Rumor NWA to park all DC9 30 within 12 months

[jetflier]

Well the rumor at NWA is beginning to take shape as NWA is planning to set a narrowbody floor during 2008.

This was another part of our POS contract, that NWA can set their narrowbody floor for SCOPE, one year after DOS of the contract.

NWA used to have 180 total DC9 aircraft, a mixture of -30,-40,-50, with the -50 being the newer, and larger 125 seats.

According to our DC9 fleet training Captain, it appears that NWA will fly only about 50 total DC9 aircraft comprised of -40 (110 seats)( and -50 125 seats).

A good question is, where will the bottom 500 pilots go if all the DC9-30's are parked? And why are we hiring 200 more pilots when our when our monthly flying is back down to about 80 hours?

So I guess the two questions are:

Are we setting up for a merger ?

Or are we setting up the flow down staffing for our brother, Compass Airlines ?

If you are considering flying for NWA then I would suggest giving this situation a lot of thought and proceede with caution, unless of course you would not mind flying for Compass.

Are we merger bait? or Compass staffing?

 

[CKJET]

Another day at the office?

It is vert strange that hireing is still going on if this is the case?

What is the avg usade on -30's per day? How many legs?

 

[Beetle007]

I've seen news articles that congress needs to reauthorize the FAA funding bill by Sept 30th.

I know they are debating all kinds of user fees for this bill but is this the same bill that some congressmen are trying to attach age 65?

 

[gutshotdraw]

So I guess the two questions are:

Are we setting up for a merger ?

Or are we setting up the flow down staffing for our brother, Compass Airlines ?

If you are considering flying for NWA then I would suggest giving this situation a lot of thought and proceede with caution, unless of course you would not mind flying for Compass.

Question 1: Duh!

Question 2: Double-duh!

Good advice by the way.

 

[General Lee]

What is the delivery rate of those E175s? I think a thread on the Regionals board said you might have 36 by the end of next year? That seems like a lot.

Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[wood pecker]

Northwest will take all of Midwest 717s then all of AirTran 717s. Airtran will be bought by Southwest for an all 737 fleet. Then Southwest takes over ATL. Here now you take a smoke.

 

[Clacker]

I don't get it. According to this rumor, NW is about to pull the plug on the -30s and flush a few hundred pilots down to Compass. If this were true, why bother recalling/hiring pilots and incurring huge training costs? Hell, they could pay newhire Compass captains a hundred bucks an hour for years and it would still be cheaper than hiring-training-flushing-retraining mainline guys. This was also addressed in a related thread:

http://forums.flightinfo.com/showthread.php?t=102163&page=10

I guess we'll just have to wait and see...

 

[IdRtherBsailing]

Isn't NWA set to purchase another 32 A330's and 18 787's with options for up to 50? If that is true that would pick up some of the slack

 

[nwaredtail]

The 330's are almost all on property, so no help there. the 787 will be used for some growth, but expect some 747-400's to be parked. I do not expect any newhires to flowdown to compass with 600 plus retirements in the next 3 years. I do expect a announcemtn about the parking of DC-9's in Q4 or early Q1.

JMO

 

[atpcliff]

Hi!

According to a Compass pilot, they will be at 9 by Dec 2007, and 36 planes by Dec, 2008.

According to other NWA posters, they are trying to increase the training pipeline, because they need 500 new hires immediately. They have also increased the -9 capt bids to over 20 per month.

Current NWA DC-9 Rumours:
1-ALL -9s gone in 12 mos (this thread)
2-All -9-30s gone by 2008
3-The above 2 rumour mongers are on crack
4-NWA will be buying the Bombardier "C" aircraft, or the new Boeing A/C to replace the DC-9s, STARTING in 2010/2012
5-The above rumours I posted about more -9 capts and more new hires.

Which one(s) to believe....

cliff
YIP

 

[MGT3]

"Northwest will take all of Midwest 717s then all of AirTran 717s. Airtran will be bought by Southwest for an all 737 fleet. Then Southwest takes over ATL. Here now you take a smoke."

So whose senority list do I stapled to the bottom of?

 

[Andy]

I've seen news articles that congress needs to reauthorize the FAA funding bill by Sept 30th.

I know they are debating all kinds of user fees for this bill but is this the same bill that some congressmen are trying to attach age 65?

It won't get passed. The bill is too controversial. With no new bill, the FAA will be funded at FY2007 levels.

Yes.

Age 60 isn't going to change anytime soon through Congressional action.

 

[EV120]

While I agree that NWA will be parking the -9s, the real question is when. They are a money machine.

What about the old rumors that -9s will go to the desert to pick up the Bus crews as those frames are retired?

 

[jmreii]

stop trying to guess or predict what management will do. All its going to do is to give you an ulcer or heart attack.

 

[Diesel-9]

Rumor was 1st Bus already in the sand. next years flying forecast for the -9 hasn't hardly been reduced. Heard they were thinking 10-15 frames and now maybe less. -9 training is screaming for IP's. There is sooo much B.S. on here.

 

[jetflier]

What is the delivery rate of those E175s? I think a thread on the Regionals board said you might have 36 by the end of next year? That seems like a lot.

