million Skymiles members through the Skymiles American Express Card. GE and Boeing have a lot invested in Delta. So do the DCI carriers. And, the plan that they are referring to has already been implemented, albeit a tad bit too late. We were on the way to saving $5 billion a year by 2006, but the pesky oil problem came into play. So, we cut back some more wages, increase the efficiency of our fleet (we have been---operation Clockwork has helped tremendously---and decreasing the turn times again for the narrowbodies alone in ATL has netted us another 8 extra airplanes---and that is after we park a bunch of 737-200s coming up here) So, we will have less planes to lease ($$), but use the ones we have more---helping to pay off our fixed costs sooner each day for each. As far as the pension problem goes---either Congress gives us and extension (it will be up for vote soon), or we drop them. It doesn't matter much to us (compared to NW) because most have left with 50% of their retirement already (2000 Captains since last May--04), so the rest of us don't really care. The NW guys, on the otherhand, don't have the lump sum option, and will likely vote to furlough versus losing the pension. So there is the pension problem in a nutshell. The debt problem is significant, but selling off ASA/Comair will get rid of a sizeable chunk of debt, and may get us some much needed money to pay for bankruptcy attornies and for the upcoming credit card arangement. We have started to try to find ways to increase revenue---like going to places where the LCC don't go yet. We are putting newer planes on the Shuttle, another asset we can leverage. And, if we go in before Oct 17th, our chances of getting out are better than if we went in afterwards, and we also have more cash to go in with--$2 billion total with $$1.7 billion unrestricted. Last October, before the pilot deal, analysts were saying we needed $1 billion to go in with. We have more which should help.

I think we may need to go in and allow the creditors to finally give some concessions (only $100 million so far, compared to $2 billion from labor). Sure, scope and other things would be changed, but to create revenue, we need larger planes. No mainline (USAir included) has gotten their regionals to fly 100 seaters yet (USAir is challenged by AWA pilots right now for the E190s at CHQ). Guess you just got to roll the dice and let everyone share in the pain sometimes....Continental and AWA have gone in twice, and they have emerged. You need a good plan, and hopefully Grinstein and friends have one.


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[General Lee]

since most Mainline pilots made the decision to interview and get hired at the Major.

Bye Bye--General Lee

that has to be the dumbest thing I've ever read on this board and there have been many dumb things posted here.[/QUOTE]

No, the dumbest thing I have ever heard was while riding on one of your jumpseats with one of your senior pilots. He said he would be flying Delta 738s in the left seat, flying to Central America, when he retired. I almost choked on my water. We don't mind stapling you at all bud.

Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[AAflyer]

 

[AAflyer]

Watch out General Lee,

They want your flying, and they want your seat, it is owed to them. The irony of it all, they think mainline pilots are arrogant.

AA

 

[ohplease!]

I've listened to the same idiots say the same stuff. All I can say is they need some type of intervention to got off the crack!


however, for you to think that you or anyone at a major are any better, more qualified, etc. (pick your adjective) because you chose to interview/get hired by a major, is simply dumb. There are plenty of perfectly qualified pilots at regionals (and elsewhere) that didn't get called (or didn't make the cut if they did) for no other reason than bad timing or some totally subjective reason that really has nothing to with...well, anything.


None of us came to airline flying with any intention other than to sit in the left seat of a 777 for whichever major airline we thought was the best for us. Out of the tens of thousands of applications, a few (very few) of you got the call and made the cut. I say to you: congratulations and I do really mean that. Just don't forget that you (major pilot)are better or more qualified than I (regional/whatever pilot).


As you know well, this industry ebbs and flows. It will come back around and I hope it does before I am too old to catch the wave. I hope to be as lucky as you some day and get that call and make that cut. Maybe it will. For now, I'll enjoy my place in this industry and take the punches as they come (still beats a real job) and if by some small miracle we are stapled to the bottom of the Delta Mainline list, I'll be THRILLED!


NOW: turn off that damned bright a** light pointed at my eyes. Remeber we only come up to your kness... =)

Peace!

 

[FlyBoeingJets]

It doesn't matter much to us (compared to NW) because most have left with 50% of their retirement already (2000 Captains since last May--04), so the rest of us don't really care.

And, if we go in before Oct 17th, our chances of getting out are better than if we went in afterwards, and we also have more cash to go in with--$2 billion total with $$1.7 billion unrestricted. Last October, before the pilot deal, analysts were saying we needed $1 billion to go in with. We have more which should help.

....Continental and AWA have gone in twice, and they have emerged. You need a good plan, and hopefully Grinstein and friends have one.


Bye Bye--General Lee

General,

You are ever the optimist. That is good. But lets look at a few things.

How much cash did those 2000 walk away with? At 500K each it would be $1 Billion. I think some left with near $1 million. That really added to the debt. You can thank the retirees since 2002 for >$100 million in interest payments per year for Delta to overcome.

I can't remember how much debt UAL had before going into BK. But I think it was less than Delta's debt now. It will be tough for Delta to deal with $1 billion in debt servicing payments every year. Costs will have to come down to compensate for that.

