Any News of Delta??

[AllyBri]

If only I could. Married to a Delta pilot but bought a ticket on another airline for a January trip.

 

[bleeps]

MrsToad -- we're flying Song on Sat, 12/3 too -- BOS to sunny Orlando, returning 12/10. A huge, huge thanks to pumpkinboy and DebbieB for your words of wisdom -- we're close enough to stop worrying about operations somehow instantly ceasing (although I understand competition for the seats will be fierce -- Song already called and tried to get us to give up our seats*). It is so true that, given the other legacy carriers that have been propped up by the government, they couldn't justify leaving Delta out to hang.

Thanks to the Delta pilot's wife, too for chiming in! -- I do hope things work out to the best for you and your husband!

(*DH thought it was a riot that Song wanted us to give up our seats and go on another flight, but said they couldn't give any details on what/when the other flight would be!)

 

[Miss Jasmine]

If only I could. Married to a Delta pilot but bought a ticket on another airline for a January trip.

Personally, I wouldn't be worried.

 

[js]

I am flying Song 4/8 returning 4/21 from JFK to Puerto Rico. I got great rate of $198 R/T. I am not sure after reading all this, should I be worried or just on top of all this? HELP. We have 4 tickets, my mom, inlaws, sil, 3 aunts, 1 uncle and 7 others all booked??????

 

[WeLoveThePoly]

Well, I took a leap of faith today and bought Delta airfare for our October 2006 trip. Today's the 331 day mark from our return date.

The cost was good (at least we think it was @ $535 for the 3 of us), the flight times worked out well, and I have our seats assigned together. They aren't non-stop flights but that's OK. I'll just take extra Xanax.

Now I'll just keep an eye on things .....

Debbie

 

[bstnsprts]

MrsToad -- we're flying Song on Sat, 12/3 too -- BOS to sunny Orlando, returning 12/10. A huge, huge thanks to pumpkinboy and DebbieB for your words of wisdom -- we're close enough to stop worrying about operations somehow instantly ceasing (although I understand competition for the seats will be fierce -- Song already called and tried to get us to give up our seats*). It is so true that, given the other legacy carriers that have been propped up by the government, they couldn't justify leaving Delta out to hang.

Thanks to the Delta pilot's wife, too for chiming in! -- I do hope things work out to the best for you and your husband!

(*DH thought it was a riot that Song wanted us to give up our seats and go on another flight, but said they couldn't give any details on what/when the other flight would be!)

Are you flying back to Boston on the 6:55 pm from Orlando? I received the same call from Song and told them I would accept their offer providing they imidieatly assign three seats together on another flight. I watched online as they updated my itinerary with a 7:25 pm direct flight home on Delta. We gave up the video screens, but picked up an extra half hour at Disney as well as $450 in travel vouchers. Probably could have gotton more at the airport, but this removed the hassle and will pay our flights to Disney in May.

 

[aloysius1992]

Personally, I wouldn't be worried.

From reading the court transcripts on web the management thinks RLA (Railway Labor Act) would apply, Judge doesn't. This situation hasn't ever happened before. RLA usually applies when contracts need to be renewed. Here a contract would be revoked.

The Bankruptcy judge can choose between managements,creditors or union's proposals but not craft their own. In the Hawaiian situation the Judge chose the Unions proposal.

So if the management and Union come to agreement or if the Judge picks the unions proposal I don't think there would be a strike. If anything else happens there probably still wouldn't be a strike but the company would be hemorraghing pilots so quickly that it would be worse than a strike. At least a strike could be resolved. Once pilots have resigned they are gone forever.

Pilots are "current" for one type of airplane and retested yearly. So if pilots are leaving the training for replacements would not be as simple as for replacing mechanics. Maybe the management has plans to farm out flying to other airlines until they stabilize. The assest shifting Lorenzo did with Eastern couldn't happen here because Song was never granted a separate operating certificate.

The pay scale proposed by company would be so low after drastic earlier concessions (to avoid bankruptcy) and the almost certain loss of most of pension benefits (because of bankruptcy) that the pay could be easily replaced. DH has applied for GS 13 federal jobs, the pay would be equal and he would be home at night. He would apply for State Police jobs but he is too old. He envies his brother, the cop in NJ making 90 k w/overtime! If we both work fulltime it will replace his airline pay. And if he has a nonairline job it will be easier for me to work fulltime.

My friend's husband dreams of being an airline pilot as he works as a nondegreed engineer for a medical device company. He is a flight instructor on the weekend. With the management proposed pay he would have to take a major cut to be an major airline pilot and would NEVER make as much again. Don't think it is going to happen!

The regional airlines have gotten away with low pay because their pilots were trying to get the flight time so they could apply for a well paying major airline job. Sort of like moving in pay from the minor sports leagues. One of DH's Delta classmates had worked for 12 years for a small commuter airline with a side job as a fastfood assistant manager. Two of DH's Delta classmates quit before training was finished to take higher paying jobs.

These are all my own opinions from being married to a Delta pilot and knowing many Delta pilots and other airline's pilots and ex airline pilots.

 

[bicker]

If the judge makes a decision that directly contradicts that made by two other judges (with regard to US Airways and UAL) then you can be sure there'll in an injunction against this newest judge's rulings before the ink dries. Judges cannot act in a vacuum, and there is too much precedent for this judge to drive the proceedings in a direction counter to the decisions, with regard to the same exact circumstances, that have been made over the last couple of years and upheld by the passage of time.

This judge has already made prejudicial statements so outrageous that it wouldn't take much for either side to substantiate an accusation that the judge has acted improperly.

