Latest Delta News

[chapdaddy]

Delta pilots union came out today and said that if they abandoned the contract they would strike and said that there is much to do before March 1st. Here we go again. The Delta Reps say they are optemistic that they will settle. Here is the quote.

 

ATLANTA - Delta Air Lines Inc. pilots aren't mincing words anymore: The chairman of the union's executive committee said Thursday the pilots will strike if their contract is thrown out as part of the carrier's attempt to impose $325 million in concessions.:mad:

[celmed]

They won't strike. They're just doing this for leverage.

Strike = no more Delta/no more jobs

It's not like the pilots can just run over to American or United and get jobs, and they know that.

There will be a deal made. It might be at the eleventh hour, but there will be a deal.

[hdawson]

Delta said that the concession is necessary within three weeks. In other Delta news; there is speculation that they may soon sell or lease much of the space in their new Terminal A at Logan, in Boston. Much of their terminal A is empty. Delta's problems are unending. AirTran has outgrown their space at Logan and leasing some space from United. I think Delta would be afraid to lease or sell space to AirTran.

 

Of course, Comair is still for sale as far as I know.

 

A bit of history. Delta pilots in 2000 or 2001 demanded and got the highest pilot pay of the industry on the threat of a strike. After their previous concession, they remain the second highest paid pilots of the industry. And Delta is 28 BILLION DOLLARS IN DEBT and in bankruptcy. How much sympathy do you expect the flying public has for them?

[LHP]

that pilots were a special occupation. Now they have become an employment commodity with more pilots than jobs available.

 

Hopefully, they see that and don't cut off their nose to spite their face.

 

There is no demand out there for their "special skills".

 

I don't care how much the pilots "resent" Delta (or any other airlines). And they may not owe Delta any loyalty. But the Delta pilots do owe the paying customers who have footed the bill for their salaries all these years some allegiance. If they want to strike, they should give the flying public at least 90 days notice so that people who have cruises planned can still cancel for a full refund.

 

My husband flew Delta almost every week last year. Because of that, we have the points to fly to LA. We are only 30 days out. If these pilots strike, they are not only killing Delta, they are holding us hostage. And that isn't right. We are going to have to shell out another $2,000.00 for airline tickets on another airline to go on this cruise....because of bunch of rich pilots haven't figured out that their "union" is pricing them out of a job.

 

I have already told my husband if these pilots strike (even if it doesn't kill Delta) we won't ever fly them again. We will do business with pilots that appreciate the customer at another airline. Let the Delta pilots see what it is like to be abandoned.

[SherriZ366]

Did not see this thread when I posted above. Trying to decide whether to use Delta points for Alaska in August but may use Continental. My kids are also using Delta. FF points so we are all being held hostage even though this is farther out.

 

We also booked a Delta flight (actually Comair) for the first weekend in March for a wedding in New York which is just about the same time the pension issue goes to arbitration.

 

Glad we can drive to cruises out of Florida --- this has really reduced stress.

[jnc411]

Oh please , not again. I thought we were in the clear. We have reservations on Song/Delta for 3-25, and we will be gone on a cruise for 2 weeks prior to that , so we won't know what to expect when we return. AAACCCCCKKK.

Thanks for posting , I hadn't seen that on the news yet.

Cori

[LHP]

You should be ok for 3/25. The NLRB will release both parties (union and company) on February 28th and then there is a 30 day cooling off period before the pilots can actually walk off the job. So that gives folks until the end of March.

 

Personally, I think the cooling off period should be 90 days so that folks with cruises can cancel and not lose their money over things that are out of their control.

[jnc411]

LHP: Thanks for the heads up , I didn't know about the 30 cooling off period, and I agree with you about making it 90 days. If a person is on a cruise or out of the country , there really isn't anything you can do to change your flights until you return. Online access isn't always available even in this day and age. We just hope for the best.

Cori

[greatam]

They won't strike. They're just doing this for leverage.

Strike = no more Delta/no more jobs

It's not like the pilots can just run over to American or United and get jobs, and they know that.

There will be a deal made. It might be at the eleventh hour, but there will be a deal.

 

The only problem with this theory-Delta has the oldest pilots in the industry on average. They really don't care if they have jobs or not. Most are retirement age, have their 20+ years in. And with all the new airlines starting up-MaxJet, Eos, lots of foreign carrier LCC's, etc. etc., etc., there are probably jobs out there. I would think MaxJet and Eos (business class specialty carriers flying East Coast to London) would be looking for experienced pilots as they expand.

[Globaliser]

Personally, I think the cooling off period should be 90 days so that folks with cruises can cancel and not lose their money over things that are out of their control.

But why leave it at 90 days? There are plenty of people who have plans that would involve them losing money even if there's a 90 day cooling off period.

I would think MaxJet and Eos (business class specialty carriers flying East Coast to London) would be looking for experienced pilots as they expand.

OT, but I doubt EOS will be expanding much any time soon, nor would I hold out many hopes for MaxJet. They've both got their work cut out for them if they're going to survive, let alone expand.