It is good others have come out of BK. That bodes well for Delta as the economy gets stronger. I think Delta will come out of BK. But I also think pilot pay will get slaughtered to allow for new airplanes and exit financing.

737-200's getting parked. MD 88, 90's getting old. Delta has been coasting on having fewer lease payments for almost 5 years now. Delta used to have a young fleet but the average age of the fleet is now mid pack and getting older. Unfortunely, NWA has the same problem.

If DAL and NWA don't impress financiers then UAL will be the big winner. We are all getting beaten down so they can manipulate us and keep the interest and lease payments coming.

But stay positive General, I find it encouraging. I just can't get there right now.

 

[General Lee]

General,

You are ever the optimist. That is good. But lets look at a few things.

How much cash did those 2000 walk away with? At 500K each it would be $1 Billion. I think some left with near $1 million. That really added to the debt. You can thank the retirees since 2002 for >$100 million in interest payments per year for Delta to overcome.

I can't remember how much debt UAL had before going into BK. But I think it was less than Delta's debt now. It will be tough for Delta to deal with $1 billion in debt servicing payments every year. Costs will have to come down to compensate for that.

It is good others have come out of BK. That bodes well for Delta as the economy gets stronger. I think Delta will come out of BK. But I also think pilot pay will get slaughtered to allow for new airplanes and exit financing.

737-200's getting parked. MD 88, 90's getting old. Delta has been coasting on having fewer lease payments for almost 5 years now. Delta used to have a young fleet but the average age of the fleet is now mid pack and getting older. Unfortunely, NWA has the same problem.

If DAL and NWA don't impress financiers then UAL will be the big winner. We are all getting beaten down so they can manipulate us and keep the interest and lease payments coming.

But stay positive General, I find it encouraging. I just can't get there right now.

And you are the pessemist. I will debate you on every one of those, and at the same time you know that you and I aren't in the board room and really have no idea what will happen.

The pensions. Yes, the 2000 Captains walked away with a lot. But, remember that their money was already in the pot. Delta took a lot of charges for extracting some of that money, but those are also tax write offs. That money has been invested by Delta since the pilots started their retirement programs. And, most of those guys actually left with more than $1 million, and that is half of what they were promised. So, when DL dumps the pensions, Delta actually gets a pretty good deal----they only pay out half of what they really owed. (50% lump sum optiion)

The debt. The debt we have consists of a lot of RJ debt. It does. That is all we have been buying for the last 5 years. Selling ASA and Comair will rid us of a lot of that debt. We won't keep it, it goes to the buyer. The lower sale price means less cash for us, but also less debt. The CVG chief pilot told me we would get rid of $8 billion in debt out of $20 billion. That might help with payments. Also, would some of the debt be paid at a lower rate? You don't think some of that debt will be reduced by the judge? I think so.

Pilot pay. Yes, there will be another pay cut, no doubt. How much? I would bet another 15%, which really would give us a total 40-45% pay cut from our old rates from last December. That is drastic, but maybe needed unfortunately. Thank gawd we have lost 2000 Captains. We just got a huge bid that will move up hundreds of people. We supposedly will have a bigger bid in October for the Spring flying schedule. I will bid the 767-400-INTL (765) in ATL, and that will allow me to keep around the same pay on the 767 that I make now, and allow me to go to Hawaii--a lot.

The parking of planes. Yup. I bet the 737-200s will be parked (although I was told some may be kept a little longer because they had better lease rates and no large mx checks anytime soon) But, they will all go eventually. The MD88s and MD90s are getting complete upholstry changes and new bathrooms, and they are not too old--compared to others. The 767-200s may go to ABX, but they seem like mx hogs anyway. Even ABX has secured a new MX contract with Delta for those planes. That is instant profit for us. The other planes have been integrated into the new Clockwork operation in ATL, and recently they announced quicker turns for the narrowbody aircraft in ATL--to 45 minutes. (That is dooable on a good wx day in ATL). They stated that given those stats, we would "gain" 39 aircraft in mainline, and even after we parked some of our planes, the increase would be 9 aircraft. Those 9 will go to LGA and fly the Shuttle (MD88s replacing the 733s). Not bad. Also, atleast 4 domestic 767-300ERs will go to INTL next Summer, adding more INTL flights to cities that LCCs don't go to.

Financing. Well, I would say we have some creditors that make quite a bit of money on us---like AMEX and GE. AMEX has 25 million Skymiles members. GE doens't want us to dump aircraft on the market. The state of Georgia doesn't want 30,000 people out of a job. There are others I am sure. And, Delta actually does have a transformation plan in progress (unlike UAL), but we are late and gas doesn't help. We also added $10 to fares today, and most airlines are going for it. Why didn't they do that earlier? I have no idea. Better late than never.

Don't get me wrong, I don't like Delta's financial position either. I will most likely have to give more pay back, and I don't like that. I hope they get everything together on the 4th floor in ATL and get us going in the right direction. We are not a LCC, but we have some costs that are too high and they need to be adjusted. It will happen eventually.


