WIDGET - Air Line Pilots Association, International...Poor taste will not be considered. Letters to...

THE

INTERNATIONAL SCOPE— WATCHING IT ALL COME

TOGETHER

The Next Phase of the Negotiating Process

Trainer Refinery,

Delta’s Secret Weapon

DPCF Expands,Spreads Your Generosity

Tools for Managing Your 401(k)

Under One BannerC2015

WIDGETDELTA MASTER EXECUTIVE COUNCIL • ATLANTA, GEORGIA

VOLUME 3 • NUMBER 1 • WINTER 2015

A WINGMAN HAS YOU COVERED,from takeoff to landing.

ALPAPAC.org/Wingman

Disclaimer: The descriptions of the Air Line Pilots Association PAC are not a solicitation to contribute to the PAC. Only ALPA members, ALPA executives, senior administrative and professional staff personnel, and their immediate family members living in the same household are eligible to contribute to ALPA-PAC. ALPA-PAC maintains and enforces a policy of refusing to accept contributions from any other source. ALPA members may learn more about ALPA-PAC and about contributing to ALPA-PAC by entering the members-only portion of alpa.org.

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1WINTER 2015

C O N T E N T S

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MEC REPORTS

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Chairman’s ReportThe Next Phase of the Negotiating Process

Vice Chairman’s ReportLeading the Industry

Secretary’s ReportIs It Safe?

Treasurer’s ReportProud to Serve

Executive Vice President’s ReportThe System Works

CommunicationsUnder One Banner

NegotiatingThe Steps We’re Taking

Contract Administration Papers, Please . . .

Central Air SafetyPace and Procedures

Economic & Financial AnalysisEconomic and Industry Outlook

SchedulingThe MEC Scheduling Committee and the Resources Available to You

ITIT Committee Recommendations

Strategic PlanningAssessing the Tactical Situation

DPCFDPCF Expands, Spreads Your Generosity

Government AffairsNew Congress, Continuing Calls to Action

Feature Articles

DELTA MASTER EXECUTIVE COUNCIL • ATLANTA, GEORGIA

VOLUME 3 • NUMBER 1 • WINTER 2015

WIDGETTHE

Trainer Refinery, Delta’s Secret Weapon

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DAL.ALPA.ORGYour ONE STOP for

DAL MEC Communcations

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DEL

TA PILOTS

CH

A

RITA BLE F

UN

D

Delta Pilots Charitable Fund

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Tools for Managing Your

401(k)

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2 THE WIDGET| A publication of the Delta MEC

CONTENTS

The Widget is an official publication of the Delta MEC. It is intended as a forum for the Delta MEC and its members in good standing in the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l. Opinions, viewpoints, articles, and photographs are actively solicited from the membership. Materials from other than elected officers represent the view of the writer only. Poor taste will not be considered. Letters to the editor are welcomed and should be submitted in writing to the Widget at 100 Hartsfield Centre Parkway, Suite 800, Atlanta, GA 30354, or e-mail to [email protected]. No anonymous material will be considered.

ABOUT OUR COVERPhoto of the wing of an MD88 enroute from Houston to Atlanta at sunset.

Photo credit: JFK MD88 Capt. Chris Nevins

Investor RelationsTrainer Refinery, Delta’s Secret Weapon

Retirement & InsuranceTools for Managing Your 401(k)

FeatureWhat do You Mean, I Had a Heart Attack?

HotelNew Year’s Resolutions for 2015

TrainingFAQs on STaC

MembershipStats on Our New Hires

Code ShareInternational Scope— Watching It All Come Together

The Mainline Trifecta

Committee Corner

DAL MEC Directory

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454749

Delta confirms

$14 billion order

for 50 widebody

Airbus jets

—Reuters, November 20, 2014

Delta strikes pilot deal to keep

jobs from outsourcing to Virgin

—Bloomberg, December 31, 2014

“The January 2015 AE/Surplus is one of the larger bids we have posted . . . we are experiencing increasing

demand for all mainline flying, including the 744.”

—Andy Hummel GM–Flight Operations

Crew Resources, January 2, 2015

International Scope— Watching It All Come Together41

What Do You Mean, I Had a Heart Attack?

34

TOTAL NEW HIRES964

FLIGHT TIME3,837,488(TOTAL HOURS)

Average 8,585

Least 2,300

Most 25,000

Membership Committee

Update38

3WINTER 2015

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

Captain Mike Donatelli Delta MEC Chairman

Continued on page 4

The Next Phase of the Negotiating ProcessBy Captain Mike Donatelli

The beginning of 2015 marks the beginning of the next phase of our negotiating process. We will start this year by welcoming some new faces to the Delta MEC and building on the continuous pace of events leading up to the exchange of openers in Contract 2015.

