Horton to Hire

[Flybywire44]

General Lee,

Does the world revolve around you and Delta? I made a very small reference to Delta to draw a comparison. Try to keep the scope of your responses to what is relevant.

Delta is absolutely controlling capacity, that being said, how can AMR advertise such an implausible expansion?

 

[General Lee]

General Lee,

Does the world revolve around you and Delta? I made a very small reference to Delta to draw a comparison. Try to keep the scope of your responses to what is relevant.

Delta is absolutely controlling capacity, that being said, how can AMR advertise such an implausible expansion?

You were WRONG. Don't be WRONG. Thank you. And Delta figured out that 50 seaters cost too much with high gas, and pax like bigger planes.


Bye Bye---General Lee

 

[nimtz]

You were WRONG. Don't be WRONG. Thank you. And Delta figured out that 50 seaters cost too much with high gas, and pax like bigger planes.


Bye Bye---General Lee

...and got a bunch of seal clapping Admirals to agree that they should never fly those big "RJ's".

 

[General Lee]

...and got a bunch of seal clapping Admirals to agree that they should never fly those big "RJ's".

You mean the 717s? We got em. How about you guys? I'm waiting...... I don't think you'll have the same opportunity. We'll just have to wait to see the details of your TA. Good luck with that!


Bye Bye---General Lee

 

[nimtz]

You mean the 717s? We got em. How about you guys? I'm waiting...... I don't think you'll have the same opportunity. We'll just have to wait to see the details of your TA. Good luck with that!


Bye Bye---General Lee

It will suck cause we will cave on SCOPE. But hey like you I will attend a supercool ALPA roadshow where they celebrate a YES vote with a plege to park 50 seaters! I'm sure APA will fall in line with Grand Admiral Moak's vision as well. Who cares if the regionals dump inefficent crud jets for profitable ones? Hey there just little jets anyways! They will create mainline jobs through feed.

 

[Flybywire44]

You were WRONG. Don't be WRONG. Thank you. And Delta figured out that 50 seaters cost too much with high gas, and pax like bigger planes.


Bye Bye---General Lee

Why do you think Delta pushed hiring back by a year?

Delta controlling capacity is an accurate and positive statement. Delta is not flying planes/routes unless they're profitable—bottom line.

Likewise, United is controlling capacity, but Horton says that American is going to grow exponentially? —this is implausible.

Flame on. :angryfire

 

[General Lee]

Why do you think Delta pushed hiring back by a year?

Delta controlling capacity is an accurate and positive statement. Delta is not flying planes/routes unless they're profitable—bottom line.

Likewise, United is controlling capacity, but Horton says that American is going to grow exponentially? —this is implausible.

Flame on. :angryfire

Not as many people are retiring. There are plenty over age 60, and many are staying longer than anticipated. Hiring will start when new planes come or more people retire, and the "new" planes start coming next year in earnest. So, hiring will probably start late next year. No flame there. Capacity is down, but a lot of the extra planes here are being used for sports charters, etc. (all World Series flights, a lot of NFL, NCAA, etc). Check Flightaware dot com on a Saturday or a Sunday. Here, read this:


Teams Score Elite Service in the Sky
By SCOTT MCCARTNEY -- WSJ
October 24, 2012

Delta Air Lines Flight 8874 from St. Louis to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., served grilled halibut with smashed potatoes and Dove ice cream bars. On Flight 8942, passengers had large fold-out tables for card games and beds big enough to accommodate 7-footers.

Forget first class. Private jets? Lousy by comparison—too cramped and understaffed. If you want the pinnacle of air travel today, the poshest of the posh, fly with a professional sports team, like the St. Louis Rams football squad on Flight 8874, or basketball's New Orleans Hornets on Flight 8942.

Pro teams long ago gave up flying on regularly scheduled commercial trips, and most have done away with owning their own planes, though there are some notable exceptions. Instead, airlines—particularly Delta—and charter companies cater to teams with tricked-out jets, handpicked flight attendants and meals from players' favorite restaurants, sometimes served on silver trays.

Team charters often used to amount to a fraternity party of beer, pizza and junk food, sometimes with guitar playing and rookie hazing, but airlines say the days of raucous party flights are gone. Many teams ban alcohol, have nutritionists select menus and set up plane interiors so coaches can study game films and players can sleep. The most popular drink on National Basketball Association flights, according to Delta: Snapple Kiwi-Strawberry juice drink.

A big win still triggers in-flight celebration, and a player injury can make for a subdued journey. But most often, it is simply a business trip.

"They just want to get where they are going,'' said Denny Yaider, a charter coordinator for Delta who travels with teams to handle logistics and unexpected problems. "It's usually pretty subdued. They are tired and worn out after a game."

Among Mr. Yaider's duties: coordinating bus service and security screening, towing planes and refueling jets if regular workers don't show up and hunting down and returning items left behind on aircraft. These include everything from cellphones and cash-filled wallets to a tooth left behind by a hockey player sitting in seat 6B on a flight. (The tooth was never found.)

Delta takes eight of its Airbus A319 jets out of regular passenger service in October and installs special interiors designed by the NBA. Instead of 126 seats, there are only 54. The plane is segregated into three cabins—the front for players, with 16 seats that fold out into beds for 7-footers, 10 seats in the middle for coaches and 28 in the rear for team staff, security and beat reporters. Even the seats in the rear have more space than normal domestic first-class seats.