The pilots will almost surely not decide to strike, and on the remote chance that they do, they will be ordered back to work. If folks don't like it, then they should have been voting for more union-friendly representatives.

All the airline needs to show is that the new pay scale is commensurate with US Airways' and United's, and it'll be upheld.

 

[Wish I lived in Fl]

Nevermind

 

[Miss Jasmine]

If the judge makes a decision that directly contradicts that made by two other judges (with regard to US Airways and UAL) then you can be sure there'll in an injunction against this newest judge's rulings before the ink dries. Judges cannot act in a vacuum, and there is too much precedent for this judge to drive the proceedings in a direction counter to the decisions, with regard to the same exact circumstances, that have been made over the last couple of years and upheld by the passage of time.

This judge has already made prejudicial statements so outrageous that it wouldn't take much for either side to substantiate an accusation that the judge has acted improperly.

The pilots will almost surely not decide to strike, and on the remote chance that they do, they will be ordered back to work. If folks don't like it, then they should have been voting for more union-friendly representatives.

All the airline needs to show is that the new pay scale is commensurate with US Airways' and United's, and it'll be upheld.

Bingo!

aloysius1992, that was interesting information, but I am involved in the aviation industry and am quite aware of how things work.

 

[bicker]

Talk to me more, if you could, about what you've read about this judge. I've read a bit, but it seems that every time I read something else, she's made another outrageous statement. Has she ever handled a case like this before? Does she even have any RAL experience, to know whether or not she is responsible for applying its tenets? It sure doesn't seem so.

 

[aloysius1992]

Personally, I wouldn't be worried.

Personally,that would be great because we have another, family trip to WDW planned for May.

 

[sgtdisney]

Before the first round of pay cuts, from what I recall, Delta pilots were among the highest, if not the highest paid pilots in the USA. Senior 777 pilots were making around 250,000 a year. My father was a pilot with a major for years (he retired a while back) and I read his trade journals.

So, even with two back to back 30% pay cuts they will still be earning over 120,000 annually. A very hard pill to swallow when you are living to a certain level of income for sure. However when the prospect is making 120000 to 150000 annually as opposed to nothing or 40,000 doing something in another field, most pilots will eventually accept the cut. I think the rumors of Delta's immediate death are vastly exaggerated.

 

[aloysius1992]

However when the prospect is making 120000 to 150000 annually as opposed to nothing or 40,000 doing something in another field, most pilots will eventually accept the cut.

Delta pilots were for a very short time the highest paid. And the lowest pilot pay was 24k/year when DH started 8 years ago. But that 777 Captain pay was only for a few of the most senior pilots for a year or two before retiring. Dh is sleeping at the airport tonight rather than spending $100 on a hotel. He is commuting to work so would have to pay hotel himself.

Think the strike vote if it occurs will be very close. Captains voting yes for >100k, First officers voting no for <85k. Where we live our house price has tripled, salaries (for our type jobs) have doubled and <85 job is not that hard to find. Another friends DH is a good auto mechanic who fixes and resells a couple cars on the side. he makes over 100k. Our senior school teachers make 60k.

While those salaries may seem unreal the house prices are worse,over 400k (3 bedroom, 2 ba), so that the police, firefighters are in the affordable housing lotteries.

 

[bicker]

It is important to also factor in the other side of the equation. Unlike mechanics, pilots have a much harder time transitioning their current skills to another discipline, without incurring a significant loss of income beyond what they'd incur from yet-another pay-cut. With the US domestic passenger airline industry shrinking fast, many pilots face the prospect of having to uproot themselves, or start over from scratch in another line of work, if they lose their current job.

 

[sgtdisney]

I didn't mean to imply that the salaries are unreal or overstated. As I said, my dad was a pilot for many years and I know first hand how stressful the job is. His career was ended in his mid 50s when he had a heart attack. I know, too, that there are a broad spectrum of salaries, even within the legacy carriers, based on experience and seniority.

Bicker has a point though, once a pilot is unemployed he has two choices, find another job with another carrier and start at the bottom of the seniority list. Very hard to do at 40+ years old. Or move into another career, which is what my father did when he was retired. My dad is lucky in that his union, when asked for a paycut back in the early 80s, accepted the cut, but demanded that the pilots pensions be put into an annuity and not tied to the airlines profitability. His carrier could go under completely and his pension will remain in effect.

I hope it all works out for your husband, and for Delta, these are trying times for those working with the large legacy carriers.

 

[Donalds_best_pal]

ATLANTA Dec 1, 2005 — Delta Air Lines Inc., the nation's third-largest carrier, said it lost a whopping $1.14 billion in the first six weeks of its bankruptcy case.


Sad.. I sure hope delta pulls through. just doesnt seem like its looking good.

Matt

 

[aloysius1992]

I didn't mean to imply that the salaries are unreal or overstated. As I said, my dad was a pilot for many years and I know first hand how stressful the job is. His career was ended in his mid 50s when he had a heart attack. I know, too, that there are a broad spectrum of salaries, even within the legacy carriers, based on experience and seniority.

I hope it all works out for your husband, and for Delta, these are trying times for those working with the large legacy carriers.

Thank you- get a bit defensive about people who don't understand pilot pay or working conditions.

I do hope management and the pilots union can come to an agreement soon, for everybody's sake and sanity.

 

[disneytraveler]

I have a Song flight booked September 06 and so far on Song webpage it is still confirmed with no changes. I check the page regularly. I hope it still is good .

 

[MrsToad]

I've just gotten back home and believe it or not, I've been waiting all day to be reassured by the words of wisdom I was hoping would be offered in this thread. Thank you to everyone for sharing your level-headed thoughts on the Delta situation. I will try to relax now.