DAL system:something to ponder (staple)

[MONKEY]

COME ON GENERAL

Have you ever given an FA a hard time? If I were part of the crew and the FA had told me that her husband had just left to fly for DAL I would say the same thing. Not to be jerk, but jus to have a little fun with her.
I can't believe you took it to be how they really feel.

 

[General Lee]

Airtran and Jetblue are adding planes--they have to grow. Delta is the only major thinking outside the box, with a LCC of it's own that actually will fight their growth. Song was made to combat Jetblue primarily. The flights are full and we shall see after they get all of the 37 757s how they do. If you don't think that Song will cause a dent in Jetblue's profitability, then you are drinking Neeleman's koolaid. I didn't say they don't have a good product, but Song was made to be leaner and meaner than mainline---most of the employees are paid less, the planes fly more, and they will have (in OCT or early next year now...) better amenities. Add on a better frequent flyer program, and it will provide great competition between the two. Airtran also is a great competitor and is giving us a lot of problems in ATL. But, we are two different types of airlines. A lot of the pax in ATL connect through there on the way to other places--like Sao Paulo, or Amsterdam. We have great feed from places like Dothan, AL and Wilmington, NC. I doubt Airtran will fly there, and we fill planes from there and fly people on to New York or San Francisco etc... We are trying to bring costs down to fight with Airtran on the same city pairs from ATL, but a lot of our pax are connecting and only look out the window an notice that nice Airtran 717 on the taxiway. Our management is much more aware of them now, and is trying to figure out how to compete--and they will--that is why they get million dollar bonuses when the others get pay cuts....right?


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[General Lee]

Monkey,

Apparently these pilots were literally jumping up and down---with glee in their faces. they thought they had just won the lotto---according to my wife's friend. Sure, I like to raz the flight attendants---who doesn't. But they were apparently jumping up and down. I wasn't there, though.

Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[DDpaysoff]

General Lee

Notice my first sentence did not include JBLU? It doesn't matter what "kind" of airline you are AAI and LUV have positive earnings. DAL does not w/ exception of one time refund. That kind of mentality is the EXACT reason that LUV and AAI are profitable and DAL is not. I'm not interested in AAI right now but, LUV is my number 2 and may well be my next employer, but you have to hand it to them for kicking our A.s.s. the last couple of years. Sure, DAL is in a great postion compared to other majors (except CAL), but I look at it kind of like college basketball: you can fight and win the NIT, but that only means you are the 65th best team in the nation.

 

[DDpaysoff]

AAI a different kind of airiline?

Not for long! Here are some of the things they have done in the last two weeks! DD, stand for Due dilligence. DAL should know their competition better then they know themselves. Every one of these events will hurt DAL and this will continue well beyond your furlough until something is done about it.

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030819/195141_1.html

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030819/195157_1.html

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030806/65603_1.html

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030806/65600_1.html

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030805/55315_1.html

http://biz.yahoo.com/djus/030801/1113000585_2.html

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030801/15193_1.html

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030730/305037_1.html

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030730/305036_1.html
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/yho...o&guid={D0758172-6A12-494E-8DAB-18CCB1B693B3}

http://biz.yahoo.com/e/030729/aai8-k.html

 

[scopeCMRandASA]

Monkey,

Apparently these pilots were literally jumping up and down---with glee in their faces. they thought they had just won the lotto---according to my wife's friend. Sure, I like to raz the flight attendants---who doesn't. But they were apparently jumping up and down. I wasn't there, though.

Bye Bye--General Lee

All you have to do is talk to current pilots at Delta who were once at Comair and ASA. They will give you exact names of people who were scoffing at the fact theat they would be junior to those with which they were once senior. Names who, by the way, frequent the ALPA national boards. Hard to believe that every former ASA/Comair pilot is lying.

 

[General Lee]

DDaypaysoff,


First off, I am not furloughed. I do fight for our furloughs and hope they get back soon. Second, I don't think CAL is in better shape than Delta, even though it may reach profitability before we do. CAL has nothing to fall back on except a 1/3 share in Expressjet. That is it. They do not own anything else. Delta can still mortgage some of its assets.

As far as Airtran is concerned, I think we have had our wakeup call. We know they are expanding and we know they are getting new planes--thus helping their expansion. We have been cutting costs for the last two years, losing 16,000 jobs in the process, and trying to get leaner. But, there are things that will help us get back eventually. First is the economy. When it is bad, less people want to travel on business. When it gets better, more do and a lot do like the perks. The fares have begun to raise slightly, which will help. (Even though NW has been blocking some increases--at the same time pressing their labor for major cuts---even when they could have rasied fares? Then that would not help cutting labor expenses, right? HMMM) And, gas prices have still been fairly high. Eventually this IRAQ thing will hopefully get better and even Libya might be allowed to pump out some oil if the U.N. accepts them soon. I remember gas prices in ATL in 1996 at 76 cents a gallon. That is when Delta started to do really well. IF gas prices go down again, it will help everybody. I think Airtran has really turned into a good competitor, and I think we will challenge them. We even added ATL--to Flint to combat them. (We all know they had that Flint market all to themselves.....not anymore darnit!!!)

Bye Bye--General Lee