I always start our meetings by reminding pilots of the hard facts of why we are here, and what a union is supposed to do. We elect our union to accomplish three tasks: to negotiate contracts, to enforce contracts, and to promote our profession.

Since emerging from bankruptcy, we have distinguished ourselves by negotiating improvements at every opportunity; we are always open for business, and we have made solid improvements to our pay, work

rules, and job protec-tions without having to wait for an amend-able date to negotiate them. We’ve been successful with this rational approach, and we intend to keep do-ing business this way.

But there is one criti-cal difference between all the letters of agreement of the last few years and the deal that is yet to come. Under our policy manual, you decide through membership ratif ication to either accept or reject the tentative agreement your elected reps reach with the Company in Sec-tion 6 negotiations. In addition to tasking your elected reps with understanding the marketplace, the financials, and the economic and political landscape, you will need to keep up as well. When you cast your vote, it should be based on accurate information.

I’ve been around for a long time and I have seen a lot of changes in the industry, but the recipe for a deal hasn’t changed. In the

end, both sides of the table must be willing to reach an agreement, both sides must be empowered to reach an agreement, and both sides must have the courage to sign an agreement.

So if the deal is the goal, why are they often so elusive in our line of business? Sometimes the blame goes to the manage-ment side of table, whether it’s a lack of imagination or an inability to negotiate in good faith. Under our bankruptcy man-agement in 2005–2006, when we were taken to court, we formed a Strike Com-mittee and were determined to strike if management took action to negate our contract and dictate terms. We under-stood the dire nature of the management’s position and were willing to be a part of the solution—but were determined not to be made the scapegoat. Eventually, and because we were included, we did reach an agreement.

On the other hand, sometimes the ob-stacles are on the union side of the table. Striking a deal imposes a responsibility that rejecting a deal does not; for the repre-sentatives who accept an agreement, it means owning the improvements as well as the shortcomings. It’s a balancing act that requires keeping faith with membership and the perception to know that reaching a mutual agreement does not mean that we left money on the table. The contract survey isn’t a ransom note, and our opener isn’t an ultimatum. It takes courage to get to the point where you say “yes.”

We’ve spent the last year getting ready for these contract negotiations. We have

We elect our union to accomplish three tasks: to negotiate contracts, to enforce contracts, and to

promote our profession.


CHAIRMAN’S REPORTContinued from page 3

collected a lot of information from you, the line pilot, and we’ve published a lot of information for you, the line pilot. We’ve also polled you by telephone, gathered your input directly through your reps, conducted numerous meetings to discuss and collate that information, and are now getting ready to receive the direc-tion from the reps on exactly what our negotiating position will be.

Both sides of the upcoming negotia-tion have shown, through their actions and statements, that they are ready to work for an agreement. The Delta MEC is equipped with the knowledge it needs—our markets’ economics, our airline’s financials, and the line pilots’ priorities. Just as importantly, we have

a senior management that has stated unequivocally and publicly that they are ready to bargain in good faith to reach an agreement prior to the amendable date, and they have a history of following through on their statements.

In the next phase of the negotiating pro-cess, you will receive a different series of updates and informational pieces. I don’t like surprises and neither do you—access to information is how we prevent surprises. When the time comes for you to assess and vote on a tentative agreement, you will have full knowledge of both the facts of the deal and the timeline of events.

You won’t get a tentative agreement that your MEC doesn’t support. We will stand

in front of you and tell you what we were able to achieve on your behalf. We will own the agreement in its entirety, and answer your questions as truthfully as we know how, but we will never give you an agreement we don’t fully (although per-haps not unanimously) support.

It will then be left to you, the individual pilot, to decide if the agreement is accept-able. In this decision you are not guided by any written convention, but by what you consider best for you and your family. My guarantee is that you will receive an agreement in accord with your known wishes, and that the buck stops with me.

DAL.ALPA.ORGYour ONE STOP for

http://Dal.alpa.org

5WINTER 2015

VICE CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

Captain Ed HavrillaDelta MEC Vice Chairman

On January 1, 2015, the Delta pilots enjoyed their ninth pay raise in the last eight years. This achievement is not happenstance nor the inheritance of company largesse, but the result of planning and hard work. Our company continues to produce strong profits to support these contractual improvements. But is that all there is to it?

Leading the IndustryBy Captain Ed Havrilla

Ultimately, our business is a service. The pilots are leaders in that service, and the quality of the product we deliver contributes a great deal toward those industry-leading profits. Our management team recognizes our contribution to the operation, and this recognition forms the foundation of our re-lationship with the company: mutual respect and problem solving.

