DL Starts the Consolidation of MSP and ATL Training Centers

[Varmint]

I don't get it. DAL is consolidating their assets, that's one of the main reasons you merge airlines. It's good business. Consolidating assets is also one of the reasons SWA and AirTran are merging. Why is this a food fight on here?

Its the typical my airline is better schlong measuring contest. Delta employees have had it for a long time and its slowly creeping in at WN/FL now that its a desired job. In the early 2000's WN and FL were nowhere near the top of peoples' lists who were scouting for pilot jobs.

 

[cocknbull]

Will SWA keep all 717 sims in ATL? Probably not, they will probably move them to DAL. And has Delta given up any gates in MSP? They are adding a bunch of Md90s there, added Paris and LHR flights, and the town still has 22 Fortune 500 companies based there. CVG really only has Procter and Gamble. PIT is, well the pits. I trained there at Natco for my 320 seat, and I enjoyed it, but if it saves money and gives me more of it someday, then great.


OYS

Actually CVG has 9 fortune 500 companies and 15 fortune 1000 companies.

 

[redflyer65]

I don't get it. DAL is consolidating their assets, that's one of the main reasons you merge airlines. It's good business. Consolidating assets is also one of the reasons SWA and AirTran are merging. Why is this a food fight on here?

It's more about how different the two airlines are. SW vs Legacy is alive and well.

The General is happy for the retirements (which I can understand), but he doesn't tell the other side of the story. It's STILL a legacy mentality of guys sitting at home getting guarantee every month waiting on training.

One retirement sends 11 guys to the training center. And plenty of pilots won't have immediate slots to get in, but will already be awarded the new A/C. Welcome to the summer off and a huge cost to the DL bottom line...and General says that's a great thing! (cost of doing business, right Gen?)

Here's the overall problem with the DL/NW merger. It was said to bring plenty of synergies to the remaining operations but it's starting to look more like a drag on the bottom line than anything else. Adding Asia to the DL network was a good thing, plus a few more US-European routes. But the whole thing is offset by NINE fleets types, thousands of extra training events and spare A/C parts sitting around everwhere. The capital expenditures just for the parts alone are mind numbing.

So in the end, it just doesn't look as strong as it was spun to the original shareholders, and apparently they know it.

SW? A completely different operation from top to bottom. None of the above happening in Dallas, thank God.

 

[redflyer65]

Looks like Delta just decided to pay off the State of Minnesota instead of having it go to court..

Operation Visine is in full swing of course. Anything Northwest is being wiped off the map like it never existed.


http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9NNVV080.htm

 

[regionalcap]

Why does every thread turn into a Delta vs. Southwest? zzzzzzzzzz

 

[BILL LUMBERG]

Red wears a Flag Tie and is suddenly an Airline analyst!!

 

[JOPILOT]

Sad to hear they are closing NATCO, they did a nice job...be it a little overkill.

Having transitioned to the Airbus fleet as an original Delta pilot I feel lucky to have experienced the level of "tutoring" that the NWA pilots received, that culture
my friends it over and it is time to get er done by yourself :-(

JP

 

[Dan Roman]

Why does every thread turn into a Delta vs. Southwest? zzzzzzzzzz

I've been on here awhile and watched it transpire.
For some reason the SWA folks on here seem to feel like they have to put down everything non SWA/SWAPA or at the very least try to convince everyone that they are "better than the legacies" or "we are going to kick everyone else's ass.
I believe that is called a Napoleon complex.
I think some DAL folks on here just got sick of it and decided to fire back.

 

[B727FA]

and the town still has 22 Fortune 500 companies based there. CVG really only has Procter and Gamble. OYS

Wanna try that one again?
Kroger (above P&G)
P&G
5/3 Bank
Western & Southern
American Financial
AK Steel
(Oops, forgot Chemed and Chiquita)
W/I 100 Miles:
Progressive
Cardinal Health
Big Lots
Monetine Special Chem
Limited Brands
Toyota North America
Nationwide
American Elec Power

 

[redflyer65]

Bill and Dan,

Get over yourselves. I just posted an article from Business Week. Most of the times it Dan, OYS, Scope and the Genital jumping into the Southwest threads and trying to muddy the waters. Why do they care or bother? I see alot less arogance on the SW side than at Delta. Talk about thin-skinned. Wow.

What part of what I posted is false?

RF

 

[Dan Roman]

Thin Skin? Doesn't bother me, you doth protest too much. Awful lot of SWA defensiveness on here IMHO. If anyone says anything that isn't pro SWA they get jumped on.

BTW, just because someone has an opinion you don't agree with doesn't mean they "should get over themselves". It's just an opinion, which we are all entitled to have.

 

[Gorditas]

NWA's "outstanding training?" Give me a break. I went through training there and was appalled at the lack of focus, standardization and consistency of their "professional" (and mostly part time) instructors for contract training. I can only hope that their in house training greatly exceeded their contract training ... IT SUCKED. Flight Safety was certainly more comprehensive.

Based upon my experience, DALs closing can only improve their (DALs) training programs.

Correct me if I misunderstood your post, but it sounds like you visited NATCO after DAL made changes post merger. They gutted the place almost right away. A PMDL pilot talking about "standardization" and "consistency" is laughable. The Delta way of training and operating seems to purposefully be vague in almost every aspect. The whole "big bubble" and "Boeing does it this way" idea behind everything leads to a lot of grey areas. Things were far more standardized at Northwest. If you have any friends who were FNWA pilots, as to see their SOPA (Standard Operating Procedures, Amplified) and SMAC (Standard Manuvers and Configurations) manuals. I didn't mind learning new things in the merger, change is a part of life. But most of the operational changes we made were detrimental. "Training by memo" seems to be one of the bigger ones, closely followed by FPS 0.2, err - 2.0 (flight planning) and AWABS (weight and balance for those not DAL.) Add in the loss of succinct and readily available cockpit references (like a CAT 2 briefing) that didn't require 3 manuals, and at least on my airplane, it is much harder to operate on a daily basis.

The idea that your company does it the best way possible and everything else sucks is not limited to the airlines. My wife works in the medical field, and has worked several places who employ "homegrown" staff. Some of them completed medical school, residency, and fellowships all in one health system. Since they have never worked at another facility, they assume that their antiquated ways of doing things are the best and only way.