Delta TA passes

[InclusiveScope]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 11, 2004

Delta Pilots Ratify Agreement to Provide $5 Billion in Savings

ATLANTA, GA --- The Delta pilots have ratified an agreement that will provide Delta Air Lines with $5 billion in cost savings over a five-year period. Of the 6,756 pilots eligible to vote, 91 percent cast a ballot. Of those, 79 percent voted in favor of the agreement.

Elements of the new contract include:

 A 32.5 percent wage reduction, effective December 1, 2004.

 Changes to work rules to increase the efficiency of pilot scheduling.

 An increase in the number of 70-seat jets that Delta’s regional code-sharing partners may operate.

 A freezing of the pilots’ retirement Defined Benefit Plan and the creation of a Defined Contribution Plan with a reduction in the total benefit.

 Changes to the Delta Pilots Medical Plan resulting in higher premiums.

 Approximately 30 million stock options distributed to pilots.

 An amendable date of December 31, 2009.

“Our airline has been managed to the brink of bankruptcy and the Delta pilots had to decide between two bad choices. They chose the lesser of two evils,” said Capt. John Malone, Chairman of the Delta Master Executive Council (MEC), a unit of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). “We have bought Delta time to continue restructuring outside of the courts. It is now up to management to successfully execute a viable business plan.”

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Contacts: Karen Miller and Chris Renkel, (404) 892-7302 or karen.

 

[On Your Six]

The bar continues to lower - but in this case, I think it was the right way to go for the DAL mainliners. Bankruptcy could have been A LOT worse...

 

[Dennis Miller]

Speaking of bars, time to hit one..........

http://www.airlinepilotpay.com/dal/dal.htm

man, this cat doesn’t squander any time updating the website.

 

[General Lee]

We have had 3 great years of pay in a row. After 9-11, we probably should have helped out a bit (not 32%), but instead we were paid a lot more than UAL and AA. If there were people out there that didn't see a pay cut coming, they are IDIOTS. With all of the quarterly losses, and the selling of the fuel hedges, it was bound to happen. In the mean time, a lot of us saved money and paid off things and got ready for the hit. If some of us did not, they had their head stuck in the sand. It's all about not over extending yourself. I am not complaining, and I hope that our contributions eventually helps us compete better. It can only help, and going the Chapter 11 route would have been worse. Sorry, but that is reality. Our furloughs have not had good years in terms of pay, and since our senior guys got their "best three" years for their FAE, a lot are leaving. That should help some of our furloughs to come back as soon as possible. The cap was raised a tad also, but increased flying next spring should mitigate some of that. That is the state of our company as I see it right now. Now the ball is in the court of managment, and hopefully they can work some magic.....



Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[Ace757]

Southwest Airlines now pays more than Delta. You have to be a friggen 767 Capt. to barely edge them out. Everything below 767 at Delta pays less than SWA. This is a sad day for the industry. My heart goes out to all Delta pilots and there families. They are really taken one for the team here.

 

[General Lee]

Ace,



The Southwest guys are at a more stable company, and they deserve better pay for their 737s at least.


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[Ace757]

General,
Off of www.airlinepilotpay.com it says that you guys have a guarentee of 65 hours a month. Is this the case?

 

[General Lee]

Wrong. 70 hours guarantee for reserves. Lines via PBS will be between 75 and 82 hours.



Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[737 Pylt]

Southwest Airlines now pays more than Delta. You have to be a friggen 767 Capt. to barely edge them out. Everything below 767 at Delta pays less than SWA. This is a sad day for the industry. My heart goes out to all Delta pilots and there families. They are really taken one for the team here.

Ace:
The funny thing will be this:
Imagine what our useless managment team will say when another round of cuts is needed. You know, the old, you need to be paid "southwest rates." They are now the highest paid in the industry. I think its great, now they (management) will have to actually run the airline!
737

 

[FLB717]

General,

What is the raise fopr C.O.L. over the contract to the ameanable. Do you get any snap back or is this a flat cut, with only longevity raise?

