OK DTW...
About the NWA EFA doc. It made its rounds in cyberspace where most who are intimately familiar with DAL read it and recognized the errors. It is amazing that both airlines have the same national union representing the pilots....yet they could not even get the number of active pilots correct for instance. That just starters. It was all done on 3Q07 numbers. How off were the financials?
Dysfunction 26 years ago.... That was roughly the time Steve Wolf showed up at Republic. Republic sold out to NWA in 1986.Wolf joined Republic in February 1984....but I acknowledge your point. That is when things really got dysfunctional. Besides bringing the current red/blue/green book divisions that obviously last to this day....Republic brought a fleet of old aircraft to NWA. 15 Convair 530's and approx 128 DC-9's. They were Convair 580's and there were 13 + 128 DC9's + 15 727's + 8 MD80's + 6 757's
At least people are not arguing about parking Convairs as NWA promptly did just that.By late 1988. However most of those DC-9's that Republic inherited from Hughes Air West and Southern are still flying today! Republic brought 35 DC9-10's. They are gone. 65 DC9-30's. Will be down to 22 I believe later this year. 28 DC9-50's. All still flying. So 50 still flying out of 128. 39% = Most???
Tell everyone...with oil at 103.00 and crack spread climbing...how long do you think they'll last at NWA, or, how about DAL? Or, any airline that would merge with NWA. And while you are at it .....if they are parked and NWA merges with some other airline, which pilot group should shoulder the bulk of job cuts associated with putting those 9's in the desert? They will last a lot longer at NWA than DAL due to your scope clause. So if it's your scope that allows them to be replaced by RJ's you tell me who should "shoulder the cuts". I admit NWA can also park them but the ASM's can't be replaced with RJ's due to our scope. If NWA downsizes by eliminating those ASM's then we will lose jobs. At a merged DAL they could replace the ASM's without shrinking the airline. That's our fault?
Finally, about the feed. Here is an easy explanation. What about ALL of the west coast feed ALK gives NWA for their Asian departures out of the west coast cities. What happens to NWA when the feed disappears over night if ALK is purchased or merges with someone else? Big, big dent.
Also a very viable plan for DAL ....or AA..etc.What are you guys gonna do with all the ALK pax? Fly them to Narita, and as Occam says, have them rappel to the ramp? You think RA would go with that plan vs existing code-share Skyteam issues already in place with NWA?
Ed
