Posted on 09/12/2005 3:15:48 PM PDT by AGreatPer
Just reported that Delta will file for Chapter 11 within 48 hours.
My words - Northwestern won't be far behind.
Ch. 11 is not the same as liquidation. At this point, all union contracts will be null and void, so layoffs and service curtailment is a given.
If they can't run at a profit, screw 'em. Especially after the billion dollar post-911 bailout cash they got.
I do know this, I loved flying People Express a few years back. All the employees had a stake in the action. Never figured out why that didn't work. All employees had such a great attitude.
I don't get what that has to do with anything. You cited "hock" as in "ham hocks" and "hawk", as in "sell", and implied that Reuters, and the rest of the world, had these two words confused, which is a pixilated notion. Delta is most decidedly not "hawking" its assets.
Our pilots and FA's are union, but the ramp, mechanics and dispatchers arent..
The problem with air travel is that many people think they should be able to fly for $29.95. Of course, the STUPID AIRLINES have encouraged that!
What airlines SHOULD be doing right now is ADD fuel charges to ervy ticket. Be up-front with the flying public. Don't like it? Drive or take Greyhound.
Yes, my spouse works for a major (26 years). Yes, I am a business owner that has been able to pass "fuel surcharges" to customers.. Guess what? NOT ONE SINGLE COMPLAINT. And, we have booked or shipped 80% of the total year's Business Plan in, (Are you ready??)... FIVE MONTHS!!! (April to August). Last year (Apr04-Mar05) was 25% ahead of Plan.
Does this mean we taxpayers need to pick up the responsibility for their pension plan as well?
I hate to pick nits, but UAL doesnt have 25 year old -9s or 82's, they have 25 year old 737s!
I now think I was wrong about that, and if I had indeed been polishing this for 40 years I probably would've discovered that sooner!!
I don't get what that has to do with anything.
In what might as well be another life, I was once a journalist. I had it drilled into me not to use slang in articles unless it's directly relevant to the topic at hand and clearly delineated as such. That was my problem to begin with! My own misperception about the origin of the given slang doesn't change my problem.
One of the reasons BTW that slang should not be used is because it leads to confusion and misunderstanding. This thread is a case in point......
And, in Ch 11, they can get rid of their pension plan.
Northwests' DC-9's average 34 years in age.
I'm just guessing that the round wheel you saw was to steer the front gear (the tiller) while on the ground. Some of these planes have a sidestick (like on the F16) as the main control.
LOL! You got me. But I remember UAL flying really old 727s in the late '90s.
"Does this mean we taxpayers need to pick up the responsibility for their pension plan as well?"
The precedent has alreay been set by United. BTW, the airlines have always made sure that both sides of the aisle (not aircraft) were well paid off. And always an upgrade for a member of Congress too!
I won't shed any tears for Delta or United. They really screwed the travel agents, major collusion which was ignored by the Justice Department (surprise!).
As has been mentioned several times here, Chapter 11 is not the end of life necessarily. It is reorganization (meaning, scaw some of your best friends).
Several airlines have come back a few times (USAIR).
I remember a prediction many, many years ago that the US would end up with 2-3 majors. It is happening.
This business in all aspects is just too complicated for me.
For me, I really miss PanAm. Now that was an airline with personality and charm.
The primary function of good writing is to be clear. Obediance to rules should be secondary to that.
Although the term "hock" is defined as "pawn", that usage actually includes not only pawning, but also other means of putting up collateral to receive money.
The meaning of the Reuters sentence you cited was clear to most people here. How would you have written it?
".......United love to torture people with 25 year old DC 9's and MD 82's."
Umm. I hate to tell you that United does not operate either of these aircraft.
Regards!
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