[greatam]

OT, but I doubt EOS will be expanding much any time soon, nor would I hold out many hopes for MaxJet. They've both got their work cut out for them if they're going to survive, let alone expand.

 

In one of the logistics magazines I get, article stating MaxJet is actually looking at the possibility of flying out of Florida if Dulles is successful and doing a connecting flight from the West Coast. And they are now soliciting for just-in-time freight service from Europe.

 

Their pricing, especially the one ways, may shake up the American business class international carriers. $1000.00 vs $2-3,000 sure made me take notice. Now to actually speak to someone who has flown MaxJet. YMMV

[hdawson]

Anyone know the financial health of these two airlines? Are they profitable and expanding routes? How old are the aircraft and how many cities served?

[greatam]

Anyone know the financial health of these two airlines? Are they profitable and expanding routes? How old are the aircraft and how many cities served?

 

Both airlines have only recently started operations, so no real way to tell if they are profitable yet. MaxJet and Eos started NY to London Stanstead in the fall. MaxJet is now opening Dulles to London Stanstead in April I think. As per my previous post, article stated that MaxJet is exploring flying out of Florida.

 

Both airlines are catering to entirely different demographics. EOS uses 757 configured with just 48 suite seats (looks similar to AA flagship suite) while MaxJet flies 767, configured I think with 118 business class seats and NO middle seats. Prices are very different. You can fly RT NYC/Standstead on MaxJet for about $1500.00 (current prices through August). EOS is about $5000.00, although they have been offering a 2/1 promotion. EOS is definitely looking at business travelers who flew Concorde or charter jets. MaxJet, especially with their one way fares, would be excellent for cruise passengers.

 

I have no idea how old the aircraft is for EOS, but the 757's would probably be older. The 767's, according to the article, are new and leased.

[hdawson]

Now I know why I've been clueless about these two airlines. lol

[Globaliser]

Anyone know the financial health of these two airlines? Are they profitable and expanding routes? How old are the aircraft and how many cities served?

EOS is currently operating three 757s, all of them 757-2Q8s (ie ILFC aircraft).

 

N926JS (cn 24964/424) was first operated by ATA from about February 1992, and went to Mexicana in about December 1996.

 

N401JS (cn 26332/688) was first operated by LAPA from about September 1995. After six years, it had about six months back with ILFC before being placed with Mexicana in about May 2002. It went to EOS in November 2005.

 

N764MX (cn 27351/639) was first operated by ATA in about October 1994. In 1996 it spent about 6 months on sub-lease to Air Berlin. It then went to AeroPeru in October 1996 and then to Mexicana in June 1999.

 

The extent to which EOS is capitalised and backed can be seen by the fact that they have three aircraft to serve one daily JFK-STN-JFK rotation. A spare aircraft is at either end of the route in case an operating aircraft goes tech.

 

MaxJet, OTOH, seems only to have one operating aircraft at present, a 767-238ER (ie ex-Qantas).

 

N770WD (cn 23306/125) was first operated by Qantas in about September 1985. In January 2004 it was retired by Qantas and apparently sold to investors. MaxJet took on the aircraft in July 2005.

 

One consequence for MaxJet is that when its aircraft goes tech (which has happened), it's been obliged to put its pax onto EOS. A real bonus for them!

 

The reality is that these two airlines are chasing different markets. EOS is going for the true business class market, with seats comparable to state-of-the-art business class seats (but they are not as good as current generation first class seats). MaxJet is after those who would normally buy premium economy and might be prepared to trade up slightly to get a business class product that, in hardware terms, is probably now about two generations behind the game. The price difference between the airlines reflects the fact that there is almost as much difference between EOS and MaxJet as there is between MaxJet and scheduled economy.

 

Reports and back-of-the-envelope calculations in another PPlace suggest that MaxJet load factors are somewhere around the 50% mark, whereas EOS may only be carrying single digits on many flights. As I say, I wouldn't hold my breath about their chances of survival.

[hdawson]

Globaliser. As usual, we can depend on you coming forward with definitive information about the air industry. Thanks so much for being around.

 

YIKES! Load factor of 50% and single digits. WOW!. Are 20 year old aircraft at all fuel efficient?

[greatam]

MaxJet[/b], OTOH, seems only to have one operating aircraft at present, a 767-238ER (ie ex-Qantas).

 

N770WD (cn 23306/125) was first operated by Qantas in about September 1985. In January 2004 it was retired by Qantas and apparently sold to investors. MaxJet took on the aircraft in July 2005.

 

One consequence for MaxJet is that when its aircraft goes tech (which has happened), it's been obliged to put its pax onto EOS. A real bonus for them!

 

 

 

This is interesting. The article, from "Transport Logistics" states the planes are new and leased. I am calling the author now, with your information. We have a bunch of cheese and flowers coming from the Netherlands in April/May. MaxJet shot us a price for transport that was comparable with AA and arrived at a better time to ensure customs clearance before 4:00PM. I definitely can't afford to have a refrigerated container of flowers stuck in London.

