Any "Latest & Greatest" about Delta?
09-18-2011, 03:10 PM
seeing the large hubs...
Joined APC: Oct 2006
Position: 73N A
Posts: 3,745
Well - I agree. Retirements only replace the B744 captain being paid at 12 year rates with a A330 Captain who will be paid 12 year rates. Without hiring new people, eventually everyone is at 12 year rates.
09-18-2011, 03:55 PM
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jul 2006
Position: Boeing Hearing and Ergonomics Lab Rat, Night Shift
Posts: 1,724
Delta's course concerns me. As it shrinks, costs will increase & revenue base decrease. As costs increase, it will wish to outsource. While saying we are in "Comair mode" is an exaggeration, the pattern is the same. In the second quarter comparison, Delta's non fuel cost per seat mile was up nearly 5%, compared to the next highest 3% at United. Airlines that aren't shrinking are keeping their non fuel CASM increase below 1%.
Also, as we shrink we cede market to our competitors.
History shows, airlines do not shrink to profitability. Bastian told investors our early retirements and other measures will help reduce costs to 2010 levels. I'll go on record now and state, I doubt that will happen.
Also, as we shrink we cede market to our competitors.
History shows, airlines do not shrink to profitability. Bastian told investors our early retirements and other measures will help reduce costs to 2010 levels. I'll go on record now and state, I doubt that will happen.
Whats worse, we have for better or for worse hitched our careers to a seniority based system.
Seniority determines pay
Seniority determines base
Seniority determines days-off
Seniority determines vacation
Seniority determines seat
Seniority determines equipment
Seniority determines furlough
Seniority determines recall
In short seniority pretty much determines the trajectory of an entire pilot career.
Unless you are #1, seniority is relative.
#10 out of 10 and you are the plug
#10 out of 100 and you're still reserve
#10 out of 1000 and you are doing good
#10 out of 10,000 and the world is your oyster ;-)
When we stop growing, every pilot on the list takes a hit in relative seniority.
Watching an airline with 1000 pilots hire 250 would require 2500 hires to achieve the same seniority gains at an airline with 10,000 pilots.
Which airline do we work for?
Cheers
George
Last edited by georgetg; 09-18-2011 at 03:55 PM. Reason: removed superfluous words
09-18-2011, 03:58 PM
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2008
Position: Urban chicken rancher.
Posts: 6,070
Ha!
Moving to a stagnant or shrinking base may seem counterintuitive, but I'm willing to sit right seat for a long long time in order to live near relatives and teach my kids how to surf.
Also, it kills me that they don't know the proper usage of "dude-man," as in "Dude-man, you can not eat two double-doubles in one sitting!"
Moving to a stagnant or shrinking base may seem counterintuitive, but I'm willing to sit right seat for a long long time in order to live near relatives and teach my kids how to surf.
Also, it kills me that they don't know the proper usage of "dude-man," as in "Dude-man, you can not eat two double-doubles in one sitting!"
Buzz
09-18-2011, 04:12 PM
veut gagner à la loterie
Joined APC: Apr 2008
Position: Light Chop
Posts: 23,286
09-18-2011, 04:13 PM
veut gagner à la loterie
Joined APC: Apr 2008
Position: Light Chop
Posts: 23,286
Delta's course concerns me. As it shrinks, costs will increase & revenue base decrease. As costs increase, it will wish to outsource. While saying we are in "Comair mode" is an exaggeration, the pattern is the same. In the second quarter comparison, Delta's non fuel cost per seat mile was up nearly 5%, compared to the next highest 3% at United. Airlines that aren't shrinking are keeping their non fuel CASM increase below 1%.
Also, as we shrink we cede market to our competitors.
History shows, airlines do not shrink to profitability. Bastian told investors our early retirements and other measures will help reduce costs to 2010 levels. I'll go on record now and state, I doubt that will happen.
Also, as we shrink we cede market to our competitors.
History shows, airlines do not shrink to profitability. Bastian told investors our early retirements and other measures will help reduce costs to 2010 levels. I'll go on record now and state, I doubt that will happen.
09-18-2011, 04:31 PM
Back on TDY
Joined APC: Apr 2008
Position: 747-400 Captain
Posts: 12,487
09-18-2011, 04:56 PM
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Apr 2007
Posts: 4,613
We need that type of scheduling for recurrent. My upcoming training is an A period day 1 followed by a D period on day 2.
Last edited by Gunfighter; 09-18-2011 at 05:11 PM.
09-18-2011, 05:22 PM
Can't abide NAI
Joined APC: Jun 2007
Position: Douglas Aerospace post production Flight Test & Work Around Engineering bulletin dissembler
Posts: 12,037
Another merger would be disaster for the bottom 2/3rds of the Delta list. Most feel the NWA / DAL merger set them back a few years and given our shrinkage as our network was rationalized, their perception is mostly spot on.
09-18-2011, 05:43 PM
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2008
Posts: 2,539
Merged Delta was the only legacy airline not to furlough during the last downturn. In fact, Delta hired 305 since the merger. Two early out programs took a fair number of guys off the top, but even with the retirement of two uneconomic fleets there were no furloughs.
That reality conflicts with the perception posted above. Merger setting them back?
Ask the bottom 1450 at UAL, the bottom 10% of Alaska, the bottom 1700 at AMR, the 147 at CAL. Heck, even a bunch of the regionals furloughed. That's being set back.
09-18-2011, 06:02 PM
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Mar 2008
Posts: 3,902
I don't want to rehash the SLI, but I will anyway....
The bottom 1/3 of the fNWA list will be behind until everyone retires, minus the pocket of 95-96 hires that did better than DOH (~200). Being a "young guy" didn't matter. I won't see the top half of the list until well into my 50's.
Add in the golden shower that was age 65, and it's ugly. That little gem snatched a upgrade from me with only 4 guys above me on the list (crew resources had told me to pack my bags for school) and the merger made that permanent.
That, my friend, is a boat load of cash when you work out the time value of money.
To be perfectly fair, however, the early retirements have closed the gap somewhat. I was projected to have a double digit reduction in percentile beyond compared to the fNWA list, but the punch-outs have reduced to worst year to only a %9 deficit or so. It still sucks planing on going out in the double digits at 60 and having to go to 65 just to get below 500.
Nu
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