DL/NWA SLI decision moved to pre-xmas....why?

[jester757]

FWIW...I just came from the all hands meeting here at DAL this afternoon. All this talk of reduction etc...WAY overboard so just relax. Right now it has been approved to still HIRE 150 guys here next year and it was stated that in order to meet the projected summer flying hiring will have to take place. That was today...things always seem to change.

Oh, any NWA guy who is on the 757 get ready to get qualifed on the 767ER. From what I just heard you all will be the first to convert to DAL procedures etc. And yes NWA guys will be getting trained by retired DGS guys from Delta - no question on that one. We can all plan on A LOT of dead heading all over the place to start trips as well. The 747-400 will be the first NWA to migrate to ATL followed shortly by the 330 for trips South. Look for a 747 in ATL in the paint booth in short order as well. Also mentioned was an over all cut of managers by 25% while doing some growing in training, planning, schedulers who will mostly come from DAL side of things.

All in all fairly upbeat on things. Keep in mind - quotes like adjusting the size of an airline doesn't always mean cutting pilots. There are many things that can be "sized" just like the managers. If I had to choose Iwould take being a pilot over a middle manager right now...

Hang in there...

 

[~~~^~~~]

TB, ACL, Jester;

Thanks

 

[ACL65PILOT]

Bastian: No frontline layoffs in new Delta

Atlanta Business Chronicle - by J. Scott Trubey Staff Writer

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A day after closing a merger to become the world’s largest airline, Delta Air Lines Inc. President and Chief Financial Officer Ed Bastian affirmed the company’s commitment to maintaining its hubs and retaining its frontline employees.
“There will be no front line employees let go as part of our merger,” Bastian said Thursday. “We’re going to retain all our hubs and we’re going to retain all the front line jobs.”
Federal regulators Wednesday cleared Atlanta-based Delta (NYSE: DAL) and Eagan, Minn.-based Northwest Airlines Corp. (NYSE: NWA) to merge. Delta made its case to merge with Northwest largely on its lack of route overlap, efficiencies it could gain and its pledge not to purge frontline workers such as pilots, flight attendants and airport personnel.
Delta has its largest hub at Hartsfield-Jackson. It also has hubs in Salt Lake City, Cincinnati and New York. With Northwest—now a Delta subsidiary known as NWA Inc.—it adds hubs in Minneapolis/St.Paul, Detroit, Memphis, Tenn., and Tokyo.
During a called news conference Thursday at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Bastian said Atlanta would be a big winner in the company’s merger with Eagan, Minn.-based Northwest Airlines Inc. Atlanta, he said, now controls its own future.
“You will have more access to more locations on a nonstop basis around the world than any city in the world,” he said. “And that’s a very, very big deal for this community.”
In particular, Atlanta gains coveted access to Asia. Delta already has nonstop links to Tokyo, Seoul and Shanghai, but it now gains access within one stop to more than 15 destinations through Northwest’s Tokyo hub. Northwest is the only U.S.-flagged carrier with a hub in Asia.
Though Bastian said frontline positions would be spared from cuts, officials have said about 1,000 jobs will be eliminated throughout the headquarters of both Delta and Northwest as the carriers combine.
Between 25 to 30 senior division managers will soon depart Delta through retirements and job buyouts, with many being replaced by counterparts at Northwest or from within, multiple sources with knowledge of the situation have told Atlanta Business Chronicle.
Bastian, who helped lead Delta out of bankruptcy and past a near hostile takeover from U.S. Airways Group Inc. (NYSE: LCC) in 2006, now transitions to lead the integration of Northwest’s personnel, fleet and technology into the new Delta. He is now Northwest’s CEO and Delta’s president, and said he will relinquish his CFO title to a new executive to be named next week.
For the time being, Bastian said, it will be “business as usual” for the two carriers. They will still have distinct Web sites, ticketing systems and procedures. It will likely take about two years to fully integrate the carriers.
“The operating practices of the airlines are identical to what they were yesterday…we’re going to take this integration very, very slow,” he said. “We’re going to be certain we’re putting our customers first in our plans as we integrate the airlines so we’re not going to take a chance or take a risk with your travel experience.”
Delta has some obstacles ahead of it as it moves forward with combining forces with Northwest. Northwest is heavily unionized, while Delta is not.
Delta’s flight attendants voted against unionization earlier this year, but under federal labor law will hold another vote as Northwest flight attendants, who are represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, enter the fold.
“We now have the potential to be the largest flight attendant union in the world and look forward to working together to make that a reality,” representatives of AFA-CWA said in a statement.
Bastian said Delta has a good relationship with its unionized pilots and would respect the decision of its employees if any group opts to organize.
Delta, he said, would honor its legal commitment to fulfill the pension plans of Northwest and Delta employees.

 

[ACL65PILOT]

Read above. Told you it was still a little to early to worry about it.

 

[727RedTails]

It was nice to see all those ERJs in Delta colors parked in CMH today!

 

[qxdash8]

FWIW...I just came from the all hands meeting here at DAL this afternoon. All this talk of reduction etc...WAY overboard so just relax. Right now it has been approved to still HIRE 150 guys here next year and it was stated that in order to meet the projected summer flying hiring will have to take place. That was today...things always seem to change.

Oh, any NWA guy who is on the 757 get ready to get qualifed on the 767ER. From what I just heard you all will be the first to convert to DAL procedures etc. And yes NWA guys will be getting trained by retired DGS guys from Delta - no question on that one. We can all plan on A LOT of dead heading all over the place to start trips as well. The 747-400 will be the first NWA to migrate to ATL followed shortly by the 330 for trips South. Look for a 747 in ATL in the paint booth in short order as well. Also mentioned was an over all cut of managers by 25% while doing some growing in training, planning, schedulers who will mostly come from DAL side of things.

All in all fairly upbeat on things. Keep in mind - quotes like adjusting the size of an airline doesn't always mean cutting pilots. There are many things that can be "sized" just like the managers. If I had to choose Iwould take being a pilot over a middle manager right now...

Hang in there...

Jester,

Thanks for the info. I guess I can put off my panic attack until later . Interesting that you mentioned that the NW 757 drivers would get ER qualified. Since they don't have separate categories like we do, I was wondering how that integration would work.

 

[jester757]

Jester,

Thanks for the info. I guess I can put off my panic attack until later . Interesting that you mentioned that the NW 757 drivers would get ER qualified. Since they don't have separate categories like we do, I was wondering how that integration would work.

Look or SEA to be a BIG base for the new DAL. That is where I would expect the NWA guys to start doing some flying soonest on the 767ER. Just a guess though

 

[General Lee]

Look or SEA to be a BIG base for the new DAL. That is where I would expect the NWA guys to start doing some flying soonest on the 767ER. Just a guess though

Not until the SOC(12 to 18 months). They won't be flying the 76ERs (like we won't be flying their 753s) until those certificates are merged. We will probably be using ER pilots from other ER bases at SEA until we establish our own SEA ER base.(there are PLENTY of DL guys who want to fly the ER from SEA too) The NWA A330 pilots in SEA may be flying SLC flights(NRT, CDG, and AMS eventually) or DH to JFK to fly Amman, Cairo, and Tel Aviv eventually.


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[KCPilot]

There are a few dozen NY 7ER guys at SEA I know that are waiting for the word!

 

[General Lee]

There are a few dozen NY 7ER guys at SEA I know that are waiting for the word!

Half of the senior guys in SLC would probably jump at the chance too, along with LA guys I suppose...

Bye Bye--General Lee