Tomcat

Last night I jumped seated out of ATL on a CRJ700. I was looking around the ramp and noticed some significatant changes. All new baggage carts, many new peices of GSE, and new fuel stations with solar panels on the top of the refueling carts. Then taxied out past the new International Terminal. It's almost palpable, things are turning.

Delta is investing a lot of money back into itself. I'm sure this is partially for taxes, but also I believe we are positioning ourselves for the recovery.

80ktsClamp

...and 20 years to upgrade. You've seen their retirement data?

gloopy

True, it should and it does. Seniority already equates to higher pay, choice of days off, choice of vacation, more vacation, more sick time, higher non rev priority and many other factors. What many don't support though is the return to the bloated days of the past where senior reserves in every category flew only a few times a year, triple dip touch drop vacation scams, triple dip buddy bidding with LCA's (which we now have back? srsly?) and other really expensive ways to add pilots and costs for the company for comparitively smaller benefits for the entire pilot group.

The RAW buckets are just too high. Other than that, the system wouldn't be that bad. Either way though, once staffing catches up (either by growth...HA!...or retirements) even 80 RAW buckets will mean all reserves will fly equally again. It will just mean some fly more the first two weeks while others fly the last two weeks.

I'd rather see smaller buckets with the ability for reserve pilots to pick, in seniority order of course, trips from open time that they would then "own" just like a lineholder would. Add that to some of the improvements we've seen as well as the ones to be phased in next month and it wouldn't be a bad system over all. Of course it still pays about 40% less per hour than SWA's narrowbodies, makes 8 hours a month less credit and works about 30 more RSV days a year than SWA.

Bucking Bar

The first time, or second time?

Columbia

Rudder

Who are we to judge the decisions of others T? I am glad people are choosing to leave this place, that is the only way the ones left behind can maybe get treated a little better. This company has had the luxury of everyone sticking around way too long in my eyes and that has been used against us so I for one applaud those decisions of others who have found greener pastures elsewhere, something which is getting easier to do these days.

gloopy

The 72 is back? No weigh!

gloopy

Have you seen their pay and W-2's? They upgrade in the right seat of a small 737 if pay is how you define upgrade.

Now if its 4 stripes with less pay that's the goal, that can be had way quicker at any of the myriad of LCC's endless growth that DL is funding with endless "capacity dicipline" to keep their order books alive and keep them in growth mode to keep their costs low.

Tomcat

Although I know there are many factors effecting a choice like this, I believe that's a really bad move considering the demographics of Delta Compared to Southwest/Airtran. In twelve years there will be around 800 of us facing mandatory retirement each year. Like changing lines in the grocery store.... You may get in line behind someone trying to cash a check from Katmandu.....

Brocc15

I too am disappointed in the RAW values being the same this month. Seniority matters, I agree, you should be able to yellow slip first if you want, you shouldn't have to be assigned a trip because you are 1 RAW point lower than someone junior to you, but to make the junior guys work their butts off so that the senior guys can sit around all month is NOT right. It is throwing the junior pilots under the bus. You already have the ability to bid days off above us, bid vacations before us, and I agree there SHOULD be RAW buckets, but if the Raw bucket is at 80 it takes 3 trips before you even get to that. Commuting reserve was never too much trouble until this month. Now since I am always flying, I am always ending late on my last day, and can't get home till the next day which basically feels like I lost a day off, while I see the senior pilots aren't flying at all. It is frustrating.