[Globaliser]

The article, from "Transport Logistics" states the planes are new and leased.

"New to MaxJet", obviously!

 

All of this stuff comes from publicly-available free Internet resources, so it should be readily checkable.

 

For example, spotters' photographs will pretty quickly pick up any new airline's aircraft, or any new aircraft for an airline, if it's in operation - more so if it's in a Western country with an active spotter population. So the fact that airliners.net only has pictures of one MaxJet aircraft is pretty reliable - and that gives enough basic data for the aircraft to do history searches on databases like Jetphotos' database or ATDB. (You can get a lot of information out of ATDB without subscribing.)

 

On doing a deeper search, I did find MaxJet's second aircraft, which appears to be currently registered N371LF (N260MY has been reserved for MaxJet but isn't yet active). N260MY doesn't show up in any public databases at the moment, but a bit of digging (thank you Mr Google) revealed that it's an ex-VARIG aircraft, formerly PP-VNL (cn 23057/81) - it's interesting that this site already quotes the forthcoming MaxJet registration which is otherwise very obscure.

 

That led to the information that it, too, is a well-used example: It was first operated by Braathens SAFE in March 1984; the 767-205 model number indicates that the aircraft was ordered by that airline. It then went to TACA, VARIG, Britannia, TWA, Gulf Air and Aero Continente. It's been stored by ILFC since November 2004. Quite a photographed aircraft over the years, too.

[greatam]

"New to MaxJet", obviously!

 

All of this stuff comes from publicly-available free Internet resources, so it should be readily checkable.

 

For example, spotters' photographs will pretty quickly pick up any new airline's aircraft, or any new aircraft for an airline, if it's in operation - more so if it's in a Western country with an active spotter population. So the fact that airliners.net only has pictures of one MaxJet aircraft is pretty reliable - and that gives enough basic data for the aircraft to do history searches on databases like Jetphotos' database or ATDB. (You can get a lot of information out of ATDB without subscribing.)

 

On doing a deeper search, I did find MaxJet's second aircraft, which appears to be currently registered N371LF (N260MY has been reserved for MaxJet but isn't yet active). N260MY doesn't show up in any public databases at the moment, but a bit of digging (thank you Mr Google) revealed that it's an ex-VARIG aircraft, formerly PP-VNL (cn 23057/81) - it's interesting that this site already quotes the forthcoming MaxJet registration which is otherwise very obscure.

 

That led to the information that it, too, is a well-used example: It was first operated by Braathens SAFE in March 1984; the 767-205 model number indicates that the aircraft was ordered by that airline. It then went to TACA, VARIG, Britannia, TWA, Gulf Air and Aero Continente. It's been stored by ILFC since November 2004. Quite a photographed aircraft over the years, too.

 

Thanks for all the information, Globaliser. Obviously "new to MaxJet". And the writer of the article has not responded to my phone call or email.

 

Now the decision-send the flowers on MaxJet or AA?? The cheese can take the overnight at the airport, but if the flowers are not incredibly fresh on departure, it gets iffy. The early morning AA flights allow no spot freight, just contracted. So the earliest the flowers get to JFK on AA is 2:40PM. The arrival time makes it iffy if customs clears the container that day or the next. The extra hour was looking really good but the plane situation doesn't look good. The flowers could care less if they fly EOS, but they have to fly some carrier ON TIME.

 

Thanks again for all the information.

[Globaliser]

I don't think MaxJet has that many problems with reliability. They've more often had delays for weather (fog, usually, causing diversions) than for tech reasons. I think the other PPlace would be full of people gleejoying if MaxJet was going tech all the time.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We are worried about our flights in March with Delta!!!:mad:

[greatam]

No information on Delta pilots strike until probably middle of next week.

[rebeccajo68]

I have a credit with Delta which I was going to use for my April 8th cruise. NOW after reading this site, I'm worried about booking but don't really have the funds not to use my credit. How likely am I to be without a flight??????

 

I've been checking on the rates and they are horrible flying from Tennessee to Tampa. I was wondering if anyone ever flies into Orlando and drives to Tampa.

[ahracer]

The only problem with this theory-Delta has the oldest pilots in the industry on average. They really don't care if they have jobs or not. Most are retirement age, have their 20+ years in. And with all the new airlines starting up-MaxJet, Eos, lots of foreign carrier LCC's, etc. etc., etc., there are probably jobs out there. I would think MaxJet and Eos (business class specialty carriers flying East Coast to London) would be looking for experienced pilots as they expand.

 

Actually it is the opposite. The older pilots do not want to strike because they need to protect their retirement and have too much to lose. The pilots who are pushing for the strike are the youngers ones. If the airline goes belly up they stil have time to start over again at another airline.

 

Also regardless of how much they make they have taken a 47% pay cut in a little over a year and that is going to hurt anyone.

 

Scott

Scott

[jnc411]

Any one hear any news yet ? I have been checking the papers every day and watching the news but I haven't seen anything re the possible strike.

Cori