Delta and Freedom

[General Lee]

How would Ornstein bail DAL out?

If DL does go to Chap 11 (and I know you already think so but our leaders don't at this time, and they have the numbers and plans) they could be a potential investor, just like they would have with USAir. It is nice to have friends (AMEX, CECAS, MESA, and others) with deep pockets. Just hypothisizing chief. In the meantime, we are trying to cut costs and currently need some money to get us to the point where our budget cuts start actually helping the bottomline. Palumbo says we will have cut $3 billion a year by the end of this year, and we are on our way to $5 billion a year. Not bad, but we need to get there first....


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[rptrain]

It is nice to have friends (...MESA...).....

with friends like these, who needs enemies?

 

[~~~^~~~]

with friends like these, who needs enemies?

No kidding.

Heck, he thinks that ASA and Comair pilots who feed his operation with revenue and passengers are the enemy.

Can you imagine a way to better piss off the ASA pilots than to hire Mesa as a replacement? I will fight for a prolonged strike on principle, just to see Delta end. Delta has managed itself into the same sort of labor relations that killed that other alter ego loving operator, Frank Lorenzo. Ask him if labor can shut down an airline.

 

[nimtz]

I wonder if the ASA/Skywest pilots are going to welcome the Mesa pilots to their jumpseats or if weight/balance will end up preventing it in many cases (as I expect it might).

I expect you to be a piece of sh!t then. I have as low opinon of Mesa as you, but outside of a Freedom guy I keep politics off the jumpseat.

 

[Rick James]

Mesa pilots are always welcome in my jumpseat. They are not responsible for the actions of upper management. Their contract sucks, but our "non-enforceable" contract at Skywest is no gem either.

General, what is your beef with Skywest? Is it the 50-99 seat pay fiasco?

 

[Boeingman]

Frank Lorenzo. Ask him if labor can shut down an airline.

It can't. Do you need a history lesson for 1983?

 

[Boeingman]

In the meantime, we are trying to cut costs and currently need some money to get us to the point where our budget cuts start actually helping the bottomline. Palumbo says we will have cut $3 billion a year by the end of this year, and we are on our way to $5 billion a year. Not bad, but we need to get there first....

No flame intended, but if Delta had the ability to cut costs in this dollar range, why didn't they do that before they cried poor mouth with the pilots and labor?

If there was room for these cost cuts, does it not anger you guys they hoodwinked you? Not to mention chopping fares on your Billion dollar give backs?

Somebody is lying.

 

[Wesb737fo]

Hey Rick James B***ch (lol)

Make sure you know the difference between the pilots who work for Mesa and the ones who screwed over the Mesa pilots by jumping over to Freedom.

 

[FlyBoeingJets]

I don't know the Delta plan but selling off Comair may be smart if Delta can ensure they continue to serve Delta. But will Comair hurt Delta by feeding competitors?

Adding Mesa to the regional mix adds more uncertainty. Could Delta play one regional off another to get a cheaper feed? If UAL gets its feed on the cheap will all the others have to work better deals to compete? Mesa looks ripe to make some deals.

All this makes my head hurt. Delta has a high quality feed from Comair but I wonder if the public values its quality over other operations.

If oil comes down the impetus to change will lessen but, if the ball is already rolling, how do you stop it? I'm hoping oil comes down.

 

[FlyBoeingJets]

If DL does go to Chap 11 (and I know you already think so but our leaders don't at this time, and they have the numbers and plans) they could be a potential investor, just like they would have with USAir. It is nice to have friends (AMEX, CECAS, MESA, and others) with deep pockets. Just hypothisizing chief. In the meantime, we are trying to cut costs and currently need some money to get us to the point where our budget cuts start actually helping the bottomline. Palumbo says we will have cut $3 billion a year by the end of this year, and we are on our way to $5 billion a year. Not bad, but we need to get there first....


Bye Bye--General Lee

You know this better than I do....

If the earnings or cost picture turns the corner the money will come. A decent deal will be elusive until then. Maybe GECAS or AMEX will float you more cash until the future looks more certain.

Do you think the pilots are looking at more cuts?? This press release tells me management is working on you guys.

Delta Air estimates $3.1 bln in pensions 2006-08

Wed May 4, 2005 05:48 PM ET

WASHINGTON, May 4 (Reuters) - Delta Air Lines (DAL.N: Quote, Profile, Research) estimated on Wednesday that it is facing about $3.1 billion in pension costs between 2006-2008. In a regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the No. 3 U.S. airline projected its pension funding obligations would total $600 million in 2006, $950 million in 2007 and $1.6 billion in 2008. The airline has already said that its obligation for this year is approximately $450 million. Delta has already contributed about half the total for 2005.