Will DHL target ABX’s DC9 aircraft for cuts?

[mxer]

Have to agree with you on that one. After this many years, the thrill certainly isn't quite the same. That is expected though. However, I can say that it is still better than throwing 2 x 4's at Home Depot. May not be the same as before but better than working or a living. Plus, it's kinda tough to get good companies to give you a fair shake when you have been doing this for a long time. We're kinda type cast.

 

[erichartmann]

[You might not have dismantled it, but tell one thing ASTAR, more particular, THE DAZ, has done to improve and make this thing work.. Oh yeah, thats right he has done nada.........]

Attention all Astar employees...we have all made a terrible career mistake.....

[Hell of a thing why favored sons are picked. Not for providing great service, but for bending over. ABX Air and Astar people are providing great service, but yes men rule the day. Das doesn't tell them how to run an express business cause he doesn't know how.
He can tell them how to flip burgers tho. When he has the need he will screw you folks if he can.]

...We didn't go to work for great, wonderful, and all powerful ABXA!

The arrogance is amazing. The ignorance surprising.

I think I'm going to puke.

First, please lower the window, then turn your head and puke outside. Any that comes in YOU can clean up.

 

[erichartmann]

I think the Daz is paid to provide an ACMI service, not as a consultant to DHL on how to run their business. I'm sure if they want his opinion, he'll give it to them, and he probably doesn't tell our biggest customer how they don't know jack shizzle about "express freight" when they disagree with his opinion. That'd probably be one of the biggest differences in corporate culture right there. We do what we're told, when we're told to do it. End of story.

So far, they seem to like that. Go figure.

Pity DHL doesn't seem to know jack about running an express freight operation. Not my opinion, its the opinion of the US customer base they bought and then frittered away. The customers are voting with their packages.

 

[freightdogfred]

I think Truckmasters classes start on Thursdays.

As for me, I will ride out this dog and pony show until the end. After that I promise I will not go back to the aviation industry. What was once a great industry has turned into Greyhound with wings on the pax side. Memphis is the armpit of the South and I don't care for Louisville to much. I like where I live and there are many great companies in our area.

You talk the talk, we will see if you walk the walk...

I've been there, my brother from another mother. It's easier said than done. You heard it from the freight dog

 

[AV8OR]

Pity DHL doesn't seem to know jack about running an express freight operation. Not my opinion, its the opinion of the US customer base they bought and then frittered away. The customers are voting with their packages.

No disagreement on DHL not understanding the huge differences between the US shipping business and the operations they have in the rest of the world. I think they were behind the power curve in nearly every way in how, when, and with what they expanded their US operations. In addition to that, they arrogantly, decided to drive through the FedUPS neighborhood, yelling "F-U" and raising their middle finger to their competition in very smarmy smarta$$ ads before they even had their system, (whatever THAT was supposed to look like!) worked out. Brilliant.

DHL does know something about express freight, they just don't know EVERYTHING about express freight and it's been one heck of an expensive lesson.

At the end of the day, I have always, laid the blame for the DHL failure here with....DHL, not ABX. It's been a friggin nightmare for ALL three entities, with the mad scientist Zumi at the controls. I think those of us on the ASTAR side have been just as disgusted at the lunacies of DHL the same way ABX is, the ONLY difference is that, A. We knew DHL could not leave the US. and that B. If we did what the customer said, they couldn't blame us for their problems. Part of the reason we had an advantage in being able to do that was because we've always been DHL, so it required no change in mindset for us to do what the boss says. The other reason was that since we are not publicly traded we never had to give a reason for why we did or did not do what we did or when we did it.

I truly have no idea what is about to happen to either side of the field. Pilot careers on both sides of the field have been screwed by the arrogant and incompetent decisions of DHL in the US. ABX folks are fine hard working people who were just cruising along doing their job, when DHL came in and consumed them in the black hole of their operation. We're all now, swerling around waiting to see what gets spit out the other side. God help us all!!!

 

[FastHap]

We're all now, swirling around waiting to see what gets spit out the other side. God help us all!!!

Ah-men!!!

 

[HeavyjetDC8]

It's a mess alright, but I suspect that high fuel prices and other market logistics (cost of used 767s) would by now have driven the old stand alone Airborne Express into bankruptcy.

