Northwest Airlines hopes smaller planes will mean bigger savings

[Tref]

Our JPWA made permanent the concessionary scope our predecessors negotiated in the bankruptcy Court.

Other than the duration of the contract, how has the JPWA made scope any more permanent? It's not like the bankruptcy contract was temporary.

 

[spongebob]

Super, I acknowledge there is a cap, but it is not much of a restriction. Delta ordered 10 billion dollars worth (500) RJ's and every time the orders got near the "cap" the restriction was moved until it got where it is now. Our JPWA made permanent the concessionary scope our predecessors negotiated in the bankruptcy Court.

As Doug Steenland, Fred Reid and Leo Mullin all said, scope hasn't been a restriction on their ability to outsource narrow body domestic flying. My own Rep says scope is not important and does not work. As long as they make these kind of statements people like you and I have work to do - to try and get the majority of people involved and to try to get them to voice their opinions.

You and I agree that the right solution is to get this flying back by stapling it on the mainline list. One difference is that I've been writing and trying to inform people here on the subject for ten years now.

The current divide in our union that chips away at our jobs is a cancer. As many times as I have sworn to just let it go, it is too central to our profession and our union to just forget about.

P.S. Don't get me wrong, I support my Reps and union. We just need more folks like you that tell their Reps that scope is important.

I can't beleive that a couple of years at the major have turned the godfather of the RJDC into some sort of RJ hater. I can still remember you spew the hours of anti-major rhetoric when Delta did not integrate you and the Comair/ASA into their list. It is pretty clear that you weaseled your way onto DAL property and now you are feeling superior to your former cohorts and do not want to give them any more flying.
SB

 

[atpcliff]

Hi!

The Saabs are a GREAT airplane, for their mission, which has NOTHING to do with flying long distance in an RJ.

MSP-BJI and MSP-BRD are GREAT routes for the Saab, when there is only demand for 30 PAX or so.

I also found out the other day that the -175 overhead bins are smaller than normal, as well as the original MD-8x bins. The -9s, Airbuses and 737s have bigger bins.

cliff
YIP

 

[jetflier]

I can't beleive that a couple of years at the major have turned the godfather of the RJDC into some sort of RJ hater. I can still remember you spew the hours of anti-major rhetoric when Delta did not integrate you and the Comair/ASA into their list. It is pretty clear that you weaseled your way onto DAL property and now you are feeling superior to your former cohorts and do not want to give them any more flying.
SB

RJDC Guru ?

 

[spongebob]

RJDC Guru ?

This character was all things RJ and had nothing but crap for the major pilots. After he couldn't get onto Delta's list through the courts he finally had to apply. Based on his convenient change of heart, I can imagine he gave the interviewers a pack of lies to get hired.

People like this are what bring our profession down.

M

 

[waveflyer]

Look for more Embraers and CRJs, as older mainline equipment is phased-out.

noone learns.

i don't care if they wish to add 1900's. If it has your name on the logo- it should be flown by your mainline list.
pilots are the stupidest smart people i'll ever know.
the smart part i love working and flying w/ everyday.
the stupid part i'm getting real tired of

 

[vtwo]

-30's = 100 seats
-40's = 110 seats
-50's = 125 seats

Of the 255, currently 85 can be 76 seaters.

Bla bla bla, a

All the chest thumping, and noise made by empoyee's is not going to stop the management from from doing what they want. the courts take 2 to 10 years to settle,
by then the issue is dead.
So go ahead and think you can stop it.
the 40;s and 50s are goneand so is the strength of the unions.
I was a union rep and volunteer. Also My dad was a steward at NWA in the 70's
those days are gone. good luck.

It takes ONE COLLECTIVE GROUP to succeed
,not a bunch of different airline ( i got mine ) personalities to change this
one list for all union pilots and this would help our plight.

 

[contrail67]

:smash:
Monday, August 18, 2008
NWA big on smaller planes to save money
76-seat jets taking routes to Boston, Atlanta
Nathan Hurst / The Detroit News

ROMULUS -- Northwest Airlines Corp. is betting big on smaller airplanes.

Looking to cut domestic seating capacity by up to 9.5 percent beginning in October to slash its hefty jet fuel bill, Michigan's largest air carrier is finding that many of its longtime workhorses -- the DC-9 and Boeing 757 to name two -- have too many seats and burn too much fuel in today's world of fewer passengers paying more money to fly.

So the airline is downsizing not only its flights schedules, but some of the planes it flies.

These new smaller jets -- the Embraer 175 and Bombardier CRJ-900 -- aren't just flying to small markets like Sioux City, Iowa, or Moline, Ill. They're also taking over for larger planes on some routes between Detroit and bigger cities like Atlanta, Boston and Minneapolis.

The smaller planes provide plusses for both the airlines and passengers.

"They're the perfect mix of efficient economics and passenger comfort," said John Bendoraitis, president of Compass Airlines, a wholly owned Northwest subsidiary that's currently operating 25 Embraer 175 jets under the Northwest Airlink moniker. "They have a bigger range, more amenities and are far more efficient than their predecessors."

