sailingfun

I don't know how to post pictures here but you can do a internet search on the nines and the condition the ones in the desert are in. They are being taken apart for parts. I am told we do not own them. I have no bias against the nine. I tend to accept facts. Management says they are going away. They are limited to 104,000 cycles before a expensive aging airframe overhaul. They are only painting the -50's. None of the other are scheduled or planned for paint. The original plan to have them all parked by 10 when fuel was high has been extended to keep some 50's flying into 2012. There are no plans to fly them beyond that. With fuel getting hiher the plan could already have changed again. I look at the 10Q's every quarter. The number of nines have been consistant. As I mentioned the 1q 10q also listed 71 airframes. You can also note the 90's stored in the desert are included in these numbers. There are 16 flying and 3 stored.

acl65pilot

That is the plan, but there will be some DCI growth as well. Whether it be in gauge or destinations.
IMHO, what is planned is for these cities to be served less frequently but with much larger mainline jets, giving us the ability to serve more cities. (The way we used to do it, the way we made money as well. Getting back to the core business principles IMHO)

As I stated last night, it keeps people on property now, and will speed up the need for bodies as we see a recovery.

IMHO this deal was started before the AAI, CAL deal. We just waited for the correct time to announce it!

acl65pilot

FWIW, most of what Sailing is saying is correct. Even if they were not being used as part jets, DAL does not intend to resurrect the 9 from the desert. There are a few out there, but the plan is a redistribution of assets. The jet we have in the desert that we will bring back starting next year (economy improves) is the 767/757. We have a ton of them.

See as we move past a recession, those jets will come back and take over what the 88's are flying now, as the need for this utilization on the 320/9/88/73N will drop off a little bit.

The 9 is a flex jet and the scary part is that if fuel goes North of 120, those jets will be parked, once again. This will cost about 470 positions in the company. (Interesting how this number works out to about the same number that are not covered under the tighter seat scope restrictions) (( I am not implying furloughs at all, it just offers them a buffer if fuel goes up, the economy does not improve and they need to park jets--dots my friends just dots ))

Nosmo King

DL can't just give away NW route authority to Asia. You need to read the bilateral agreement as last time I checked LCC was not listed as either a primary or secondary carrier allowed by the agreement. Furthermore, the cargo authorities are separate from the passenger authorites and FDX/UPS would likely have a say in adding a new carrier to the agreement.

BlaineFaban

Exactly. I've been hearing at road shows that there is some grumbling from the network guys about how we are constraining our commutes and network by capping the 76 seat jets. My response is that there is NO cap on those jets. Then you wait a moment for the quizzical look to pass. Then you hit them with the FACT that they are free to operate any airplane anywhere any time. The constrain is who is at the controls.

In the meantime, we need to leadership in some key positions to ensure that the powers-that-be don't convince the other powers-that-be to shift that line in the sand yet a little farther away from us. Get involved, and get others involved. Things are starting to become more and more dynamic in this industry.

Scoop

[quote=DAL4EVER;660951]

So who knows, routes like ALB, ROC and SYR may yet see mainline DAL planes.[/quote]

Just like we used to do on the 727 - back when we actually made money. And imagine that, with 3 engines and 3 flight deck crewmembers. I find it interesting that a whole generation of DCI Pilots that started in the last 5-6 cannot imagine DAL mainline flying to these cities and also consider it "their flying."

Lets just hope what SD said is true, and the annual airline industry crisis that we seem to suffer from every year (9-11, economy, SARS, H1N1, etc) takes a well earned year off.

Scoop

dragon

August 12, 2009


Two of New York’s top government officials on Wednesday applauded Delta’s plan to boost its service in the New York City market by building a domestic hub at LaGuardia airport.

“Delta’s decision to expand service and build a new hub at LaGuardia airport is the latest example of major employers betting big on New York City’s future,” New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said. “If the plan is approved, Delta will invest $40 million in terminal enhancements, bringing new jobs to Queens. At a time when the airline industry is struggling – like most industries – to cope with the national economic recession, this decision by Delta is a real vote of confidence in the future of our city, and it will help both Delta and New York City compete in the global marketplace.”

The statements of support from the New York City mayor and the governor of New York came after Delta and US Airways announced a deal to exchange 167 slot pairs at LaGuardia and Washington-Reagan National.

The agreement, which is subject to government approval, allows Delta to expand operations at LGA and US Airways to grow its service at DCA. The carriers also will swap gates at LaGuardia to consolidate all Delta operations into an expanded main terminal facility with 11 additional gates. Delta already operates an international hub at New York-JFK.

New York Gov. David A. Patterson also commended Delta’s plan, saying the proposed deal would provide a major boost to the state’s economy.

“Delta’s continued commitment to New York is welcome news for the residents and businesses of our state, especially in today’s tough economic climate,” the governor said. “We appreciate the thousands of new jobs and billions of dollars in annual economic impact Delta has generated for New York in recent years, and we look forward to partnering with them as they invest and grow service throughout the state.”

acl65pilot

So we use the cargo routes and give them our pax slots. (What nut is the ball under)

shiznit

Or, we give away "DAL" slots to LCC and use "NWA" slots for the "new and improved" DL/NW flights.

NERD

Guys, guys, guys,


Don't fret over one lousy nrt slot. I bet they never start the service and if they do it won't last. They will have their asses handed to them and we will either buy back the slot on the cheap or get it for nothing(Oh, and still have the Lga operation). Dougweiser is so far out of his league dealing with the NWA sharks that run the new Delta it is not even funny.