NWA 40 more

[Draginass]

FYI - AMR, in official intercompany communication, announced that force majeure is no longer in effect. No one seems to know exactly when FM was cancelled, but it must have been done without telling the general employee population.

 

[kl7741]

I agree with Fitzwell. What in the world is NWA up to? Why aren't they supporting the fare increases that the others (majority) have tried to institute?? The way I see it, they are turning down revenue while laying-off more pilots. I would love to know what the NWA pilots think of this.

 

[TriStar_drvr]

There was an article in last Sunday's Los Angeles Times Business section about Northwest Airlines and their refusal to go along with leisure fare increases. The bottom line is that NWA's management believes they are on the right track to profitability, and that any increase in revenue gained by increasing leisure fares would be offset by a loss in customers.

 

[F/O]

Didin't NWA talk about recalls this fall, and look what happened. Everyone had their hopes up that recalls would start this fall only to have them come crashing down when they announced 40 more furloughs in October instead of recalls as previously stated.

Let the above be a lesson to all furloughees. And correct me if I'm wrong, but the original talk of fall recalls seemed more like scuttlebutt on this board than anything officially stated by NWA.

I'd sure like to see the cup as half full, but I'm being very realistic about this situation. Not negative, realistic. You have to hope for the best but expect the worst. We can sit here and speculate till the cows come home, but no one knows what will happen with the industry in 6 months, a year, or 3 yrs time. Only one thing is guaranteed. Just like death and taxes, pilots will reach age 60. So all you can really count on is attrition through retirements.

Personally, I'm thinking yr end 2004 to spring 2005 before UAL recalls and I'm planning for the same.

 

[JohnDoe]

Only one thing is guaranteed. Just like death and taxes, pilots will reach age 60. So all you can really count on is attrition through retirements.

........that is until they raise the retirement age........

And by the way...the talk of fall recalls was not just "scuttlebutt" on this website. NWA themselves at one time said that they "anticipate" recalls in the fourth quarter of this year. That was the story until about a month or so ago....

 

[MsFan]

JohnDoe,
The company stated that the recalls in the 4th qtr of 2002 were based on where they thought revenue would be by then. They made that statement in Dec. There was nothing written in stone, no agreement with the union, just a gut feeling that if revenues picked up as a lot of experts (at the time) felt they would, we could anticipate recalls. As far as I know, the company never mentioned it again until last week. So while it sucks b@lls to see more furloughs, I think a lot of us furloughed guys from NWA saw the writing on the wall. Talking to friends I have still flying there, blockholders haven't been flying anywhere near the monthly max, guys on reserve are only flying 40-50 hrs a month, displacements are still happening and they're still offering the non-availability option (don't fly at all and get paid for 50 hrs) for some positions. By May or so I think most of us (at least the poor suckers at the bottom of the furlough pool like me) knew we weren't going to be going back in the fall.
As far as not raising ticket prices $20, this is my understanding of it based on a quote I read from our CFO. The $20 raise was on the ordinary full fare ticket, not the leisure fare. So raising that ticket price just meant that customer goes elsewhere or buys a leisure fare and saves money. I don't think many people are paying this full fare anyway, so raising the ticket price $20 was not going to help raise revenue. It might actualy decrease revenue because the knucklehead who was going to pay the full fare before might decide to go look a little harder and get a cheaper fare. That's my understanding of article I read, but I may be mistaken.

 

[ALCOHOLIC]

NWA must have smarter accountants than all the other airlines. Everyone wanted the fare increase but NWA. If all the airlines are running full and continue to loose money, they need to raise fares. I do not think NWA accountants ever heard of supply and demand.

 

[JohnDoe]

MsFan,

I never stated that the recalls were set in stone (hence my quotes around "anticipate"). I agree with you.....I have never been under the delusion that they would recall starting this year.....I was simply responding to F/O's comment that the premise was only "scuttlebutt" from this website. As you mentioned as well, this did indeed come from NW at one point.

Personally, I don't see everybody being back until 2005 or so....(especially if they do indeed have 430 on furlough by the end of 2003)

As far as ticket prices go....I've never commented on that subject (but you may be responding to other people).

Good luck to us all,


P.S. A friend of mine on reserve on the dc-9 has timed out 3 months in a row....and no, he's not picking up open time.