DL/NWA predictions.....

[General Lee]

This is a match made in heaven.

Congrats on the age 65 win. I bet your FOs hate you. Have fun with the Airtran guys when you merge with them, and it won't be a staple job thanks to the Bond Ammendment.

Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[General Lee]

Fine!!! Then your pilots should not benefit when the 787 finally shows up. It works both ways, General. You can't pick and choose seniority numbers based upon aircraft retirements and not acquisitions.

But if you really want, we will use your rationale and employ this, "ONLY NWA pilots fly the B787!!" Works for me!!!

Thank gawd for all of your upcoming retirements you guys continually brag about. We all "know" they will all bail out at exactly age 60. That will help when you start dumping the DC9s.

And the 787 is a mythical bird right now. Noone has ever seen one fly. We are talking about planes on the property. We also have Space Shuttles on order too.


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[General Lee]

No. I will not support NWALPA jumping in bed with NWA management to hatch a plan to accelerate retirement of MD-88s so we may be able to achieve a more favorable SLI. From our position, it appears that your leadership is doing exactly that. Now... will you support it?

It's just not gonna happen. Remember, we have those MD88s on lease. Your DC9s are all owned, right? Then they can be dumped without penalty. The MD88s are also more modern, and can make more money thanks to more seats and modern FMS equipment.


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[FDJ2]

Really, because I see a lot of insinuation and veiled threats from you guys that DALPA is complicit in a management scheme to accelerate DC-9 retirements.

If the DC-9 is a viable aircraft I'm sure it will fly another 35 years. Do you really think that management will retire an aircraft because we say so?

Case in point, somebody just said that the "crappy DC-9s" are needed to carry pax for the pacific feed, and you more or less said, "we'll see about that".

That's true. We will, if they are retired it will be because they are not the best available airframe for the job, not because we say they aren't, but because management might determine that they aren't. I don't see too many 9s flying around anymore and NWA has already started parking them by the dozens, so it is not too far fetched to conclude that they aren't the best available airframe for the job.

So.... honest question... If the opportunity arises for management to make an end run around NWA's Section 1, park more planes than would have previously been allowed, and furlough NWA pilots, will DALPA and Delta pilots be willing to let that stand or possibly help it along on the off chance that it could prove beneficial to you in the future?

There can be no end run around your scope. Your scope is what it is. Either it protects your interests or it doesn't. It's your contract, you negotiated it, defend it. We'll defend our contract and protect our interests as I'm sure you will yours.

We are obviously not going to agree on what got us to this point. What I want to know is, now that we are at this point, would you be willing to exploit an opportunity to advance your career at the expense of mine?

No. We honor your contract and your rights under your contract as I am sure you honor ours. Your career is tied to your contract with NWA and mine is tied to my contract with DAL. We are each entitled to negotiate with our employer and negotiate the best contract we can.

 

[ThisistheDream]

one big point that gets over looked is at 110 dollars a barrel or even higher there wont be any career expectations for any pilots at DAL NWA CAL AA etc.. if oil continues to increase there might not be a DAL NWA CAL UAL in the future!!! WE always say NO it cant happen we have this and this much money and this creditor that will save us blah blah blah. The reality is that if oil continues to go up and up there will be some serious problems and even shutdowns that could reach the big legacies. By mergering, the career expectations for the pilots at the two airlines will greatly improve.

 

[clippyrip]

The reality is that if oil continues to go up and up there will be some serious problems and even shutdowns that could reach the big legacies.

..........

 

[ACL65PILOT]

Until he is proven otherwise, give RA a lot of credit.
Our MEC is doing the best that they can given the constrains from all involved.
I am sure that Lee and Co are aware of the sang, " Screw me one shame on you, screw me twice shame on me."
Trust but verify seems to be working well for us to date.

 

[General Lee]

one big point that gets over looked is at 110 dollars a barrel or even higher there wont be any career expectations for any pilots at DAL NWA CAL AA etc.. if oil continues to increase there might not be a DAL NWA CAL UAL in the future!!! WE always say NO it cant happen we have this and this much money and this creditor that will save us blah blah blah. The reality is that if oil continues to go up and up there will be some serious problems and even shutdowns that could reach the big legacies. By mergering, the career expectations for the pilots at the two airlines will greatly improve.

There are not very many airlines that can withstand $110 a barrel oil for very long. The ones that can are Southwest (with the hedges), and some airlines that already went through BK and made sure they cleaned house correctly. If enough airlines fall I am sure Congress will allow European Airlines to invest more into ours (maybe up to 49%), and thanks to the Euro and dollar difference, it would be cheap for European Airlines to do just that. Also, fewer airlines will push up prices and keep the remaining airlines around longer. If all the airlines stop flying on the same day, that could be a problem for the American public. I doubt that will happen.


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[General Lee]

double post

 

[jetflier]

General,

I getting real concerned now,....our hats are not big enough to pin on the DAL hat emblem.

Seems like Delta guys have bigger heads

 

[jetflier]

General,

I getting real concerned now,....our hats are not big enough to pin on the DAL hat emblem.

Seems like Delta guys have bigger heads

 

[nwaredtail]

Why should I be put on the street for your old DC-9s, please tell me someone? If my company had old 60's era planes and was going to get rid of them I would not like it but I could understand why I wouldn't have a job, but we don't here at Delta. People came to Delta knowing they could get the 76ER, where as people went to NW knowing they would get the DC-9 or 747so, there is a difference.

Because you are junior and junior pilots get the shaft. Merger or not, you are probably screwed, for a while at least. You should hope that all those NWA retirements actually happen.

