Any "Latest & Greatest" about Delta?
05-19-2011, 04:14 AM
veut gagner à la loterie
Joined APC: Apr 2008
Position: Light Chop
Posts: 23,286
Heyas FtB,
I have long wondered about why they're not doing this already. It seems like really, really easy pickings for SWAs quirky advertising methodology. That copy practically writes itself.
So why don't they? They certainly seem to be willing to press-to-test on other aspects of the business, like bags fly free and whatnot.
The only guesses that I can come up with are:
1) They don't want to poison the well for when they'd like to use RJs.
2) It's considered a taboo subject through some kind of informal, unoffical agreement, sort of like claiming how great your safety record is, or how smooth the landings are.
Take your pick. Suffice to say I predict that we NEVER see anything like this from SWA.
Nu
I have long wondered about why they're not doing this already. It seems like really, really easy pickings for SWAs quirky advertising methodology. That copy practically writes itself.
So why don't they? They certainly seem to be willing to press-to-test on other aspects of the business, like bags fly free and whatnot.
The only guesses that I can come up with are:
1) They don't want to poison the well for when they'd like to use RJs.
2) It's considered a taboo subject through some kind of informal, unoffical agreement, sort of like claiming how great your safety record is, or how smooth the landings are.
Take your pick. Suffice to say I predict that we NEVER see anything like this from SWA.
Nu
---
Speaking of ATL and Delta. AM 750 is the morning weather/traffic/news show and Clark Howards station. He was proudly telling everyone "it's so cheap to fly to New York and Washington DC, sometimes as low as $200" in his annoying voice "and so if you want to fly to Europe you should buy tickets to New York and DC and catch a flight from there and save $300 to $500. The tickets are cheaper there because Delta doesn't have a stronghold like they do in Atlanta."
05-19-2011, 04:21 AM
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Joined APC: Apr 2008
Position: Light Chop
Posts: 23,286
Delta, Air France Cut Atlantic Capacity - Bloomberg
Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL) and its SkyTeam alliance partner Air France-KLM Group said they’ll slash winter capacity in their trans-Atlantic joint venture by as much as 9 percent to cope with rising fuel costs and fluctuating demand.
The cuts, which also involve Italy’s Alitalia SpA, will entail lower frequencies to some destinations and a reappraisal of the joint Atlantic fleet, with some aircraft redeployed to warm-weather destinations where winter demand is stronger.
Air France’s negotiations with Delta over the reductions were “vigorous” and tested the governance of the joint venture, Pierre-Henri Gourgeon, the Paris-based company’s chief executive officer, said today at a press briefing. The three carriers jointly operate 260 daily flights across the Atlantic with a fleet of 144 planes, generating $11 billion in annual revenue.
Delta failed to lift ticket prices on Atlantic routes in the first quarter after boosting capacity there 16 percent as traffic rose 6 percent, it said last month. The disparity reduced seat occupancy by 6.4 percentage points and helped push the world’s second-biggest airline to a $318 million net loss.
Peter Hyde, an analyst at Liberum Capital in London, said today in an investor note that Delta and Air France had revealed future seating plans “early” and that he’s concerned about the European carrier’s “strategic positioning” in the light of last winter’s capacity deployment and issues over yields or pricing.
Price Reversal
Airlines returned to profit in 2011 by slashing routes, cutting frequencies and raising fares on remaining flights. A glut of seats could prompt a reversal in prices and also make it tougher for carriers to pass on the spiraling cost of jet fuel, said Chris Tarry, an independent airline analyst in London.
“It’s better to have fewer seats and people being prepared to pay a bit more to fly than having excess capacity and not being able to recover the costs,” said Tarry, who has followed the aviation industry for almost 30 years.
Air France’s fuel costs increased by 1 billion euros ($1.4 billion) in the year to March 31 and by 186 million euros, or 15 percent, in the fourth quarter, when post-hedging fuel expenses rose 7 percent. The bill may jump 26 percent this year.
As part of the winter shakeup, Air France will switch planes to seasonally busy cities such as Cape Town and Cancun, Mexico, it said, with Gourgeon adding that “it makes far more sense to use the planes in zones where the demand is stronger.”
‘Confused’ Stance
Air France said Feb. 21 it would add flights to locations including Orlando as it boosted summer seating 5.7 percent, less than two weeks after Gourgeon warned “significant overcapacity” on North Atlantic routes was starting to crimp earnings.