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[FlyBoeingJets]

General,

The strong economy is good news. The record load factors are allowing the ticket price increases.

Good news about the schedule readjustment success. Wonder why it took so long to think up. With the 2000 retirements the furloughees are still coming back even with a fleet reduction.

UAL doesn't have a plan? Hmmm. Not sure about that. After litigation over pensions is complete, fleet reduction stops and revenue firms up I think they will be ready. I think the plan is similar to Delta's. Fly lucrative international routes LCCs don't fly and maintain good domestic feed at the hubs with a decent domestic route structure. Delta's advantage over UAL is dominating a good city, CVG, and very good European routes. But UAL has good Pacific routes.

But I am clueless on the cost of BK lawyers. Maybe that is eating UAL up enough to make their experience worse than Delta's. Regardless of the time it takes to emerge I am simply impressed they didn't fold up entirely.

Stay positive, General, and keep us up to date on the latest.

 

[General Lee]

Flyboeingjets,

Maybe you are right, United has had a plan all along, and they have executed it fairly well. Maybe they will come out and be strong again, but without pensions and lower wages. Maybe that is the wave of the future.

Bankruptcy attornies make a lot of money, but that really isn't what costs so much. When you go into Chap 11, the airline ALSO pays for everyone elses attornies. So, all of the creditors, and there could be thousands, have their attornies bill United for their time. If GE comes to court and brings 100 lawyers, United then pays for each first class ticket, all of the suites at the hotel, and the hourly fees. Unbelievable is the word to use. It costs United about $1 million A DAY in bankruptcy just for the lawyers. But, if they are able to widdle down the leases and some debt and save $1 billion dollars, then the $350 million they spend a year might be worth it. It is best to go into Chap 11 with a plan and get out quick, but USAir apparently did that too fast the first time. If Delta goes, I hope it will be quick with the creditors (???), because the labor at DL only has one union to deal with---should be quick on that end. Also, we have lost 2000 Captains in one year, but our fleet has shrunk too. I really hope we get every furlough back as soon as possible, but we have also brought the cap up and may cut some more planes from the fleet. I can't even guess now when all of the furloughs will be back. I hope soon, and then we can get some ASA people over here!! See ya.


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[cmrflyer]

Or if delta keeps on going the way it is, comair can get some more Delta people over here!!
Bye Bye-Generaly Sad

 

[General Lee]

Or if delta keeps on going the way it is, comair can get some more Delta people over here!!
Bye Bye-Generaly Sad

To Mesa? Do they have a flow down? How many Delta pilots went over to Comair? Not many I bet---thanks to your HUGE generosity. You guys welcoming our unfortunate furloughs with welcome open arms----thinking of it still makes me tear to this day! Kleenex please! Did you see this last bid we just got for widebody Captains? There is another large one in October.


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[cmrflyer]

How could i see your bids for widebody captains, and why would i care what goes on in your company. It has nothing to do with me, i just suffer the repercussions of your managments inability to manage.
Why would you wish Mesa on us, is it because of your immature attitude? Or because you like the idea of Delta being associated with Mesa? Either way it just goes to show how short sighted you are, because you are also wishing the mesa takeover on the Delta guys who work at Comair, you are a retard, i have nothing but contempt for wankers like you.
So long-Lee

 

[General Lee]

How could i see your bids for widebody captains, and why would i care what goes on in your company. It has nothing to do with me, i just suffer the repercussions of your managments inability to manage.
Why would you wish Mesa on us, is it because of your immature attitude? Or because you like the idea of Delta being associated with Mesa? Either way it just goes to show how short sighted you are, because you are also wishing the mesa takeover on the Delta guys who work at Comair, you are a retard, i have nothing but contempt for wankers like you.
So long-Lee

SSSSSMACK. Wow. That was a wonderful retort. That is right, you probably don't see our bids. Sorry about that.

As far as our mangement's inability to manage (just like your classic Xmas day fiasco and the strike that cost my company a billion dollars), there are many things they need to work on, no doubt. Hopefully with a little oversight on the part of a judge, more correct decisions will be made. I think we have a plan started that will transform this airline into a better one, and it includes selling the DCI units and shedding the debt along with it. If Mesa is interested, then so beit. We have taken huge pay cuts to get closer to the "norm" for legacy carriers in trouble, and I don't really know what Mesa would do to you if they bought you.. Maybe Lawson can negotiate some good terms for you guys. You may be IPO'd also. You never know these days.

How many Delta guys now work at Comair? I would bet NO pilots. ASA, yes. Comair, NO. Can you give me the number please? Good goes around.


Bye Bye--General Lee---the WANKER

 

[Caveman]

"How many Delta guys now work at Comair? I would bet NO pilots. ASA, yes. Comair, NO. Can you give me the number please? Good goes around."

I've flown with one DL furloughee and he told me there was at least one other one in his new hire class.