Any "Latest & Greatest" about Delta?
05-15-2010, 07:42 AM
Get's Every Day Off
Joined APC: Oct 2006
Position: Retired
Posts: 1,860
Agree
I think you have made yourself quite clear. You are certainly entitled to your opinion, but I do not agree. If we had not taken a 42% pay cut, lost our pension, and had thousands of our jobs outsourced, then I would agree that the market could determine to some degree what kinds of improvements we might get. But we are where we are. That's reality.
One can bury his head in the sand and pretend those massive, unprecedented cuts didn't happen... or resign himself to the idea that what we do has significantly less value to society than it historically has had. Just don't expect me to sign on to that way of thinking. I have way too much respect for this profession and for what we do and, especially, for the hopes and dreams we and our families all had when we entered this career.
They can try to sell me this bean counter bull crap all they want, but I'm not buying it. It just doesn't pass the common sense test when you put our costs into perspective with everything else in this industry. In 2008 when fuel prices went through the roof, they couldn't raise ticket prices fast enough. And what do you know... people didn't stop flying! But if pilot costs just went back up to the same level they've always been at... well no, that's different... couldn't possibly do that without bankrupting the company.
And then there's all those bag fees they've been able to push onto our customers. Way more than what pilots cost. And people are still flying. How is that? Maybe we need a "pilot fee". I don't know... but I think our stance should be that pilot costs are not a variable expense. We cost what we cost, and it's management's job to figure out how to pay for it, just like they figure out how to pay for every other fixed expense. We (all employees, including us) are one of the most valuable assets to the company, not just a cost item to be kept as low as possible or outsourced to the lowest bidder. Talented management would recognize this. And I mean really recognize it... as in act on it, not just pay lip service to it.
One can bury his head in the sand and pretend those massive, unprecedented cuts didn't happen... or resign himself to the idea that what we do has significantly less value to society than it historically has had. Just don't expect me to sign on to that way of thinking. I have way too much respect for this profession and for what we do and, especially, for the hopes and dreams we and our families all had when we entered this career.
They can try to sell me this bean counter bull crap all they want, but I'm not buying it. It just doesn't pass the common sense test when you put our costs into perspective with everything else in this industry. In 2008 when fuel prices went through the roof, they couldn't raise ticket prices fast enough. And what do you know... people didn't stop flying! But if pilot costs just went back up to the same level they've always been at... well no, that's different... couldn't possibly do that without bankrupting the company.
And then there's all those bag fees they've been able to push onto our customers. Way more than what pilots cost. And people are still flying. How is that? Maybe we need a "pilot fee". I don't know... but I think our stance should be that pilot costs are not a variable expense. We cost what we cost, and it's management's job to figure out how to pay for it, just like they figure out how to pay for every other fixed expense. We (all employees, including us) are one of the most valuable assets to the company, not just a cost item to be kept as low as possible or outsourced to the lowest bidder. Talented management would recognize this. And I mean really recognize it... as in act on it, not just pay lip service to it.
05-15-2010, 08:00 AM
Inventory survival kit ..
Joined APC: Jul 2008
Position: Seeking no jacket required rotations
Posts: 1,069
We can only hope so. Their product and service is horrible. We have started calling AMS Atlanta East since it seems to be trying to be just like Atlanta. I have waited to be parked for extended periods of time. Waited for ground power, waited up to 45 minutes for wheelchairs and watched the staff abuse our passengers. The switch to KLM there has been a disaster. The only good thing is that management is well aware of it.
Side note - also hearing that KLM fuelers are being directed by DAL to do non-standard fuel loads on the A330. I find this interesting since KLM has been flying the 330 longer than fNW/DAL.
05-15-2010, 08:25 AM
Moderator
Joined APC: Dec 2007
Position: DAL 330
Posts: 7,000
What I am hearing is that the NEW catering (Gat Gourmet) is mis-catering most of the flights causing delays, something that did NOT happen with KLM.
Side note - also hearing that KLM fuelers are being directed by DAL to do non-standard fuel loads on the A330. I find this interesting since KLM has been flying the 330 longer than fNW/DAL.
Side note - also hearing that KLM fuelers are being directed by DAL to do non-standard fuel loads on the A330. I find this interesting since KLM has been flying the 330 longer than fNW/DAL.
Nothing new here, Delta, and most other US legacy carriers continually outsource everything that they possibly can to the lowest bidder, in order to lower costs. They will keep outsourcing until there are negative affects.
Is this foolish or wise? People complain about everything, but the only thing that seems to drive behavior is cost. Is this because John Q. Public sees no difference between DAL and brand X? If an airline made a long term effort to distinguish itself as a superior product would it pay off? Could a company survive the supposed draconian drop-off in short term revenues as it over time, builds a reputation for a quality and worthwhile product?
One thing I know for sure - all the lip service that DAL puts on having a distinctive "Brand" is 100% BS.
There is nothing distinctive about awarding your services to subcontractors based on lowest cost bids - whether it is DCI or catering. As a matter of fact that is the antithesis of the elusive "Brand" that DAL claims they covet.Scoop
Last edited by Scoop; 05-15-2010 at 11:21 AM.
05-15-2010, 08:42 AM
:-)
Joined APC: Feb 2007
Posts: 7,339
Not sure what you are trying to find out but here are some good raw numbers. Scroll to the bottom of the page to get the Form41 data.LINK.
05-15-2010, 09:15 AM
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2008
Posts: 19,614
The biggest cost savings by a order of magnitude over anything else was the loss of the frozen pension plan. Estimated savings to the company in the 4 to 5 billion dollar range. Can't even compare to any thing else we gave up or lost. It hit the senior pilots far harder then anyone else.
05-15-2010, 10:25 AM
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Dec 2009
Position: 350A
Posts: 429
All Jun bids are out now.
05-15-2010, 10:38 AM
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jun 2009
Posts: 5,113
05-15-2010, 10:48 AM
:-)
Joined APC: Feb 2007
Posts: 7,339
The biggest cost savings by a order of magnitude over anything else was the loss of the frozen pension plan. Estimated savings to the company in the 4 to 5 billion dollar range. Can't even compare to any thing else we gave up or lost. It hit the senior pilots far harder then anyone else.
05-15-2010, 11:14 AM
Line Holder
Joined APC: Sep 2006
Position: In the schoolhouse...again!
Posts: 37
So why can a DC9, 73N, and 767 pilot now be scheduled for 9 reserve days in a row. MD88 and 320 pilots not part of this new change? I missed the memo on the Crew Resources and Scheduling page that let us know about that little bit of info. I'm not a commuter and really don't like the fact that I got scheduled to sit 9 days of reserve in a row on the 737. If this was an LOA type deal, what did we get for letting the company do this to us? Or was this something we really wanted?
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