NuGuy

Heyas F4H,

I've been doing some researching on this very topic. And here are some bits and pieces that I have put together:

First: The ONLY way to access the mainframe, outside of Deltanet, is through an account with Flightline Data Systems. They do exactly what Compuserve used to do for NWA back in the day, and that is provide what is essentially a VPN. The JAVA and HTML interfaces that Deltanet provdes to the mainframe (eCrew/iCrew) are not really compatible with the relatively simple data mining/scripting that Crew Control, EZOpenboard and the others use.

You cannot sign up through the internet. You must either use of of the programs to sign up with FDS, or call them on the phone.

Second, there are NO programs that interface with Travelnet. From what I gathered, DAL pulled the plug on direct RES (reservations access) some time ago, so there aren't any programs that provide non-rev stuff like Crew Control or JetBook did. Even if you had direct access, there was no way to book jumpseats, so again, there is no way to have an automated setup.

So far, the only programs that are designed to actually data mine the DAL mainframes is WidgetWorks (for general schedule stuff) and Easybid (for PBS). They can both be downloaded from the FDS site and are free...but you need to pay for an account to access the mainframe. These programs appear to be written for dial-up use, but they are fairly functional. WW will access the mainframe, and create a logbook and a pretty schedule, and you can actually get it to email a PDF schedule to someone.

Oh yea, you have to have a PC or a Intel Mac. There is a program for OS X called CrewDog, but it isn't free, and all it seems to provide is a direct line to DBMS through a simplified interface.

But taking a closer look at things, I am confident that some of our fNWA bright computer guys will come up with something.

If you don't want to pay FDS for an account, Bid Assist (bid assistant home page) has been modded to work with the DAL bid packets. The folks at Softmica.com have modded BidBuddy into BidCentral, which also does bid analysis and calendar stuff, and will convert/print the DAL rotations in the old NWA format.

Nu

acl65pilot

That is exactly what I was told. They want the base but they do not want to move guys there only to close it in a year or so when marketing changes their mind. If they can get a commitment I am sure they will do a base.

I am sure the union will be involved in some the extraordinary items with a base 1/2 way around the world. It would only make sense that they would do what CAL-Mikes does. There is a base line to it.

iceman49

ACL, I hope the computers and software you're talking about are more advanced then the current Commadore 64s

acl65pilot

They seem to be. I know their ultimate desire is to determine the size jet that flies a route two days prior to departure. A pipe dream for sure, but something that many would love to do .

As for how they do it, yes, they have good computers. What we have is just enough to get the job done. There is no ROI on new homegrown software.

dtfl

WWW crap! Stay away!

RockyBoy

I guess they could run a bid and see who puts in an AE for it. If they don't get enough guys to put in an AE they could cancel it and staff it with other bases doing long trips. The cost of paying for all the MD's to move to a Guam base would be kinda costly. CAL-MIC also starts any newhire on 2nd year pay and pays for their initial move to Guam. If we open a base there, I kinda think any newhires in 2010 will have the luxury of a Guam tour making it costly for the company if they do what CAL-MIC does.

acl65pilot

Yep but they do a two year commitment on it. Add to that that per our PWA a new base will have moves paid for either way.

NuGuy

Heyas ACL,

This actually came up at NWA a few years back...NWA IT, always a sharp bunch, developed set of programs that would dynamically schedule the airline on a day to day basis.

One catch, of course, were the crews. They wanted it set up where you would basically have a report time, a number of duty days, and a release time, and that's it. I'm not sure if this hurdle was ever jumped, but I heard there were talks with the unions about it.

The other catch was the seat assignment issue. Right about this time, the charging for the "premium seats" came into vogue, and you can't sell something 30 days out when that seat might not even exist at departure.

If NWA IT people really did come over with the merger and that same expertise is still there, not just on the programming side, but on the conceptual side, then it CAN happen. These guys were using self check-in and had agents in line with PDPs way before anyone else.

Nu

buzzpat

Nu, bring them on! If I have one criticism of DAL it is the slow integration of IT advancements. As the world's largest (and best) carrier, we deserve the best computer professionals. I think, historically, DAL has placed their priorities in other areas. Now, with you guys, we need to make the leap into the 21st century.

iceman49

Nu, I'm pretty sure it was figured out with the crews...on the reasignment.