Deep pockets full of cash acquired during the good years from the more successful areas of a global operation are needed to survive major pressures on the bottom line. In other words, a parochial player in a mid-western cornfield is eventually going to go the way of the dinosaur.

Airborne Express was perpetually in survival mode. True that we usually turned a marginal quarterly profit, but long term growth and adaptation to ensure survivability was never on the agenda.

Acquisition or bankruptcy was always on the cards. It's fortunate for us at ABX that the acquisition option was actualized - very unfortunate however that the acquiring party proved to be so horribly incompetent.

 

[727flier]

Just wondering what the DATE of their big announcement is going to be.

 

[shooter]

Just wondering what the DATE of their big announcement is going to be.

I thought it was all going to be revealed tomorrow, the 28th. I had seen an interview with John Allen of DPWN that said they were presenting the plan to the supervisory board in the morning and, if approved, will announce it public later the same day.

 

[hvydriver]

Shooter,

If you have the time, I've been told that the presentation will be streamed on the DPWN site tomorrow morning at 8am EST. If it really will be, who knows?

 

[shooter]

Shooter,

If you have the time, I've been told that the presentation will be streamed on the DPWN site tomorrow morning at 8am EST. If it really will be, who knows?

Thanks hvy. I doubt I will have the time at 8am, but I will zero in on the news later in the day. I wonder if it will be a clear plan or one that leaves them wiggle room if business continues to fail or grow here? I know they are very rigid, which is a problem. Americans are historically know to adapt to situations rather than stubbornly continue down the same path. But you need a true leader for that to work as well. Other than first watching for the people and jobs that will be affected, I will be looking for that.

EDIT: That was rather vague. What I mean by it is if they will just push freight to an outside vendor (i.e. USPS or FedEx) or will they leave themselves opportunities to grow their own operation rather than just feed the others (if business grows).

 

[727flier]

Press conference on DHL U.S. Express business

Wednesday, May 28, 2008, at 2 p.m. CEST at the Post Tower, Bonn

Chief Executive Officer Frank Appel, Chief Financial Officer John Allan and Management Board Member and DHL Express CEO John Mullen will discuss the future of the company's U.S. Express division.

 

[H25BCPTN]

Dear Crewmember,



DHL has announced that it will work with UPS toward an agreement to
provide transportation in its air network for all of DHL's express,
deferred and international package volume within the US. UPS will also
provide air lift for packages between the US Canada and Mexico. A final
contract is anticipated later this year. It will take approximately
one year after the contract is settled to complete the transition.



The intermediate transition will involve parking 39 DC-9s over the next
12-18 months.



Like you, we are devastated and did not see the UPS portion of the plan
coming. Nobody from the VP level on down at DPWN knew about the UPS
portion. No one from ABX Air or ASTAR knew this was coming.



As futile as it may seem, we will continue to fight for every job we
have. Both 1224 and ABX Air are working with US Senators Brown and Voinovich,
as well as congressman Turner and Governor Strickland to alter this
decision. We are also in contact with President Hoffa's office to put
the full weight of the International behind us.



We are professional airmen. We are the best in the business and recognized
as such. Please conduct yourselves accordingly. At this point, the best
thing you can do to maintain your reputation in this industry is to
fly like you do every night.



There will be an update this evening. Please pass on the word. There
will be a company-sponsored crew meeting tonight at 0130 and a union
crew meeting tomorrow night at approximately 0200.



Please keep your heads in the game and fly safe.


Dave Ross
President
Teamsters Local 1224
Airline Professionals Association
--Forwarded Message Attachment--
Subject: ATSG Reviewing DHL Restructuring Announcement (press release)
Date: Wed, 28 May 2008 11:58:48 -0500
From: cfolkins@apa1224.org
To: listmax@apa1224.org
CC: Staff@apa1224.org


ATSG Reviewing DHL Restructuring Announcement
Wednesday May 28, 11:23 am ET

 

[abxaviator]

Graber says 13 DC-9's to removed during July and August; 8 are flying lines, 3 are spares and 2 are backups (parked at CVG currently?).

 

[bukakke]

My crystal ball says.................not. I think Mr Graber was a little premature with his predictions.

More to come.

 

[abxaviator]

I did not mean to imply he said that would be all, just that these are the numbers DHL has given them for July and August.