RKIKZZA

That might work if we can fly those 81 planes single pilot! Good luck keeping them flying with the FO rates. No one is going to make a career out of the right seat at Endeavor.

Flitestar

Bingo. This is the elephant in the room. We can all dance as much we want around it. Until we officially hear otherwise, this is a shrinking airline, with all it's consequences...

AlaskaBound

No this is all a part of the big plan that Delta announced several times before. 81 airplanes doesn't require the amount of pilots on the seniority list now. Things will get shuffled around but the fact is the airline needs only about 900 pilots on staff to staff 81 airplanes. That's how they will avoid cancellations and meltdowns. Not enough pilots?? Take away airplanes. Don't think Delta won't shuffle airplanes to accommodate the lack of pilots?? Think again! 9E is a pawn...no contracts to break.

AlaskaBound

They won't have to. A downgraded captain with nowhere else to go will be flying in the right seat.

Nantonaku

I can buy this for the most part but I don't think Delta cares about "breaking" contracts. They have outs for all their contracts, the contract with the pilots at 9E has a guarantee for 7 years of 81 900's. You don't think they can get out of that if they want?

AlaskaBound

You're completely right. I've mentioned in the past that Delta having to "break" contracts is a mere inconvenience and not something that stops them from anything. They create those contracts with so many ways to get out that it's not a big deal. Delta does what it wants and has complete control over it's regional carriers.

PinnacleFO

do you really think that a company that's making 2.7 billion dollars spent 150 million on endeavor to just shut them down? Yes the fleet plan is 81 airplanes but that may be all we need. There are at least 120 captains leaving endeavor this year, that's the smallest number. Next year there will be at least 160 leaving. That's almost 300 right there by the end of 2015. Add another 160 in 2016, 2017 and even more after that as our quota increases after 2017. Is it going to be lightning fast? No but keep in mind that we are keeping most 200's until the end of 2015 and accepting 20 more 900s so that will require more captains initially. You guys are basing all your predictions on past results, which doesn't always lead to future results. hiring is an issue right now for sure, but if they want people to come they will find a way to do it, if not, they will continue to shrink us to where they want us but that doesn't mean all doom and gloom. if people have other opportunities they should always take them but leaving for another regional right now would not be a good idea in my opinion.

CaptainRJ

Delta paid over a BILLION dollars for comair and shut them down while downsizing.

It became a Delta Connection carrier in 1984. In July 1986 Delta Air Lines acquired 20% of Comair stock. Delta Air Lines acquired full ownership on October 22, 1999[1] at a cost of over 2 billion dollars.

Once Delta made up their mind it went quick!

just my .02

vilcas

Comair pilots went on strike. Endeavor pilots have not.

JoeyMeatballs

This is true. The PNCL. Pilot group are sheep compared to those of Comair