This year, Delta has been flying 21 of the 30 NBA teams, 15 of the 30 Major League Baseball teams and 15 of the 32 National Football League teams. The airline also carries two National Hockey League teams, 35 college football teams and 40 college basketball teams. Baseball and football teams typically fly on jets with regular seating, such as Boeing BA -0.15% 757s and wide-body 767 or 777s. Domestic team flights typically cost $75,000 to $200,000 each way, Delta says.

For teams, the convenience of postgame charters can ease the grind of frequent travel and keep players fresher for the next game.

"Travel can be a big thing affecting the outcome of a game," said former MLB pitcher Rick Sutcliffe, now an analyst with ESPN. "If it helps you win one game, one game can be all the difference between making the playoffs or not."

A bad flight can make headlines. Player arguments over heated card games have erupted into in-flight fights. The Baltimore Orioles had a scare early this month when smoke in a galley forced their Delta charter to land in Jacksonville, Fla., while the team was headed to the Tampa area. The plane was inspected, deemed OK and allowed to continue.

Teams try to be very private about their travel. While they carry reporters who cover the team, they ask them to agree to refrain from writing about team travels. Multiple football, baseball and basketball teams declined a request to ride along on a flight for this story. A spokeswoman for the Dallas Mavericks, which have their own Boeing 757 decked out with large bathrooms and plush seating, said, for example, "We don't let anyone do stories about our plane."

Private Jet Services Group, a Seabrook, N.H., company that handles teams, rock groups and corporate charters, has contracts with a half-dozen professional hockey and basketball teams, along with 10 major college programs. Some flights carry a therapist for rubdowns and treatments in-flight. One of its hockey teams wants all organic food on board. Another wants all high-protein food and no carbohydrates. (A few still load beer and junk food.) Some college teams spend more on charters than some pro teams.

Fancy flying "becomes a significant recruiting tool,'' said Private Jet Services Chief Executive Greg Raiff.

Sports charters help Delta use planes in the winter, when regular passenger travel slows. The airline was going to send leased A319 jets back to owners in its bankruptcy reorganization in 2008 when the NBA asked the airline about a dedicated team charter fleet. The planes fly regular service in the busy summer months, then convert to charter planes.

"We wanted planes for only four months a year. It was a perfect fit," said Bill Wernecke, director of Delta's charter department.

The airline keeps a profile on each team—preferences down to the head coach's favorite drink, snack and superstitions. Some teams want a big-screen TV on board for playing videogames. Some want a buffet laid out before departure. Others prefer in-flight plate service. "You cannot set up the Pacers the way you set up the Bobcats," said Mr. Wernecke.

About 75% of sports charters take off later than 11 p.m., Delta said. Typically, baggage gets sent early to the plane, and crews monitor game action so they know if a game may extend to overtime, delaying the flight.

Players, coaches, staff and reporters sometimes get screened by TSA-approved security contractors at arenas before boarding buses, or go through screening when they walk from a bus to the stairs of a plane. It is usually done out of the way of fans and autograph seekers, though the Green Bay Packers sometimes go through public TSA screening at their home airport to the cheers of die-hard fans.

Delta selects sports-charter flight attendants candidates based on attendance, commendations and work history. Officials from college and professional teams then get to sit in on interviews with flight attendants each season, and draft their preferred roster. Flight attendants typically wear team-branded shirts instead of airline uniforms.

"You'd think they want the youngest and best-looking, but it's not that way at all. They want experienced, well-spoken flight attendants with a professional attitude," said Mr. Wernecke. "Teams are afraid of the 23-year-old beauty queen. They think only bad things can happen.''

Every flight attendant in the NFL pool at Delta has to sign a code of conduct that prohibits asking for autographs or tickets and taking pictures. Flight attendants and charter coordinators often get close to teams. The Packers gave their flight attendants tickets to the Super Bowl last year, Delta says. Some charter coordinators have been given team championship rings.

Most teams prefer delivery from restaurants rather than airport-kitchen cuisine. Delta has contracts with national chains Morton's The Steakhouse and P.F. Chang's China Bistro, and others, but teams often prefer local delicacies, such as barbecue when leaving Memphis or Cajun food on New Orleans flights.

For retiring Braves player Chipper Jones's final charter flight from Atlanta, Delta had Atlanta chef Kevin Rathbun prepare an elaborate feast, including lobster ravioli and Georgia shrimp-and-jalapeno sliders pre-departure, with crispy duck breast with orzo for dinner in-flight. Dessert included pink lemonade cheesecake



Bye Bye---General Lee

 

[Skyboy722]

Cool article, General. My dumb a$$ old airline used to do some college charters and it was a goat rope of epic proportion. Sounds like Delta is delivering a great product on these.

On the subject of AMR hiring though, seems like a very crafty line of bull from a consummate dumb a$$.

 

[jonjuan]

Every flight attendant in the NFL pool at Delta has to sign a code of conduct that prohibits asking for autographs or tickets and taking pictures. Flight attendants and charter coordinators often get close to teams.
So, lee, it appears no autographs for you. I'll bet it doesn't stop you from begging.

 

[1678]

This has nothing to do with any "hiring boom" and more to do with a propoganda push (continued push) from management, who is under the dillusion that pilots cannot figure out whats happening by themselves..

The sad part is that this "may" have worked with regional FO's back in the early 2000's... Talk of hiring and upgrades.. But honestly, does Horton think todays Legacy pilots are going to fall for any of this. Most, if not all seasoned veteran aviators, know more about the industry than Horton.

Works on 1100+ Jetblue Pilots every time...IDIOTS..