DAL Strategic Initiative Webcast

[Freebrd]

Press ReleaseSource: Delta Air Lines, Inc.



Delta Announces Initial Phase of Strategic Review Initiatives via Webcast on Sept. 8, 2004
Thursday September 2, 10:00 am ET

ATLANTA, Sept. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- WHAT: Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL - News) invites investors and media to listen to a live Webcast of Delta's Chief Executive Officer Gerald Grinstein's announcement of the Initial Phase of Strategic Review Initiatives on Sept. 8, 2004, from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. ET. WHO: Gerald Grinstein - Chief Executive Officer WEB ADDRESS: The webcast can be accessed via the World Wide Web at http://www.delta.com/inside/investors/index.jsp SPECIAL NOTICE: The online replay will be available until Oct. 8, 2004, at the same site shortly after the Webcast is complete

 

[General Lee]

We have been hearing rumors of the DFW pilot and flight attendant base possibly closing since earlier this year. We would still have flights going through DFW, but with pilots/stews based at other bases. Other rumors heard lately include the DFW MD-90s going to the SHUTTLE in LGA (for the aft entry door use), and the LGA 737Gs going to SLC to beef up old Montana service. Also, that good ole MD-11 rumor about them going over to Cargo, but I haven't heard that repeated in awhile. Expect an anouncement about DFW next Wed. I have also heard lately that Comair will leave ATL (to go North) and ASA reclaiming ATL. (I haven't heard anything about ASA and DFW)



Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[Medeco]

ASA in ATL

General,

You guys at DAL should visit the myASA website more often to know that ASA reclaiming ATL is old news ,about 1 1/2 months. Comair is going north to cover ACA flying and maybe more for all we know.

I sure hope this sept 8th announcement has some real substance that everyone can chew on. I am tired of reading and hearing the same talking points over and over that Grinstein and company have repeated the last few months.


Cheerio
Medeco

 

[On Your Six]

Big Alabama Pension Fund Investor....

The rumor I heard was a huge equity investment (infusion of cash) from an investor in Alabama - some Alabama Retirement.... Evidently, the guy is real nice and real patient despite having zero airline industry or labor-management experience. Sounds like a great idea - I say go for it!

 

[DDpaysoff]

shAtlanta

Wow, I am surprised. I thought Comair was brought in to ATL to position DAL for a possible ASA strike. I guess you guys signed a deal. What Comair +5%?
Just kidding, but I do remeber a lot of BS coming from ATL guys pissed that we were there. To be honest some of our guys were probably out of line as well. Look, Comair is the last pilot group in the world you can expect to fly struck work.

Just remember, we are brothers. There will be no whipsaw here. Trust in our MEC's and support each other. That is out only chance. That is what separates these two groups from other regionals that I will leave anonymous. Please, next time you see Comair show up and fly 130 flights a day out of ATL, please explain to the junior people what the hell is going on. That whole thing was embarrasing. Meanwhile, I am prepapring to go to Dayton and Back six times a day. Good luck to everyone, there will be a lot of sleepless nights this weekend. I wish everyone the best. Hopefully we will all come out of this OK.

 

[michael707767]

Good luck to everyone, there will be a lot of sleepless nights this weekend. I wish everyone the best.

I would not loose any sleep this weekend, unless you live in Florida. Nothing dramatic will be announced. By that I mean nothing affecting pilot manning, fleet size, pilot layoffs, etc. Expect the DFW base to close, but that does not mean the flying, or the jobs, go away. Expect some airplanes to be moved. But nothing dramatic will be announced until after they get a deal with the pilots.

 

[DDpaysoff]

If DFW is closed as a pilot and/or flight attendant base a lot of good people will be adversely affected. I am hoping not much changes. If DAL can not fill up DFW-PBI, DCA on mainline equipment, then managment should be looking in the mirror. When DFW-PBI was four mainline flights a day, it was 90% full. Now, there are two mainline flights to Lauderdale and I think ASA flies the 70 to PBI. What is the world coming to? Meanwhile, try non-reving on any AA flights to S. FL. Not a chance. I hope there is a method to this madness. No wonder Airtran starting coming to DFW, DAL gave up on it.

 

[General Lee]

On your six,

Your "Alabama retirement" theory was HILARIOUS. I sure hope that guy invests in us....yeah, right.



