Delta RFP on 10-20 widebodies maybe coming in next 2-3 years--article

[General Lee]

Gary Kelly acted just like any other airline CEO after getting poked in the eye. Tim Hoeksma, former Midwest Airlines CEO, gave Joe Leonard the middle finger back in 2007. Joe responded by tripling AirTran's MKE capacity in about 2 years.

Fast forward 2-3 years, the AirTran MEC gave Gary Kelly the middle finger after being offered 30-40% pay raises on 4/1/12, a 9 year fence around ATL, and a 9 year Captain Retention Slot program. The C&Rs of SIA #1 were designed to blunt the seniority pain caused by the ISL until a substantial number of SWA pilots retired. Gary Kelly decided to show the ATN MEC who was boss just like Joe Leonard showed Tim Hoeksma who was boss back in 2009.

What? Why the aggression? Not a good way to BLEND future employees into the current fold. You DON'T GET INVOLVED IN SLI negotiations. NOPE. Let the pilots do it. If they can't get it done, then take it to NEUTRALS. They will figure out what is FAIR. Why is this so hard to understand? IF the SWA pilots thought they "were the tops and deserved it all", then they could have argued their point to the arbitrator panel. I wonder why they didn't want to do that???? And, I don't know one merger that never had 1 capt slot on the other side still standing after the merger was complete. What a complete joke. AT brought over a lot of planes, many you are dumping. But, there are 737s also coming over, and ZERO capt slots??? Huh???? Sorry, but that is just plain WRONG. I am pretty sure NO ARBITRATORS would ever allow that to happen, ever. You can offer huge pay raises, but that doesn't take care of half of the equation, which is QOL and using seniority to be in the left seat. That wasn't an option, it seems.

You guys had the advantage of watching a couple mergers prior to yours, and to choose the path you could take. You chose the WRONG one. Just ask almost every AT guy on here if he/she thought it was fair. If you don't care, then that also makes my point. Many don't care, which isn't good.

Max, do you think you should have retained your Capt seat at SWA after the merger if you could hold it? How long have you been a Capt at AT? What is your opinion on all AT Capts being forced to become FOs at SWA? Do you think arbitration would have allowed that to happen? Did any TWA pilots get Capt slots at AA?


Bye Bye---General Lee

 

[General Lee]

DC9-10 seats in the Northwest config - 78 seats.

CRJ-900 number of seats in the Delta config - 76 seats.


Anyone else see the problem here?

Regional pilots are NOW doing mainline flying. PERIOD.

Any other arguement is just smoke and mirrors to justify the above facts.




RA will bring the 100 seaters on next for a little pay bump at mainline, watch and learn.

So, what you are saying is that DL should still be flying DC9-10 series planes? Still? Why aren't you flying the 717s? Obviously that plane didn't fit in your plan. Should DL still be flying the DC9-10? I think SWA should be flying Lockeed Electras between Dallas Love and Lubbock. Why aren't you doing that NOW???

Regional pilots do fly larger planes, but they are also losing most of their smaller planes, and the larger ones are sticking around to hopefully make a profit on the 50 seat routes, that can't make money due to high oil. Why is SWA pulling out of SEA-BOI and SEA-GEG? How about PIT to PHL? Any reason you can give Red? If the route doesn't make money, you either dump it or find a plane that can make money on it. Looks like 50 seaters can't make money, but maybe 70 or 76 seaters can. Time to put them on the routes, and then YOUR 717s will fill in on the 76 seat routes. Sounds like a FANTASTIC plan...... you're welcome....


Bye Bye---General Lee

 

[waveflyer]

The problem is you don't see how flying a jet with a whipsaw market off the mainline seniority list, that artificially keeps pilot wages low is selling out.

How is that NOT selling out GL?
The CRJ -900 IS in Delta's plans- they just don't want you to fly it. I'm sure they'd
outsource your 777's if they could- I don't blame mgmt for asking- it's DALPA's weakness, greed, and inability to see 10 years down the road that allows it

 

[General Lee]

The problem is you don't see how flying a jet with a whipsaw market off the mainline seniority list, that artificially keeps pilot wages low is selling out.

