Unified Delta Carriers

[Speedtape]

My friend is an FA here at Comair. She said they were waiting on you guys to do something, but when nothing happened they took it in to their own hands. I mean realistically active employees(even from the wholly owneds) should be able to board before retirees and parents of Delta employees. Everyone that I know that works at mainline agrees that that's the way it should have been. Active employees are either commuting to/from work orhave a limited amount time for personal travel between work days. I digress.

Just wait for the standard response, "Commuting to work is your choice!"

 

[wmuflyguy]

Just wait for the standard response, "Commuting to work is your choice!"

They already used that one about a month ago when they displaced crews it JFK.

 

[WMUSIGPI]

Commuting to JFK is only a choice if they paid enough to live near JFK....

 

[Seaknight1]

I guess it's true!:uzi:

Unions criticize Comair on flight benefits
Cincinnati Enquirer
May 22, 2009

Warning of potential negative impacts to the "Delta brand" and the operational efficiency at Comair, the airline's three main unions Friday combined forces to try to push the company and its corporate parent Delta Air Lines to reverse a decision to reduce flight benefits at the locally-based regional carrier.
The new "informational campaign" will include an effort to get union members from the pilots, the flight attendants and the mechanics, as well as non-union employees and workers at all of Delta's wholly-owned subsidiaries to write letters to top brass at Atlanta-based Delta to complain about the moves.
The company last month standardized its flight benefits policy at all its wholly-owned regional carriers, including former Northwest regional carriers Mesaba and Compass. Comair employees were pushed down on the seniority list and must wait behind current and retired Delta employees to be able to board using those benefits to fly for free on standby. The policy goes into effect on June 23.
Union officials say that the benefits are a key way for flight crews to commute to work when their trips start at remote airports. The move came soon after Delta announced that Comair would be handling most of its regional flying from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York - meaning many local pilots and flight attendants would be forced to commute north. Delta moved Mesa Airlines out of New York over a dispute over operational effectiveness, replacing them with Comair.
Comair spokesman Jeff Pugh said the move allowed the carrier to preserve jobs and add flights, and that the carrier had seen "negligible" impact from the shift north on its operation to date.
As for the benefits change, "we don't expect an impact on our commuters' ability to report for duty," Pugh said, citing the fact that the new Comair policy will be similar to that of the airline that previously served JFK for Delta.
In a letter to the airline's 1,200 pilots, union chairman Matthew Lamparter said that "we want to make sure Delta is successful. Delta should change its benefit decision to allow us to contribute to the success of the Delta brand.
"Failure to reverse the travel benefits change will increase the burden of all commuting employees as they attempt to get to and from work," said Lamparter, chairman of the local chapter of the Air Line Pilots Association. "This benefit loss will create many consequences that could threaten the operational integrity of affected carriers and the Delta brand as a whole."
In a separate interview, Lamparter said that the union has already seen examples of the airline being forced to bump paying passengers to fit crew members trying to get to work, even before the benefit change has gone into effect.
"They say that this was done to level the playing field, when all they did was create second-class citizens out of the employees here," Lamparter said.
Connie Slayback, president of the local Teamsters branch that represents Comair's approximately 1,000 flight attendants, said that the reduced flight benefits will also impact members of that work group trying to get to work.
"This is a bigger deal for us than just having the ability to go on vacation reduced," she said.
Pugh referred any questions on whether the campaign could actually create a change at the corporate level to Delta.
Delta spokesman Anthony Black declined comment, saying no correspondence had reached the office of Delta chief executive officer Richard Anderson.
"Delta's alignment of pass travel benefits brings all of its wholly owned carriers on par with each other as well as with other regional carriers in the industry," Black said. "It's Comair's contractual obligation to ensure that its crews meet all requirements for preparation and execution of scheduled service."

http://snipurl.com/isooh

 

[WayBack]

I heard their messages to the FA and pilot groups will be called "WindCheck!"

 

[PeanuckleCRJ]

Commuting to JFK is only a choice if they paid enough to live near JFK....

Or if anyone actually wanted to live there other than a few locals, haha.

The best part about being NYC based was the day I converted to ATL.

 

[callowayhd]

there are so many problems with the regional and major airlines, why fight for non rev benefits?

start with compensation, including, pay, retirement and health insurance, maybe a pension?

no id rather fight to non rev to europe twice a year

 

[DX Rick]

there are so many problems with the regional and major airlines, why fight for non rev benefits?

start with compensation, including, pay, retirement and health insurance, maybe a pension?

no id rather fight to non rev to europe twice a year

I guess you didn't see that all the wholey owned carriers bennies are going to sh*t, and all the other carriers are being "upgraded".

With these new bennies, the people on vacation are going to be bumping people going to work.
I love the commuter clause, but sucks when you don't get paid when you can't make it to work.

 

[Full of LUV]

There inlies the problem!

Commuting to JFK is only a choice if they paid enough to live near JFK....

Exactly, I believe that commuting on the jumpseat has allowed the professional pilot operations to subsidize the twobit undercutters all over the industry. Would VA or JB find any pilots to staff their operation if they had to pay a liveable wage for SFO or JFK? Would Mesa have a Hawaii operation if they had to pay a basic hawaii salary?

By and large, many of these low pay operations would have to be rethunk if they had to pay the professional rate for their labor.

I think ALPA should push for a min pay sacale for each aircraft to be an ALPA carrier, and then only allow ALPA pilots to occupy ALPA company J/S's. Then it would be in companies best interest to be an ALPA carrier with min work rules assured, or you wouldn't be able to source your labor. Current ALPA companies would go for it, because it would prevent their profitable hubs from being raided by LCC's that refuse to pay at least an ALPA wage for their labor.

Why doesn't ALPA national come up with a plan like this?????? Seems so logical.
LUV

 

[JECKEL]

"there are so many problems with the regional and major airlines, why fight for non rev benefits?

start with compensation, including, pay, retirement and health insurance, maybe a pension?"

You, of course, are joking.

Better pay for a regional pilot?

Retirement for a regional pilot?

Pension???

What cave have you been living in for the past several years?

Regional jobs and aircraft are being cut left and right and you think the pilots would be better served by asking for more money and financial benefits right now?

Non rev benefits was all the OH had left. With the forced commute to JFK by about 300 crewmembers and a trashing of their ability to get to work,I think it is a real concern.

I don't think they have a chance in he!! but hey, everything else is falling apart for them. Good luck.