The 76-seat Embraer and Bombardier jets -- with 12 first-class seats and 64 coach -- provide financial benefits for Northwest and other airlines using them:

• They mostly fly under the auspices of regional airline partners, which have lower labor costs.

• Advanced designs and newer engines make the new regional jets about 30 percent more fuel-efficient than the bigger airliners they're replacing.

• Fewer seats mean higher demand, which in turn means the airline can command higher fares. The first-class cabins, not common on older smaller plans, also bring in more revenue.

Another advantage: The smaller planes give passengers more choices, allowing airlines to service destinations that might not support a larger jet.

"These planes made service from Detroit to places like Vancouver and Monterrey possible," Bendoratis said. "They're perfect for the demand we have on those routes, and they're comfortable enough for passengers to enjoy their flight."

Passenger comfort is better on the Embraer and Bombardier jets than it is on smaller 50-seat regional jets or turboprop aircraft. Besides the first-class cabins, passengers have more leg room, full-size carry-on luggage bins and less-cramped cabins.
Delta adding small jets, too

Compass expects to operate 36 of the Embraer jets by the end of this year. Northwest's Mesaba Airlines subsidiary plans to eventually have 27 of the Bombardier aircraft in the air.

Officials at Delta Air Lines, which plans to merge with Northwest by the end of this year should the deal receive approval from federal regulators, said the new dual-class regional jets have been good for its business, as well.

Kate Marx, a spokeswoman for Cincinnati-based Comair, said the Delta subsidiary already has 13 of the Bombardier aircraft in service, with another planned to start flying by the end of this year.

"They've proven to be very popular for our passengers out of the Cincinnati and New York hubs," she said.

Experts say that if fuel costs remain high for airlines, demand for better-equipped regional jets will stay strong.

Northwest CEO Doug Steenland told investors recently that the smaller jets will help the airline navigate today's turbulent financial environment.

"These jets are vital as the airlines have to pare down where they're flying and when," said Michael Boyd, president of The Boyd Group, a Colorado aviation consultancy. "They need efficient options that take the right number of people the right distance. These planes close what was once a big gap."

You can reach Nathan Hurst at (313) 222-2293 or [email protected]

This is really not anything new.

 

[Draginass]

Super, I acknowledge there is a cap, but it is not much of a restriction. Delta ordered 10 billion dollars worth (500) RJ's and every time the orders got near the "cap" the restriction was moved until it got where it is now. Our JPWA made permanent the concessionary scope our predecessors negotiated in the bankruptcy Court.

As Doug Steenland, Fred Reid and Leo Mullin all said, scope hasn't been a restriction on their ability to outsource narrow body domestic flying. My own Rep says scope is not important and does not work. As long as they make these kind of statements people like you and I have work to do - to try and get the majority of people involved and to try to get them to voice their opinions.

You and I agree that the right solution is to get this flying back by stapling it on the mainline list. One difference is that I've been writing and trying to inform people here on the subject for ten years now.

The current divide in our union that chips away at our jobs is a cancer. As many times as I have sworn to just let it go, it is too central to our profession and our union to just forget about.

P.S. Don't get me wrong, I support my Reps and union. We just need more folks like you that tell their Reps that scope is important.

With the sweetheart contract that DALPA and NWALPA gave Anderson, it appears to me that scope will be virtually dead at the new Delta. Didn't even get much of a pay raise. I'll bet Anderson and Steenland can't believe their luck.

 

[~~~^~~~]

I can't believe that a couple of years at the major have turned the godfather of the RJDC into some sort of RJ hater. I can still remember you spew the hours of anti-major rhetoric when Delta did not integrate you and the Comair/ASA into their list. It is pretty clear that you weaseled your way onto DAL property and now you are feeling superior to your former cohorts and do not want to give them any more flying.
SB

SB,

My position on outsourcing has not ever changed. I've always thought Delta flying should be performed by Delta pilots. In 1999 supported one list as a method to stop the outsourcing of mainline flying to non-Delta pilots and non-ALPA pilots. These guys would be stapled below you, which would have avoided your furlough - No change. (well, it could be my furlough this time - guess that's a change)

A union's job is to bring employees together to bargain collectively. The better a union is at bringing people together the more powerful and effective it is.

I don't hate RJ's. The RJ is a tool to make ASM's like any other 121 airplane. My opinion is that these are jets flying within the Delta brand and they should be flown by Delta pilots, pilots junior to you. This is grassroots trade unionism.

Outsourcing 75% of Delta departures is too much in MHO. Others disagree and have their reasons. Rather than name calling, I'd like to read your logic.

We discussed (rationally, back then) the ideas of spinning off DCI carriers and you thought it might be a good idea if ALPA split (most of the outsourced flying is performed by non-ALPA members). Most of that has happened and the results were very much as I predicted.

I'm not sure why you hate the weatherman because it is raining. But, hey if you want to discuss ideas like you used to, that'd be great.

Meanwhile you need to re-boot your "imagination" it is giving you bad info. If you still want FedEx info, PM me.

~~~^~~~