How is that NOT selling out GL?
The CRJ -900 IS in Delta's plans- they just don't want you to fly it. I'm sure they'd
outsource your 777's if they could- I don't blame mgmt for asking- it's DALPA's weakness, greed, and inability to see 10 years down the road that allows it

We are taking care of our side of the business. The Regionals have always had their part in a hub and spoke. Not every city can have a 717 or 737, as 17 of AT's former cities will soon find out. So, they are a separate side. Now, they have increased in size (fleet and plane wise), but that trend is now going DOWN, thanks to high oil. And mainline flying is growing thanks to new additions that will take back current large RJ routes.

You also seem to forget that the CR9 and other 76 seaters came out of BK. That was allowed while a judge watched. Since you haven't been there yet, you might not understand. Ask the AA guys how they feel about the new agreement with Republic. Not fun.

So, what can ALPA do? They could have asked for IT ALL BACK, but got nothing else in return. (also management would balk and it would have taken years, the NMB not being as friendly as you think) Or, ALPA could have taken a constructive approach that started the process of recapturing routes, increasing share in domestic flying (vs DCI), increased the share of INTL JVs and codeshares, and brought pay back in an upward motion. They did that, and things are headed in the right direction, but you just can't get it all at once. And, when you don't own all of the 76 seaters outright, it's hard to demand things from the owners, especially if they have solid contracts right now. It just doesn't work that way, Wave. Maybe it will for your next contract, but I sorta doubt it.


Bye Bye---General Lee

 

[waveflyer]

Again, with the tired old arguments that I'm not making- you seem to have to embellish my arguments in order to defend dalpa pilots on that seriously dumb, damaging vote-

Answer this: how many -900's were allowed before the latest contract?

And now how many?

I never said take it all back. Show me where I said that?

Will or will not brand new -900's increase in number flying for delta?

Try and simply answer the questions as asked

 

[waveflyer]

ATL-EWR today

Flight 4950 cr7
Flt 5212 cr9
Flt 5044 cr7

Ord-dtw 4 out 8 flights are large RJ's e170's,cr7& cr9

JFK-CVG both delta flights are outsourced -900's
LGA-CVG all 5 delta flights are outsourced -700's

Should I keep going? I know you see it every day

CVG-DFW- 3 flights, no mainline - cr7, and 2 cr9's

ATL- OKC 5 flights, 4 large RJ's 1-700 and 3-900's

When's this mythical taking back of routes going to happen?

Because nothing spells "REGIONAL FLYING" like ATLANTA to NEWARK, just linking up a couple of Podunk towns, nothing more, eh?

 

[BILL LUMBERG]

The way Wave trolls our boards and whines about RJs and sell outs.......I'm starting to think he isn't at SWA.

Save the response Jackhole....I only get your stupidity when someone else quotes it.

 

[waveflyer]

Bum nuts

 

[Quack]

wave...this isn't anything new. Delta does it, American does it, united does it, us air does it...it's a business model that works for the parent companies, no different than SWA flying point to point, the model works for XYZ company. The largest change needed is for the big airlines to stop mislabeling their RJ carriers "Regionals" and start labeling them as Contract Carriers. And for Bombardier/Embraer/Mitsubishi to stop labeling their products as regional aircraft when they can cover 2,000 n.m.

 

[Scoot 11]

Just making sure you guys know what the industry thinks of you. We didnt forget. No need to puff out that double breast and act cocky- you aren't the best job in the industry and you've done quite a bit of damage.
A year later- it isn't forgotten-
You aren't USAPA- but you don't have a good track record-

So no acting cool on the van- we don't think you're cool, we don't care if you don't talk or thumb your noses up at anyone- you just look like an idiot when you do considering who you are and what you've voted for

Aaaw come on junior. Did I hit a nerve? You're just another legacy carrier. You bought your job, because you couldn't get hired anywhere else. It's ok sport. Enjoy that 20 year stagnation yanking yourself, and gear for that Air Tran pilot....who, by the way, ironically, didn't have to buy his job at Southwest!:laugh: