motytrah

There's been very sparse media coverage of the DL pilot's contract.

http://www.ajc.com/news/business/del...or-deal/nmjqy/

If you look online this is a pretty contentious issue for the work group. http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/delta-ta/

If this was not to pass there could be some side effects for customers. From what I could pick up that we as customers would care about:

- DL indicates the E190/195s would be in jeopardy. (Though some point DL doesn't have to have a brand new contract to do it and could add the planes with other methods.)

- DL has been out of compliance with their TATL JVs for sometime. New contract restructures the calculation to look at flights flown instead of seats flown (i.e. under the new rules an AF A380 would have parity with a DL 757). This could mean smaller planes for TATL without worrying about making the union whole.

- Concerns around language changes DL wanted that could lead to foreign carriers painted in DL liveries under the right circumstances.

There's a ton of other issues the pilots have with the contract but these are the points I thought were most interesting the customer.

Voting ends on the 10th. We should know what the fall out will be shortly after.

DiverDave

DL once again has the misfortune to be negotiating a pilot's contract at the top of the business cycle.

I'm frankly baffled as to why DL traded profit sharing for raises, but perhaps that is what DALPA wanted.

At the end of the day, I expect the TA will pass. Those who like it are keeping quiet, and those opposed are vigorously exercising their First Amendment rights.

David

DLMiddleSeats

I was very happy to get my profit sharing check last February.
However, it did make it harder to get my mortgage. Banks don't like using "bonus" money to qualify you.

It does give DL cost certainty and more security for the pilots.

apolloms

the majority of pilots didn't want the profit sharing touched. I'm not so confident it will pass. If it does, it will be by an extremely small margin imho.

3Cforme

Misfortune? DL management chose to do this in advance of the amendable date.

Contrast that with Southwest being past the amendable on five union contracts, with some of those now in mediation. Several major groups have awaited 'new' contracts now nearly three years past their amendable dates.

motytrah

Wall street really wanted the profit sharing paired back. DL did quite well with the deal. Taking into account inflation they are still paying them less than they made pre-BK DL. And really, let's say the balance sheet gets bad for DL? They'll just go back to the Union hat in hand saying they need them to take a haircut.

I think it will pass too. Sure, most of the bases to the North are irked, but the boys in ATL are good about doing what their told.