Any "Latest & Greatest" about Delta?
09-17-2012, 08:40 AM
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For better of for worse, this was the emails on hiring and the TA Roadshow slides. I'm going to paraphrase the FLT Ops Comms though:
FLT Ops Comm 6/2/2012 (27 days before vote)
FLT Ops Comm 6/2/2012 (27 days before vote)
When asked about whether the 717s will come with AirTran pilots SD made it clear that the 717s will be flown by current and/or new hire Delta pilots, period.
FLT Ops Comm 6/8/2012 (21 days before voting)Answered the question about how mainline growth will impact pilot staffing and whether it will jumpstart pilot hiring. Mentions that there is no secret there will be a wave of retirements soon. So the hiring department is reading to start hiring on short notice. But hiring is based on the Network block hour plan which is contingent on the economy plus whether we vote in a TA that will add 717s and what the RMA's effects would be to accelerate retirements. If Delta continues it's business plan, adds 717s, and barring an unanticipated event or economic downturn we could begin the hiring process by the fourth quarter.
TA Roadshow Slides
What happens to manning (assumes static fleet)?
Bid period smoothing and ALV adjustments decrease future manning by
about 300 pilots by summer 2013
Early retirement program is targeting 250+ early retirements
– Attrition from this program will be primarily from the most senior positions
Changes to staffing formula immediately increases manning by 72 pilots
Other contract changes are very small and offset each other
– ALV+15 (decreases manning)
– Increase in vacation daily value (increases manning)
– Reserve is now full at his own guarantee (increases manning)
Staffing formula limits reserve block hour average to 60
– For every hour a pilot is above 60, another pilot has to be below 60
Bottom line is neutral staffing impact with no fleet growth
– Additional aircraft and block hour growth will drive need for hiring
Bid period smoothing and ALV adjustments decrease future manning by
about 300 pilots by summer 2013
Early retirement program is targeting 250+ early retirements
– Attrition from this program will be primarily from the most senior positions
Changes to staffing formula immediately increases manning by 72 pilots
Other contract changes are very small and offset each other
– ALV+15 (decreases manning)
– Increase in vacation daily value (increases manning)
– Reserve is now full at his own guarantee (increases manning)
Staffing formula limits reserve block hour average to 60
– For every hour a pilot is above 60, another pilot has to be below 60
Bottom line is neutral staffing impact with no fleet growth
– Additional aircraft and block hour growth will drive need for hiring
09-17-2012, 08:44 AM
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09-17-2012, 08:55 AM
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I was very surprised to hear that Istanbul has been dropped. SD said the yields are too low despite high load factors. We recently up gauged the service and have served the market for 20 years. The Turkish economy is a bright spot in Europe. It would have been more accurate to say that Turkish Air chased us out with their recent expansion. Just like Air Berlin did.
He also mentioned how Cathay and others chased us out of some markets indirectly by barfing capacity all over the place. Well if thats our stratedgy we're in for heap big trouble because the foreign EGO Howard Hughes wanna be "Heros of Farnsborough" and their Keynesian fantasy order books are going to drive us out of many, many, many more markets if our pavlovian response is to gift them capacity to keep yields up while we shrink to profitability forever. Even if we somehow manage a different stratedgy domestically against the LCC's and their massive all growth order books (which we probably will) we're on a clearly unsustainable trajectory long term.
How and when (and if) we will change is the question. Particularly when facing reality will mean hitting the quarterly magic in a negative way for a while. Or we can perpetually shrink "just this one more time" and huff off the 10K bong once more as we throw the sofa cushions into the fireplace to stay warm.
09-17-2012, 09:18 AM
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We bailed out of non-stop JFK-BOM service for the same stated reason: Yeilds were too low.
I flew it quite a bit, out of JFK and then when they moved it to ATL-BOM non stop. The flight was always full...so...if the 'yeild is too low'...why don't they just raise the ticket prices until the loads drop off, then pull it back a little bit?
Wouldn't that improve "Yeild"?
When I presented this question to my CP, his anwer was: "They are going to use those airframes on more profitable routes." and we have been flying a lot of DTW-China non-stops ever since.
So, what 'more profitable' routes are they going to use those IST airframes on?
I flew it quite a bit, out of JFK and then when they moved it to ATL-BOM non stop. The flight was always full...so...if the 'yeild is too low'...why don't they just raise the ticket prices until the loads drop off, then pull it back a little bit?
Wouldn't that improve "Yeild"?
When I presented this question to my CP, his anwer was: "They are going to use those airframes on more profitable routes." and we have been flying a lot of DTW-China non-stops ever since.
So, what 'more profitable' routes are they going to use those IST airframes on?
09-17-2012, 09:25 AM
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Nu
09-17-2012, 09:43 AM
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My question is: If the routes are profitable, why don't we order more airplanes and fly ALL the profitable routes?
Denny
09-17-2012, 09:44 AM
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Everyone likes looking at the end results...here are some:
Speculation by the Spinmeisters: "Oooohhh, look, shiny....hiring could happen in the Fall!"
Speculation by "That crowd on APC": "Hmmm, this TA doesn't look good for staffing...I bet this would push hiring back a couple of years"
Which turned out to be closer to what actually is happening?
Nu
Speculation by the Spinmeisters: "Oooohhh, look, shiny....hiring could happen in the Fall!"
Speculation by "That crowd on APC": "Hmmm, this TA doesn't look good for staffing...I bet this would push hiring back a couple of years"
Which turned out to be closer to what actually is happening?
Nu
09-17-2012, 09:45 AM
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Just for the record, Boomer, F-8s did gun down 4 MiG-17s back in WW V.
GF
GF
09-17-2012, 09:53 AM
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09-17-2012, 10:06 AM
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Everyone likes looking at the end results...here are some:
Speculation by the Spinmeisters: "Oooohhh, look, shiny....hiring could happen in the Fall!"
Speculation by "That crowd on APC": "Hmmm, this TA doesn't look good for staffing...I bet this would push hiring back a couple of years"
Which turned out to be closer to what actually is happening?
Nu
Speculation by the Spinmeisters: "Oooohhh, look, shiny....hiring could happen in the Fall!"
Speculation by "That crowd on APC": "Hmmm, this TA doesn't look good for staffing...I bet this would push hiring back a couple of years"
Which turned out to be closer to what actually is happening?
Nu
Well Nu, we are only a month and half into the new contract. I say it's a little too early to say either way.
Denny
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