Since assuming the office of MEC vice chairman on January 1, I have met with the Flight Operations team on several occasions. The hallmarks of our meet-ings are professionalism and cordiality. Your ALPA team is respected and fully engaged with our company leaders. The main theme in

our meetings is problem solving, and I have been pleased to see that our pilots’ concerns are addressed fairly and in a timely manner.

This relationship is the result of both sides recognizing the value of cooperation in a service industry. Just last year alone, ALPA negotiated seven letters of agreement (LOAs) that included two major contractual improvements (FAR 117 and Virgin Atlantic JV). In decades past, negotiations like these would have had to wait for the contract amendable date.

Very soon, we will present our 2015 con-tract opener to the company. We expect these negotiations to mirror our efforts that achieved these past nine pay raises, proceed on the basis of mutual respect

and problem solving, and achieve for us a world-class contract.

Meanwhile, your elected representatives, along with our committee volunteers and staff professionals, are working hard in preparation for the forthcoming opener. Your challenge is to stay involved and stay informed as we move forward through this process. Wear your ALPA pin, meet the pilot volunteers in the lounge, and read our communications. I also challenge you to close the communication loop and contact your local representatives. This is your union and your contract. Be part of the process and make a well-informed decision when ratification comes following the tentative agreement.

In closing, it is a great time to be a Delta pilot. We anticipate delivery of 36 B-717s and 19 B-737s in the near future. Delta has placed widebody orders, and we expect delivery of the first additional A330s this summer. Meanwhile, pilot hiring continues at record rates (>115 per month) and in the latest advance entitlement, a pilot hired in 2008 was awarded an MD-88 captain bid. Our company is enjoying record prof-its, and we have a contract opener right in front of us. The future is bright, but it shines only through our continued hard work. Stay informed, stay involved! We have never needed each other more than we do now.

Ultimately, our business is a service. The pilots are leaders in

that service, and the quality of the product we deliver contributes a great deal toward those industry-

leading profits.


SECRETARY’S REPORT

Captain Greg Rizzuto Delta MEC Secretary

Is It Safe?By Captain Greg Rizzuto

What a question to ask. We ask it everyday as part of our normal routine. As airline pilots, we spend much of our time searching for that one weak link in the chain that might turn a safe flight into a catastrophe. We are trained to question everything and we do that very well. We are not alone in our vigilance; our union also keeps constant watch, engaging every entity that affects our professional lives.

We also work for a company that makes safety a fundamental obligation to its cus-tomers and employees. Imagine what our lives would be like if we did not have a strong union backing us, or a company that put profits before safety.

What if you worked for a non-union com-pany that was strug-gling? What protections would you have? Who would have your back? Would the government protect your job or

even your life? What if you worked for a company that had over 350 uncorrected safety violations? A place where speaking up or holding your ground meant threats of termination. “Can’t happen,” you say, “not today, the government would not allow such treatment and would protect you.” Think again.

In 1984, there were more than 200,000 miners in the United States. Today that number has dwindled to less than 15,000. During this time frame, environmental mandates were enacted that cut into profits, laws were created that limited the national union’s ability to take unilateral action, mine owners began to slowly lose money, and many unions were broken. The perfect storm began to brew for cutting corners and putting profits over safety. This culmi-nated on April 5, 2010, in the small town of Montcoal, West Virginia, at the Upper Big Branch coal mine.

At 3:27 p.m. on April 5, 2010, a coal dust explosion ignited a large quantity of meth-ane gas. The sirens sounded and the com-munity rallied in a vain attempt to rescue their friends and family members. In the end, 29 men were killed in the largest mining accident in 35 years.

The investigation that followed led to crimi-nal charges for the owners and managers of the mine. Reports of unsafe working condi-tions, threats of termination, and payoffs to inspectors were alleged. The mine itself had 369 safety violations in 2009 and over 1,100 violations within the last three years.

So why would an aviation union guy bring up the problems of the coal-mining commu-nity? Quite simply, a union does much more than negotiate contracts—a union also has the responsibility to protect its members. Unions have a great effect on even their non-union counterparts. This is a cautionary tale of what could happen if we allow our house to divide, if we don’t continue to be the watchdog of our profession. We must strive to grow our ALPA membership to include every airline pilot. Belonging to a large, strong union allows us the confidence to continually ask the question, “Is it safe?”

A union does much more than negotiate contracts—a

union also has the responsibility to protect its members.

7WINTER 2015

TREASURER’S REPORT

Captain Matt GeddieDelta MEC Treasurer

Proud to ServeBy Captain Matt Geddie

Thanks for the opportunity to introduce myself and to give you my view on my new role as Delta MEC treasurer.