 

[Jim Smyth]

Congrats on the age 65 win. I bet your FOs hate you. Have fun with the Airtran guys when you merge with them, and it won't be a staple job thanks to the Bond Ammendment.

Bye Bye--General Lee

5 more years of compounding earning power for "everyone" thats currently on the property working. Not a bad deal if you ask me.

Air Tran would be interesting. I would welcome them no matter where they are put in the seniority list and think they would fit in well! They would bring there own planes to the party and we would go from there.

I wouldn't mind coming down to visit you in ATL anyway. Been waaaaaaaay overdue. Maybe MSP after that.

 

[General Lee]

General,

I getting real concerned now,....our hats are not big enough to pin on the DAL hat emblem.

Seems like Delta guys have bigger heads

It was a interesting move thanks to your committee Chair's intransigence. It would have been a good deal for everyone, and this deal looks like it would have happened anyway. You can't always get what you want..... Also, it really would not have been fair to bring your DC9s over, merge the lists, and then furlough our guys thanks to your DC9s. That isn't fair.

We'll see how it goes, but I think it was an interesting move. As far as getting bigger heads, I think some are stunned about what is developing. Fair is fair.


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[General Lee]

5 more years of compounding earning power for "everyone" thats currently on the property working. Not a bad deal if you ask me.

Air Tran would be interesting. I would welcome them no matter where they are put in the seniority list and think they would fit in well! They would bring there own planes to the party and we would go from there.

I wouldn't mind coming down to visit you in ATL anyway. Been waaaaaaaay overdue. Maybe MSP after that.

And we are supposed to be scared of that? By the time you could facilitate that, your costs will be up there and the hedges waning. It could be an even playing field, and with our added INTL presence thanks to NWA, our days could be brighter each year forward. The domestic flying will not get any better for you or Airtran, and those 717s in purple and orange will look cool.(did someone say those would be dumped?)

And really, most SWA pilots were NOT happy about age 65, and you old fellas got lucky. You just gave FOs an extra 5 years (at 5 legs a day) of lower pay than was originally advertised, which you did not have to endure yourself. But hey, now everyone can postpone paying for their kid's college, or buying a Captain house, so you can not be as bored on the golf course. Enjoy those options that you were given too. See you in ATL, you will enjoy it.


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[ThisistheDream]

If there is a merger and part of deal is to park all
DC-9's and only the NWA pilots get furloughed or take the blow since they where only NWA aircraft, what happens in 5 or 10 years when DAL 120 plus MD-88 are now considerd the old, gas wasting plane in the industry and are on the chopping block? what if the new airline replaces them with larger seat aircraft and now there are less planes, DO only DAL pilots take a career expectation backstep or get furloughed since those where the DAL planes prior to the merger? or what happens when the NWA 757 get old and then get replaced are the NWA pilots going to have to take the blow again, and what happens when the DAL 767 get old and get replaced do the DAL pilots take the blow since they where DAL planes??? Botton line is if there is a merger we all have NEW career expectations that are with the new airline looking forward. We all will be better off in the long run and we all are now in this togther!! It would be nice if things in life where guarenteed we all know that to well in this industry. The two pilots groups need to take the good and bad from both airlines realizing that we are all better off in the long run!!!

 

[General Lee]

If there is a merger and part of deal is to park all
DC-9's and only the NWA pilots get furloughed or take the blow since they where only NWA aircraft, what happens in 5 or 10 years when DAL 120 plus MD-88 are on the chopping block? what if the new airline replaces them with larger seat aircraft and now there are less planes, DO only DAL pilots get furloughed since those where the DAL planes prior to the merger? or what happens when the NWA 757 get old and then get replaced are the NWA pilots going to have to take the blow again, and what happens when the DAL 767 get old and get replaced do the DAL pilots take the blow since they where DAL planes??? Botton line is if there is a merger we all have NEW career expectations that are with the new airline looking forward. We all will better off in the long run and we all are now in this togther!! It would be nice if things in life where guarenteed we all know that to well in this industry. The two pilots groups need to take the good and bad from both airlines realizing that we are all better off!!!

This is due to high oil, NOW. We have orders for more 737-700s and 738s, and we can see that eventually we will order more. Do you have any narrowbody orders now? We do. Also, the MD88s do fairly well for us, and nobody else has them, except a few at Midwest and Allegiant. We also could get MD90s for cheap, and everyone who does have them (in Japan, China and Europe)is selling theirs and getting new Airbus planes. Saudia just put 28 up for sale. We have an FTD and full motion sim for the MD90, and could use them for certain routes. We have some options that could be used as a stop gap until those newer 737NGs come along.

Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[General Lee]

Because you are junior and junior pilots get the shaft. Merger or not, you are probably screwed, for a while at least. You should hope that all those NWA retirements actually happen.

I think YOUR DC9 pilots should be hoping for NWA retirements. Every NWA guy on here says they WILL ALL GO by age 60, right? That is one thing your merger committee kept saying---the large amount of retirements that WILL happen....


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[magrs]

STAPLE and furlough ala TWA!

Karma boys...


I specifically remember jumpseating with some NWA guys watching (on the sidelines of course) as the TWA looked for a little support.

Career expectations?

Bitter, you bet your ass!

 

[Zipperhead]

More SPIN from General Lee

"Delta has the best aircraft on order and we have millions in the bank. Our management is so awesome and we cannot be bought by anyone. Our fleet is the best of any airline and everyone else is just flying old crap. When we buy you, you will all be stapled and just be lucky to pull gear for me someday in our 777-300er's. Remember Delta has MILLIONS and Millions in the bank and it doesn't matter how much oil is cause we have the world's greatest management and our union is going to save us in any situation."

Jesus dude, give it a freakin rest. Stop the spin cycle already and get real....!!!