CarolDisney1

I got a button yesterday at the Crown Room in Boston. The agents there said that buttons were arriving Monday for them to pass out. I stuck mine on my coat and was thanked several times by Delta employees as I walked around.

I am from a long Delta family and this takeover distrubs me personally.

From an investment point of view. WHAT IS USAIR THINKING? The merger with America West is NOT fully integrated. Having worked for a company that did this kind of stupid expansion. (You know, we can't integrate companies 1 &2 so let's buy a few more...) I know what the outcome can be. CHAOS (and not the NW Flight Attendant type)

BusinessElite

It would mean a great deal more than just sentimentality and emotions if DLers walked off the job and shut the company down; talk of such an action is already spreading in certain circles.

Should this transaction be completed, Delta ALPA is going to take their hardest line ever, and the rest of the frontline Delta employees are not far behind.

micmath

Could they do that and still keep thier jobs?

BusinessElite

No, they would not still keep their jobs.

But like the employees of Eastern, there comes a point at which people will simply say "no more." The current pulling together by Delta employees is to be commended. But it is reflective not just of how much the people want to save their company, but also the deep well of residual outrage over past management that lies just beneath the surface.

I hope Mr. Parker understands that labor, organized or not, does have the ability not only to make this transaction more difficult, but to completely shut down his operation. He appears to be well on his way to a labor train wreck.

TTT

I would argue that he already has a labor train wreck on his hands. He just wants to throw a few more train cars on the pile.

If an investor group were to acquire Delta, I don't think you would see the outrage by Delta's employees. Even if another airline that has had decent employee and customer relations (CO, UA) then I don't think you would see the outrage. IMO, the only thing really making this a crummy deal is USAIRWAYS/DOUG PARKER! - most anyone else would be OK with me (there are some exceptions, of course).

Global_Hi_Flyer

I've done a lot of acquisitons professionally (in service-based businesses). The greatest challenge is the post-acquistion integration. That's where you make it or fail. Even the best don't get it all right all the time. The challenges in this case are huge, especially given the reputation of management of the proposed acquirer and the fact that they've not yet completed the integration of US and America West.

Having said that, it is easier to create a single corporate culture out of a 3-way (or larger) merger when you complete them in close succession. When you do 'em quickly, you can start from close to zero on a culture (or take the best) and build from there. To the detriment in this case, the reputation of US is far worse than DL, and the employees of DL are largely against this.

Even in the best of cases, it will take at least 2-3 years to determine success.

This is going to be really hard for US to pull off, and I put the likelihood of a successful integration at 50% or less.

Don't think it will be any better if a private equity group steps up in place of US and provides DL management with better funding.

SuiJuris

I, too, come from a Delta family. And likewise, I hope this bid fails, miserably. That said, it's a brilliant play by US Airways. Having endured (as a frequent customer) their merger with America West, I have very little faith in their capacity to pull this off. That said - with a smart bunch of people at the top? It could be quite a deal.

Thankfully (from a purely personal perspective), they won't be able to manage it, and it won't go anywhere.

cup.of.jo

Received mine from an ATL GA last week -- will be sporting it on an unavoidable USAir flight through CLT this week

Daze

Your textbook isn't quite accurate. Amtrak was created because there had been a fundamental sea change in transportation. That is, the 1950's brought jet airplanes and interstate highways. Thus, the majority of intercity passengers changed their mode of transport from rail to air and highway. In addition, in the 1960's the USPS removed most mail from passenger trains in favor of routing it by air, truck, or freight train. So, Amtrak was intended to preserve vital rail service that did not have alternatives, service that the rail companies were about to discontinue entirely due to lack of profit.
This sea change does not exist today in the airline industry. More people are flying now than before 9/11. The difference now is that the parameter that people use to choose an airline is mostly price. Many FT'ers will disagree (F, E+, rewards, clubs, etc.) but since it is mostly price, service suffers. And this pricing competition makes a plane ticket a commodity, and a merger deal like US/DL (struggling to get this back on topic) is a stretch to create more commodity (or maybe less on some routes) that can be sold at a profit. The problem is that I see no consideration for employees here, and I also see DL as particularly vulnerable since it is non-union (except for pilots). What is to stop Parker from just saying, OK, Delta non-union employees will get a 40% pay cut next Monday. It's necessary due to competitive conditions, and to insure the future of the company, etc. If you don't like it, we will accept resignations.

Traveller

I got a "Keep Delta My Delta" button today and wore it proudly on both flights and in ATL. Alot of employees were wearing the buttons too. ^

Buster CT1K

I saw these buttons at JFK, SFO and on flights between those two airports this past weekend. The employees who wore the pins tended to provide the highest service standards. The ones who were the surliest and least caring did not.

Coincidence?

RobertS975

http://www1.airliners.net/uf/view.fi...8508bgxT7i.jpg

newyorkmetz12

I got a button at the CRC in Boston today. Though initally they said they were for employees but when the saw how much interest i expressed in trying to support them they gladly gave me one. My debate is if i should wear it on an upcomming US airways flight (booked way before the takeover announcement it was 98 RT to Columbus)

micmath

Abolutetly wear it!!!! It's a must!

Actually, it's a requirement.

Traveller

Naw, I know one guy who didn't wear one today because he doesn't want to get holes from the pin in his work shirts.... he is one of the best DL employees I know.