forgot to bid

Yeah, but that means you get to be a Captain!



And an



Whats not to like about that?



Just teasing.

gloopy

Too lazy. I actually didn't get that from that thread, which I've barely even glanced at once or twice. I heard it directly from a SWA friend who, of course, said he heard it from his SWAPA drill sergeants that is how the deal is going to go. Obviously neither a staple or anything close to it will happen, and probation for the AT pilots won't even survive the first high water fantasy round of negotiations. The UFC tough guys in purple and orange will be told by the referees to play nice in the sandbox and they will without any ability to resist.

gloopy

I agree with you on the surface. However even the terms of the original compromise are now, in light of the mergers, very very very pro-SWA. Will "more" slots be given to them? Nah, probably not. But the slots AT was supposed to get will still be given IMO. That is still a windfall charity event for the "most favored nation".

forgot to bid

file this away for future conversations, there is an article now on the WSJ about UAL and LLC being at odds over LCC's plans for DCA which include pushing the government for longer flights out of there. The cap is 1,250 miles but exemptions were given to allow up to 24 flights from the west coast to include LAX, LAS, DEN, SEA.

US Airways, United at Odds Over Airport Slots - WSJ.com

nwaf16dude

I hope whatever compromise happens on the slot swap includes DOT/DOJ recognition of slots being the property of the holding airline. It was a bit of a crap-shoot, but going ahead with the lawsuit may have yielded a court decision recognizing airline ownership of the slots. We need that, otherwise the value of slots will always be in doubt.

Anyone else notice all the Miami flying being added to support MIA-LHR? Looks like it's all CRJs. So, what rj outfit is going to get a MIA base...and what routes are losing CRJs to make this possible?

newKnow

Secondary vacation bids are out.

Nosmo King

Motorola Xoom launching February 17th at Best Buy (update: priced at $700) -- Engadget

For those of you that prefer Android to iFad

Bucking Bar

Android's good stuff, but at that price I'd rather have a EVO and a bolt on Fresnel lens. Good enough for the US Navy, good enough for me.

If you see me in the airport with this, yeah, I really am that cheap:

http://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Optix-In...f=pd_sim_hpc_1

acl65pilot

Clouds Ahead For Delta In 2011


Delta Air Lines (NYSEAL), the first of the major airline carriers to report fourth quarter earnings, posted a profit compared to a loss in last year's quarter. Delta's earnings missed analyst estimates, and the market took shares down 6% on the miss and fuel cost concerns for 2011.

Fuel Cost Concerns
Delta's chief concern for 2011 is rising fuel costs. With oil prices at their current levels, Delta faces a $1 billion increase in costs for 2011. Delta has already seen a $350 million fuel cost increase thus far for its first quarter. Fuel hedging and more fuel efficient planes are the main strategies to try to offset fuel cost increases, though these are difficult remedies. Oil, approaching $100 a barrel, recently traded at near $98 and is expected to continue to rise.

Delta's Profitable Quarter And Year
2010 featured Delta's first profitable year since 2007, before the recession. Delta earned GAAP net income of $19 million, or 2 cents per diluted share, for the fourth quarter. Excluding charges, its Q4 income was $158 million, or 19 cents per share. Analysts had expected 24 cents. For 2010, excluding charges Delta earned $1.4 billion; with special items net income was $593 million. Last year's fourth quarter loss was $25 million, or a loss of 3 cents per share, while Delta's loss was $1.2 billion for the full year 2009. The industry traffic rebound and higher fares benefited Delta in 2010.

Cost Discipline Pays Off
Airlines, including Delta, have been cutting capacity since the recession to boost efficiency and performance. It's paid off. Overall revenue for the year-over-year quarter increased 14% to $7.79 billion. Passenger revenue increased 15% to $889 million, with 7% higher capacity. Passenger per unit revenue was up 8 percent. Cargo revenue decreased, while other ancillary revenues increased. Fuel costs increased operating costs by $644 million in the year-over-year quarter, although Delta hedged 58% of its fuel.

A Good Year for Airlines
With most of the major airlines expected to report profits for 2010, the industry is expecting 2010 to produce its most profitable year in the last decade. Even American Airlines (NYSE:AMR), which reported a loss, improved. The carriers have managed capacity better, generated higher fares and even stockpiled cash after the disastrous fuel price spike and recession of 2008.

Another major carrier, United Continental (NYSE:UAL), expected not only a revenue rise in its fourth quarter, but also to end the year with a strong cash position of $8.6 billion. Unlike other airlines, United Continental plans to cut capacity in the first quarter. US Airways (NYSE:LCC) and Southwest (NYSE:LUV) are expected to report profits on par with their peers. The industry total could reach nearly $4 billion in profits for 2010.

Expect A Bumpier Flight In 2011
While analysts expect a loss for Delta in its first quarter of 2011, that's due largely to seasonal weakness.There are real challenges for Delta and the industry beyond fuel costs. Revenue and capacity issues loom as well. Delta said it would raise its system capacity 5% to 7% compared to the first quarter last year, but industry observers are concerned about management of operating expenses if carriers try to grow business too quickly. The memory of the difficult decade for Delta and the industry is too fresh for investors to feel comfortable. (To learn more, see Is That Airline Ready For Lift-Off?)
By Greg Sushinsky

gloopy

Bet the new iPad2 will dominate it, as usual. The entire "pad" industry was laughed at and predicted by almost all pundits and the entire sector to be a non starter. Everyone who ever tried failed and failed hard. That is, until the iPad. Now everyone is market dumping their version as fast as they can, just like what they did with their hillarious copy cat phones.