gloopy

Very true during the runup to BK and the initial year or so into it. Even while on the way out of BK though, DL started to fight back hard and bloodies AT's nose in ATL pretty badly. AT was forced to scramble into markets DL didn't care as much about as well as into direct competition with SWA instead. I think AT pulled back 20% or so from their ATL peak during the hey days you mentioned. They do advertise in certain markets quite well. So does SWA, JB, NK and others. We need to learn sometimes you have to spend money to make money. Keep Climbing is cool, but we need to get way more agressive with our marketing everywhere the way we're finally starting to in NYC.

Despite the previous reductions, post merger (AT/SW) they've already gone from 250ish to 175ish flights a day in ATL. This round of fare wars is not a signal of their over all strength particularly in that market. They are trying to maintain an even lower level of relevancy in the major market they just bought their way into. The only remaining variable that needs to be sovled for is DL's ongoing resolve to win long term versus bowing down to the short term quarterly result monger crackberry day traders analcysts. We can win this battle easilly, but we'll have to pay today to win tomorrow. Do the ones we have at the helm have that mentality or are they quarterly results by any means necessary B school reactionaries? Time will tell.

The canaries in the coal mine to see if we ever decide to get serious about investing in long term success (at least domestically) are LA/SEA (which would be taken care of by default in an AS merger) and more difinitively BOS. The way DL rolled over and handed one of the best and well traveled O&D revenue markets for its size anywhere and flat out gave it to start up to rule without question (notwithstanding one brief last hurrah with 50 seat RJ's and small turboprops just prior to the massive marketshare cull and giveaway) remains a textbook case of bad airline management. The excuse then was emergency survival at any cost, but today sitting on a massive, radically underutilized terminal while an ULCC sleeps with your hot ex girlfriend with the shades open because they know you are watching is inexcusable and symptomatic of the unsustainability of perpetually shrinking to profitability.

At some point we will hit the breaking point and it will either be "fight's on!" or we'll watch the roaring fireplace go dark while we huddle on the bare floor in an empty house.

NERD

Bump. Help!

80ktsClamp

If they wanted higher support, they should have increased the block hour protection higher to what is "planned" instead of allowing such a huge flex down capability in it.

The 50 seater count that will be parked as a result of the TA (hopefully) is 190, not 218. Also, all that does is put us 5 years ahead of current projections, not 12.

Check your math and your data.

johnso29

Just for clarification, when did DALPA tell us Delta was going broke?

Bill Lumberg

Do people think that the 150 50 seaters won't be replaced with those 70 seaters or 76 seaters? The 50 seaters aren't making money, but maybe the larger ones will on THE SAME ROUTES? Then throw in 88 717s.

Denny Crane

I think shadow bidding is just that. If you get a trip over that time it will just be taken off your line. My understanding is you just bid normally but I've been wrong before!! I'd call up DALPA and ask them or, better yet, email one of the PBS guys. They should know. Bids don't close for a week or so.

Denny

johnso29

Deleted........

Tomcat

I just bought 2 gallons of Shermin Williams mid-grade interior paint for $61.14 including a 30% discount (normally over $86). As a 12 year 320 FO, It took roughly 45 minutes of flying to pay for this paint. We may be averaging 3% inflation, but it doesn't feel that low when I walk out of the store. I think we will be moving backwards years 2 and 3 of this contract with 3% increases (IMHO).

Carry on.

TC

finis72

Then without those 2 3% raises we would really be behind.

forgot to bid

Anybody got the numbers on where the 50 seat fleet will be at the end of 2012 without this TA? I'm looking at someones notes from the LCA and it's slated to drop by 33 or so airplanes.

If that is supposed to happen anyways you're looking really at a 100-115 drop in airplanes if the TA is signed or about the equivalent of dropping 80 CRJ-200s from the fleet on a seat basis.