As far as what else happens, there is plenty of speculation. I think there will be some downsizing in DFW, and maybe some additions elsewhere that have promise. When it comes to manning, I don't know what will occur. We had 103 retirements alone yesterday, and possibly double or triple that is possible October 1st with the better Gatt rate. The lump sum difference between Sep 1st and Oct 1st for a guy with $1 million in lump sum is about $20,000 extra.



Medeco,

Sorry, I don't read your "my ASA" website often. I was just spilling what I heard on the last trip. I wonder what will happen with those 30 Dorniers from ACA? Will Comair's CRJs in ATL cover them? I did hear that Comair was dropping 11 daily departures from DCA as of Nov 1st, including the daily DCA--FLL flight. Maybe those planes will be used to cover the Dornier losses.



Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[DDpaysoff]

General

Where did you hear this about DCA? This is true. Here are some specifics.
Comair:
DCA-BOS- is losing 2 flights per day.
DCA-FLL-is eliminated (1)
DCA-JFK-is losing one flight
DCA-JAX-is eliminated (2)
DCA-CVG is losing two flights
DCA-MCO eliminated (2)

LGA Shuttle unchanged
DCA-ATL increasing two flights: Delta mainline replacing 1 comair and adding two additional flights (equipment type undecided)
Other flights unnafected: DCA-LEX,CHS,SLC,DFW.

What else did you hear? Why would delta give up on DCA slots? This is obviously part of the new plan for Delta. This just happened to leak.

 

[General Lee]

DDpaysoff

Well, I don't just make up stuff, even though some people like to believe that. I talked to a gate agent in LGA that informed me of that. (I don't know how he knew that) I didn't know exactly where the flights were cancelled, except he did say the DCA-FLL turn. I don't know if Delta is "giving up" any slots. Maybe the RJ slots are different than mainline slots. I don't know. I have been hearing things about Comair taking "a bunch" of new flights out of the NE---maybe more JFK flights Southbound, and Delta possibly restarting Berlin and Hamburg, Germany flights. I think there will be a big repositioning of Comair and ASA---and that it will be good for both of you. (unless you are a Comair pilot living in ATL) The Delta expansion, as previously stated, will mostly be INTL---which will take our surplus domestic 767-ERs, and configure them for INTL flights. (Business Elite seats etc) In November (I beleive) we add an extra flight to Mumbai (Bombay) thru FRA (in addition to the CDG--Paris routing), and an extra flight to Sao Paulo(2 total), while also resuming Buenos Aires flights from ATL. It will be interesting to see what happens on the domestic side, and what is part of Phase 1---which we will learn next Wednesday. We shall see.....


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[MedFlyer]

What else did you hear? Why would delta give up on DCA slots? This is obviously part of the new plan for Delta. This just happened to leak.

DL is returning 24 leased DCA slots back to NW. The exact reason, I don't know. I had heard that NW wanted an arm and a leg for the new leases which was part of the problem. Another rumor is that DL didn't want to pay expensive leases for slots at DCA if US is about to go belly up (which would dump hundreds of slots into the market).

Outside of the hub routes and the Shuttle, I don't think DL has ever been able to make money at DCA. The DCA-Florida corridor is particularly problematic. DL tried using DL Express (pre 9/11) and that failed. Now, they tried RJ's and that failed. Time to move on to other routes...hopefully the strategic intiatives will provide some guidance.

 

[On Your Six]

Let's hope Delta has given huge retention $$$$ bonuses to those Havard MBAs running the ship so that they can put their nerdy brains together to come up with a super-intuitive plan that a 2nd grader could have conceived....

Have you seen that Fedex commercial with the MBA who points out that he is an MBA to an assistant who wants him to send out a Fedex package? If you have seen it then you know what I mean... God help us all!!!!!

 

[DDpaysoff]

med flyer

When you say 24, do you really mean 12 departure slots? That would explain the loss of 12 departures there. I really thought Comair was there to hold the slots so when the market opened up mainline would be back in there. I guess they need those planes somewhere else now. Maybe your US air theory holds water. I'm going to miss Maui Taco.

 

[MedFlyer]

When you say 24, do you really mean 12 departure slots? That would explain the loss of 12 departures there.

Correct. 12 departure slots and 12 arrival slots for a total of 24. Supposedly, NW is going to lease 20 of them to US and keep the remaining to launch IND-DCA (as part of NW's IND buildup).