Bye Bye--General Lee

Hi General,

The EMB 175 deliveries are supposed to be 35 by the end of next year, and the CRJ 90 for Mesaba are also 35 within the same time frame.

Our schoolhouse staffing guru says that we are still planning 20 DC9 upgrades per month with no end in sight,....sooo, the rumor is still a rumor.

Amazing that if true that NWA staffing folks are not in the loop on this.

Now, a question for you,...do I need to sew extra buttons on my coat and dig my hat out of storage ?

 

[COpilot]

Is this not what you were told when you voted this contract in?

Everyone voicing their disapproval for the TA on this forum said this is what was going to happin. (?)

Park -9's, replace at lower paying ERJ's.

 

[Clacker]

Rumor was 1st Bus already in the sand. next years flying forecast for the -9 hasn't hardly been reduced. Heard they were thinking 10-15 frames and now maybe less. -9 training is screaming for IP's. There is sooo much B.S. on here.

I agree with that.

The DC-9 fleet is making money for NW. The airplane is reliable, built like a tank and most are already paid for. I've heard that there are plenty of JT8Ds available for power by the hour leasing at rock-bottom prices, so keeping the -9's on for awhile longer probably makes good sense.

 

[Diesel-9]

The -40's and -50's will be here til 2015 with the -30's phased out between now and approx. 2012ish. By then most of the 68 787's will be here doing BIS, FAR, CID etc. Making it the -9 replacement aircraft.

 

[EV120]

Those cities would get like one flight a day...supplemented by a SAAB or two. Or better yet, combine them all together with flag stops and hot turns.

 

[XJohXJ]

The -40's and -50's will be here til 2015 with the -30's phased out between now and approx. 2012ish. By then most of the 68 787's will be here doing BIS, FAR, CID etc. Making it the -9 replacement aircraft.

Well we all know that NWA puts passenger comfort and convenience number 1!

 

[JAM-BRO]

This all sounds to me like someone in the EMT is falsely spreading this rumor. The reason may be that they must want something from us. Scaring everyone with parking planes usually works. Hopefully our MEC can see thru that crap..........

 

[General Lee]

Hi General,

The EMB 175 deliveries are supposed to be 35 by the end of next year, and the CRJ 90 for Mesaba are also 35 within the same time frame.

Our schoolhouse staffing guru says that we are still planning 20 DC9 upgrades per month with no end in sight,....sooo, the rumor is still a rumor.

Amazing that if true that NWA staffing folks are not in the loop on this.

Now, a question for you,...do I need to sew extra buttons on my coat and dig my hat out of storage ?

It is all speculation so who knows? But, I think you guys would look really good as "Russian U Boat Commanders". The chicks dig it, big time.

Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[nwaredtail]

This all sounds to me like someone in the EMT is falsely spreading this rumor. The reason may be that they must want something from us. Scaring everyone with parking planes usually works. Hopefully our MEC can see thru that crap..........

Does thinking this make you feel better?

Remember when we had 6500 pilots and 170 plus DC-9's? Wake up! The TA allows for as many planes to be parked by 36 76 seat RJ's or May 31, 2008.

If you have seen the emails that I have regarding this issue over the last two days, you wouldn't be feeling so good.

Plan accordingly

 

[JAM-BRO]

Does thinking this make you feel better?

Remember when we had 6500 pilots and 170 plus DC-9's? Wake up! The TA allows for as many planes to be parked by 36 76 seat RJ's or May 31, 2008.

If you have seen the emails that I have regarding this issue over the last two days, you wouldn't be feeling so good.

Plan accordingly

I tried a pm and it said that u do not receive them. How can I shoot u my email. I would like to see what is going around.

 

[nwaredtail]

Couldnt forward them anyway. My point is that in 1995, we had 178 DC-9's. Gave away some scope, went down to 130ish. Gave Mesaba the AVRO, went to 110ish. Now we give them 76 76seaters and no NB floor. guess where we are going? To think that this will not happen is putting your head in the sand.

 

[Cobraair75drvr]

How many 757s and 319s did we have and take on from 95? Not that I don't think they will try to set the narrow body floor as low as possible.

 

[Beetle007]

How many 727s did they also get rid of since 95?

 

[NWA Furloughee]

Hi Beetle,

You said:

How many 727s did they also get rid of since 95?

My flip sarcastic reply would be all of them :>) But on a more serious note, as I recall, there were about 50 727 hulls on the property in 1995. They were all 200 models, a mixture of NWA, Republic and Eastern.

 

[NWA Furloughee]

Couldnt forward them anyway. My point is that in 1995, we had 178 DC-9's. Gave away some scope, went down to 130ish. Gave Mesaba the AVRO, went to 110ish. Now we give them 76 76seaters and no NB floor. guess where we are going? To think that this will not happen is putting your head in the sand.

Good Evening Red Tail,

Your synopsis of the decline of the NWA DC-9s is right on the money. We are losing pilots faster than they are returning and I have felt for quite some time that the NWA EMT has a 4000 or smaller active pilot airline (does not count long term sick, voluntary furloughs, bypasses, etc) as a long term goal. We are only about 300 pilots away today. I would expect to see some stabilization and perhaps a slight rise this fall as the new hire program cranks up, but the overall trend is down.