Delta MIGHT go Bankrupt!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Guest]

YES you heard me, Delta might end up like United soon if the government doesn't provide more funding for security on all US flights (in this case Delta Airlines). If this gets more on the news let's just hope for the best for Delta (and United right now). Although I heard about this just this morning on Channel 4 (MSNBC for Detroit, Michigan)just listening for my daily local news and this came up. For those who fly Delta a lot and will or want to fly Delta (like myself after flying Northwest all the time) I just hope that this almost terrible incident won't happen or get bad at all.Of all my favorite airlines in the world why Delta ?PS: You should REALLY be ashamed of yourself Bin Laden.

[Sonar5 3]

RUMOR ONLY FROM EMPLOYEE AT OHAREThey are supposedly going to cease operations at O'Hare in Chicago only using Midway.END OF RUMORRegards,Joe :-waveHere are Picture Galleries of My Trip out west in 2002.Gallery #1 Pima Air & Space Museum + AMARC (Boneyard) at Davis Monthan AFB, Tucson, Arizona. (over 240 Pictures)http://www.pbase.com/sonar5/pimaamarc

[michal 44]

United, American and Delta have the highest labor cost of all US airlines (20-30% more than others). They won't be able to remain competitive without doing something about those costs.Michael J.[link:jdtllc.com]http://jdtllc.com/images/RCsupporter.jpg

[John_Cillis 2,406]

Don't give Bin Laden too much credit. You can bet that security will be blamed for many an ailing airlines woes, but the issues are deeper than that.I used to fly regularly on business, less frequently now. Business travel was simply incredible in cost, especially on the major carriers that held a monopoly on flights in and out of many destinations. I was once given a $500 quote for a flight into Palm Springs. From Phoenix. I drove, and made it there in 3 hours. A typical routing on Delta or UA was $600-$1000, while some were $1500-2000. Meanwhile, tourists who could book non-refundable fares could pick up the same routes for $100-300. Most of my destinations did not see a lot of tourist traffic.In just the past few years, several things have changed. Internet bandwidth has improved to the point where I can ship a half dozen workstations to a classroom on the other side of the country or the other side of the world, and pay a contractor $100-200 to set them up and hook 'em together. I can thus teach a class remotely, using tools like SMS or Remotely Possible to view my students' screens, while at the same time listening to their questions on a VOIP (Voice over IP) connection. If I'm feeling sick, I don't have to reschedule class--I can teach in my PJ's from home if I have to.Were these changes promoted by the failing economy? As early as '94, when the economy was starting to really crank along, I was in charge of a multimedia pilot project for Holiday Inn, looking for ways to take the travel expenses out of our training programs. Airlines for years stuck it to the business traveler, who often could only book at the last minute, at the highest fares. Now this bread and butter is changing, and growing smaller. When I managed the WAN at my current office, I'd fly to remote branches every six weeks or so. After I was "kicked upstairs", I joked with my replacement that he hasn't had to show up in person at the remote branches in about a year. The technology has expanded that much.Bin Laden would love to be blamed for all of this, but much of it was self-inflicted. New airlines will sprout up where old ones have failed. And don't turn over the earth on United and Delta just yet.-John

[michal 44]

>Don't give Bin Laden too much credit. I agree.Recent Av Week magazine has an interesting plot showing UA's total revenues versus operating expenses from 2000 till present. This is a very interesting figure to study. It shows the expenses starting to exceed revenues in mid 2000, the trend gradually worsening and in June-July of 2001 sudden 'spike' - and getting totally out of control - a few months before Bin Laden came into picture. Michael J.

[Guest]

Just my opinion, but the airlines are blaming everything and everyone for their ills. Except for their bad management.Regards,Jack

[Guest]

A lot of the problem is not so much bad management as paygrades that are completely out of touch with reality.The only professions where you get paid more than in airborn jobs with a major airline are professional sports (and mainly the large spectator sports) and the legal professions (lawyers).This is caused by unions that have a stranglehold on the airlines. Unless management agrees to huge rises in pay every year or so they are threatened with strikes that will last until they either give in or see the company go bankrupt.

[Guest Barney1]

And what would those pay scales be? What is the average percent increase each contract? And finally, how does that percentage compare with the percentage of increase for mid-to-upper managemant, including 'performance bonuses'? Just curious.

[Guest]

The revenue-based carriers are indeed all in danger. It is the cost-based carriers which are doing the best in this environment.Recovering economy? Don't bet on it. Stock market down 3 years in a row? Get ready for number 4.

[Guest]

>A lot of the problem is not so much bad management as >paygrades that are completely out of touch with reality. >The only professions where you get paid more than in airborn >jobs with a major airline are professional sports (and >mainly the large spectator sports) and the legal professions >(lawyers). >>This is caused by unions that have a stranglehold on the >airlines. Unless management agrees to huge rises in pay >every year or so they are threatened with strikes that will >last until they either give in or see the company go >bankrupt. My guess is you don/t work for a major airline. I have been a professional mechanic for the last 13 years and I make the whopping sum of 47,000. To say that only professional athletes and lawyers make more than us is about the most inaccurate statement I have heard in a long long time. If you want an example drive by my house. It is the smallest in the neighborhood and I don/t have any neighbors who are lawyers or athletes. And if you just mean pilots, it might gladden you to know that new FO/s at American Eagle get paid so little that up until very recently, they qualified for food stamps.

[Guest]

I love Delta and also hate to hear such news. I plan on flying for them but I can't say that they didn't have it coming. I know a pilot who is in the top 5 seniority seats for the 767-400 for Delta and makes 250 and hour(in the air time). They also have in my opnion one of the highest fares out of the airlines. If you look at Jetblue or AirTran they both are making money not loosing it because of lower pay and lower air fare. Delta came out with Song but I believe this will be short lived for I just flew to JFK from ATL last week and both flights were complete empty but they have the right idea in mind( low fares and lower pay.) Keaton