 

[Cpt. Over]

Are there any protections on the 30 million stock options should the company still go into bankrupcy or would they just go away?

 

[General Lee]

FLB717,

Nope. No COLA increases, and no raises during the 5 year contract.(except for people less than 12 years, they will get yearly longevity raises) Also, it will probably take 2 more years to get a new contract. What has this bought us? Time. Time to get this ship upright and viable again. We voted 79% in favor of this TA, but not 100% in favor. That alone sends some type of message that we won't take another voluntary hit. The management types will have to make this thing stable again, and we gave them enough money to do most of it. Now, the creditors will have to chip in and we will move forward. I know this deal kinda $ucked, but we really were in a corner, and Chap 11 was not a good option. Staying a way from there will save us lawyer costs and allow us to compete.



Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[grinder]

Man, it's a real kick in the b@lls when you see the new pay rates in writing. 32.5% is huge! Before I get yelled at...I know, it's still OK for flying a plane.

Interestingly, a military guy would now not make back his pay till the 7th yr. or so. Even longer for other carriers. There goes that option.

I think there will be a fair amount of guys not going back after 5 yrs. at another job/career. It makes what was once an obvious choice a lot tougher, esp. with the prospect of further give-backs. At least now I have till 2008 to decide.

Grinder

Watching the dream fade.....

 

[jetflyer]

Thank you

All Delta pilots,

Thank you all for your sacrifices.
You guys are real class acts.
I hope all of your furloughees get back flying soon.
Your sacrifices today will not ever be forgotten by the other Delta employees and those whose lives depend on Delta like myself.

I think you guys made a great decision as well. The future of Delta rode on that decision, and I think that decision just SAVED DELTA today. For all of our sakes let's hope I'm right.

Not just my family but thousands of others are grateful as well.

Thank you again,
Jet

 

[Oakum_Boy]

We're next.

 

[UALjan15]

The tone on this board is that it is over now, that bankruptcy has been averted. Assuming oil stays $40-50 a barrel, how much more in the way of savings are needed to keep out of the courts? I heard lots of speculation in the last few months that BK was virtually unavoidable, even with a deep cut from the pilots.

Still deep in the stall,
UALJan15

 

[General Lee]

Some analysts beg to differ. If the creditors go along, we will have dodged a bullet, but not the last bullet for sure. We still need to address our debt problems, and those guys in managment should be doing that right now. We also have only one union, so the other employees could be milked at any time for additional savings. That is something different compared to UAL and Usair.



Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[sleepy]

So I guess DAL management will be getting their post-concession bonus' any day now?

The only thing that I amusing in this is after several years spent reading posts on the ALPA message boards from DAL pilots trashing ASA and Comair pilots (and Airtran, JB, and SWA pilots too) for destroying the "profession" with lower wages, the chickens have finally come home to roost. Now the SWA pilot can post about how the DAL, USAir, and Untied pilots are bringing down their wages and destroying the "profession". LOL!

 

[Networ-King]

So I guess DAL management will be getting their post-concession bonus' any day now?

The only thing that I amusing in this is after several years spent reading posts on the ALPA message boards from DAL pilots trashing ASA and Comair pilots (and Airtran, JB, and SWA pilots too) for destroying the "profession" with lower wages, the chickens have finally come home to roost. Now the SWA pilot can post about how the DAL, USAir, and Untied pilots are bringing down their wages and destroying the "profession". LOL!

AAAANNNNDDDDD it starts.......

were you not one of the guys that bashed the Delta Pilots and DALPA for being greedy and destroying the airline for not taking paycuts? And ofcourse now that they finally had to take the paycuts your bashing them for lowering the bar. I can tell from all your posts that you are one bitter guy and really hate Delta, but Im pretty sure that when they hire again you'll be the first in line.... won't ya .

Let the bashings begin........

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

Time for the Delta guys to get rid of their hats... SWA doesn't wear hats....