Willy Walsh, CEO of International Consolidated Airlines Group SA, formed from a merger of British Airways and Spain’s Iberia in January, said at the time that the Air France chief’s comments were unhelpful and “confused.”
IAG spokeswoman Laura Goodes said today that the London- based company had no comment on the Delta-Air France announcement, while confirming that it plans to lift capacity at an underlying rate of about 5 percent for the rest of 2011.
Air France-KLM (AF) said separately today that its fourth- quarter operating loss narrowed as cost cuts and increased demand for travel outweighed higher fuel expenses and disruption caused by the Japanese earthquake and unrest in Arab states.
Europe’s largest airline pared the loss for the three months through March to 403 million euros from 497 million euros a year earlier, pushing it to the first annual profit in three years. Full-year traffic grew 1.1 percent, led by a 4 percent jump on Asian routes.
Air France Gains
The annual result was spurred by a “strong recovery” in most markets, Air France said, with seat occupancy increasing 1 percentage point to 81.6 percent and cargo traffic up 2.5 percent. The company shaved 595 million euros from costs and said it’s seeking a further 470 million euros this year.
Air France-KLM rose as much as 2.3 percent to 12.16 euros and was trading at 12.13 euros as of 12:32 p.m. in Paris, where the company is based, paring the stock’s decline this year to 11 percent and valuing the company at 3.64 billion euros.
Gourgeon said the company won’t pay a full-year dividend as it focuses on “longer term objectives” including a “significant reduction” in gearing. Net debt was cut by 300 million euros to 5.9 billion euros in the year, with the debt- to-equity ratio reduced to 85 percent from 115 percent.
Excluding one-time items such as gains from the sale of shares in flight-reservations system Amadeus, the company said it would have recorded a 234 million-euro full-year net loss, narrowing from a deficit of 1.23 billion euros a year earlier.
05-19-2011, 04:26 AM
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Position: Light Chop
Posts: 23,286
Here is my favorite news:
Wow, a template.
Let me guess Skywests comment: "It's okay, we make a killing off Delta Air Lines to sustain any losses elsewhere in our system as well fund our future growth, M&A plans and branded flying dreams."
May 18 (Bloomberg) -- Southwest Airlines Co., which completed the purchase of AirTran Holdings Inc. this month, plans to end the smaller carrier's flights to six Midwest cities operated under an agreement with SkyWest Inc.
Southwest's pilot contract doesn't allow for such so-called code-share flying in the U.S., Chief Executive Officer Gary Kelly said today. Southwest has had talks with SkyWest and hasn't given a termination notice, Kelly said after the airline's annual meeting at its Dallas headquarters.
The affected cities are Des Moines, Iowa; Omaha, Nebraska; St. Louis; Akron-Canton, Ohio; Indianapolis; and Pittsburgh, and most flights are performed with regional jets to and from the Milwaukee hub, AirTran President Bob Jordan said.
Southwest serves some of the cities, such as Omaha, on its own and hopes to keep flying to all of them, although it hasn't yet determined routes, schedules or plane types, Kelly said. Omaha is home to Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc., whose MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co. unit is based in Des Moines.
"We will try to sustain service in places like Des Moines even when we shut down SkyWest," Kelly said.
SkyWest, based in St. George, Utah, had no immediate comment.
Read more: Southwest to Terminate AirTran Flights Operated by SkyWest
Southwest's pilot contract doesn't allow for such so-called code-share flying in the U.S., Chief Executive Officer Gary Kelly said today. Southwest has had talks with SkyWest and hasn't given a termination notice, Kelly said after the airline's annual meeting at its Dallas headquarters.
The affected cities are Des Moines, Iowa; Omaha, Nebraska; St. Louis; Akron-Canton, Ohio; Indianapolis; and Pittsburgh, and most flights are performed with regional jets to and from the Milwaukee hub, AirTran President Bob Jordan said.
Southwest serves some of the cities, such as Omaha, on its own and hopes to keep flying to all of them, although it hasn't yet determined routes, schedules or plane types, Kelly said. Omaha is home to Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc., whose MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co. unit is based in Des Moines.
"We will try to sustain service in places like Des Moines even when we shut down SkyWest," Kelly said.
SkyWest, based in St. George, Utah, had no immediate comment.
Read more: Southwest to Terminate AirTran Flights Operated by SkyWest
Wow, a template.
Let me guess Skywests comment: "It's okay, we make a killing off Delta Air Lines to sustain any losses elsewhere in our system as well fund our future growth, M&A plans and branded flying dreams."
05-19-2011, 05:53 AM
No longer cares
Joined APC: Mar 2008
Position: 767er Captain
Posts: 12,109
Comments 18+5 = 23 not 25.
Personal Note: Apparently DALPA is just as bad as DAL at putting information in one easy to find place. I had to dig this info out of three documents on the ALPA website. "One Place, Someplace"...
Items not mentioned:
• Enhanced Communication Technologies
What are the Enhanced Communications Technologies that were included
in*the S.O.T recommendations?
These will include text and e‐mail messages that will notify you when
your schedule has been changed/updated, White and Green slip awards,
etc. You will be able to choose whether or not you would like to receive
them. The text messages and emails will not count as official notification;
you will still need to log into iCrew to acknowledge. The Company is
<text deleted by me just in case...>.
• Calculation of Reserve Requirements
(Currently being tested in limited categories)
For those of you, like me, that forgot what the 18 items consisted of, see Scheduling Alert 11-02.
Personal Note: Apparently DALPA is just as bad as DAL at putting information in one easy to find place. I had to dig this info out of three documents on the ALPA website. "One Place, Someplace"...
Items not mentioned:
• Enhanced Communication Technologies
What are the Enhanced Communications Technologies that were included
in*the S.O.T recommendations?
These will include text and e‐mail messages that will notify you when
your schedule has been changed/updated, White and Green slip awards,
etc. You will be able to choose whether or not you would like to receive
them. The text messages and emails will not count as official notification;
you will still need to log into iCrew to acknowledge. The Company is
<text deleted by me just in case...>.
• Calculation of Reserve Requirements
(Currently being tested in limited categories)
For those of you, like me, that forgot what the 18 items consisted of, see Scheduling Alert 11-02.
I would love to see some discussion on the subject.
05-19-2011, 06:09 AM
Inventory survival kit ..
Joined APC: Jul 2008
Position: Seeking no jacket required rotations
Posts: 1,069
Other than critiquing the math, I hope that one of the reasons that you highlighted the out of base swap board idea is that you realize that it is an abomination. We gotta fight this fellas... it is the absolute wrong way to go....
I would love to see some discussion on the subject.
I would love to see some discussion on the subject.
05-19-2011, 06:13 AM
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Oct 2006
Position: Dismayed
Posts: 1,598
05-19-2011, 06:21 AM
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Joined APC: Apr 2008
Posts: 478
Other than critiquing the math, I hope that one of the reasons that you highlighted the out of base swap board idea is that you realize that it is an abomination. We gotta fight this fellas... it is the absolute wrong way to go....
I would love to see some discussion on the subject.
I would love to see some discussion on the subject.
FAIL. RUO and and reserve rules need to be changed not limiting pilot flexibility!!
05-19-2011, 06:40 AM
No longer cares
Joined APC: Mar 2008
Position: 767er Captain
Posts: 12,109
Which is it? Reserve system issues or this asinine proposal that will blatantly violate seniority that inhibits pilot flexibility? You say fail, but I have had 2 pilots in as many days that have told me that another pilot.. out of the blue... called them and asked them to park a trip on their line. They didn't even know the guy. You don't think that this would be ripe for abuse? Obviously you are senior in your category so this would be awesome for you. As a junior pilot, I cannot hold the same seat in ATL or SLC or several other bases. I am based in NY. I CHOSE to be based in NY. It is not fair to allow guys from other bases to be able to come in and snipe open time trips via this method when they should go to a reserve in this base. Ths ultimate result of this garbage is that it will ultimately result in a reduced need for reserves in a given category. Don't think that will happen? Do you want to take that chance or are you in pull up the ladder mode? and.. what is RUO?
05-19-2011, 06:42 AM
No longer cares
Joined APC: Mar 2008
Position: 767er Captain
Posts: 12,109
05-19-2011, 06:52 AM
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Sep 2008
Position: Kickin’ Back
Posts: 6,971
I agree with Ts on this topic. Example: Pilot lives in Atlanta but commutes to NYC to be a junior line holder and cannot hold same category in Atlanta. With "out of base" swap this junior NYC pilot can now be a junior line holding pilot in ATL screwing more senior pilots than him that can hold the ATL category but are on reserve. In my book, a definite abrogation of seniority.
Denny
Denny
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