I was hired by Delta in 1991 after serving 14 years in the Air Force. I was a flight engineer for six years before going to the right seat of the 757/767. I barely survived the first furlough in 1993, and held a second job for a couple of years anticipating furlough while keeping the clock running on my Air Force time with a position in the Reserves. Begin-ning in the fall of 1998, I worked for three and a half years in Flight Operations for the

senior vice pres-ident of Flight O p e r a t i o n s before moving to the Training Department on the 757/767 in 2002. While in the Training De-partment, I was

elected Council 48 chairman and served three years in that capacity. I left the Training Department in 2012 to fly the line as a 737 captain based in Atlanta.

During the last three years, I have also worked as a volunteer in the Pilot-to-Pilot program helping answer questions while dispelling rumors and innuendo regarding our union. P2P is a very important and helpful grassroots committee for setting the record straight and building pilot unity. Quite frankly, we need everyone on board, and our leverage in these negotiations will be in exact proportion to the degree that we are united.

I am excited about serving as your MEC treasurer. My primary job will be to make sure your dues dollars are spent in accor-dance with the budget set forth by the MEC. In recent history, your MEC has faithfully

been very disciplined in executing on their budget, resulting in a dues rebate to our members. This year should be no different. Although we are in a contract year, your MEC has continued to hold the line on spending while building a surplus in our ac-count. This surplus should cover any actions necessary during contract talks. The MEC will analyze the budget situation this spring with the intent to return excess dues dollars to you in the fall, effectively implementing a dues reduction for our pilots.

I take my responsibilities as treasurer very seriously and will work hard for you to make sure your dollars are spent in a way that furthers the goals of Delta pilots. “The mission of your MEC is to serve and lead the Delta pilots. To engage anywhere necessary to address opportunities and threats; always protecting and advancing Delta pilot careers, pay, working conditions, benefits, and job secu-rity.” Right now we have a huge opportunity before us—negotiating a contract when our company is making record profits. I’m proud to be serving during this time and will do my utmost to ensure our organization has the resources to successfully complete its mission of negotiating the contract, enforcing the contract, and supporting the profession.

Quite frankly, we need everyone on board, and our

leverage in these negotiations will be in exact proportion to the

degree that we are united.


First Officer Drew MasseyALPA Executive Vice President–DAL

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT’S REPORT

The System WorksBy First Officer Drew Massey

One of the things that I get asked out on the line, and even by some active volunteers, is “what exactly does the executive vice president do?” The short answer is the EVP is a member of the Executive Council, which is currently made up of seven EVPs and the four national officers. The Executive Council is one of the three governing bodies of our international union.

The structure of our representative de-mocracy, the structure of our bottom-up governance starts with you, the line pilot, through your LEC representatives and the MEC, to the Executive Council, the Execu-tive Board (all MEC chairmen), and finally the Board of Directors (all of the status/voting representatives).

The Executive Council, as a national governing body, has a primary responsibility to the As-sociation at large, very similar to how your local reps who, while representing the interests of their local council membership, are concurrently charged with representing all Delta pilots and also the Association at large as members of the ALPA Board of Directors.

The official EVP definition is found in the ALPA Constitu-tion and By-Laws and the ALPA Administrative Manual:

The Executive Vice Presidents serve on the Executive Council and are responsible to the Association at large . . .

. . . The Executive Council shall attend all meetings of the Board of Directors and the Executive Board. It shall act in consul-tation and cooperation with the President in furthering the objectives and policies announced by the Board of Directors or the Executive Board. It may interpret the Constitution and By-Laws and Policy. The Executive Council shall act in the capac-

ity of owners’ representatives and general trusteeship of the Association’s business and funds, and shall effect loans or guarantee notes as necessary for the implementation of approved programs. In addition, the Executive Council shall perform any duties mentioned elsewhere in the Constitution and By-Laws . . .

. . . The members of the Executive Council shall be ex officio members of the Execu-tive Board.

EVP Duties Include:

hh Interpreting the Constitution and By-Laws

hh Recommending policy changes

hh Initiating and recommending Constitution and By-Laws changes

hh Adopting Association-wide immediate or long-term planning

hh Instituting Association-wide action

hh National budget approval or modification

hh Overseeing OCF (operating contingency fund) or MCF (major contingency fund) expenditures

Far from being broken, the system

does work, and works well as we constantly

refine and improve the process of how

our Association does your business.

9WINTER 2015

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Some of you are probably asking what this has to do with you and how it affects your daily life as a pilot? The answer is that the governance of a large organization like ALPA requires comprehensive policies and procedures to best represent your interests by exercising oversight and implementing changes or improvements.

At a national level, proposed actions are evaluated through the lens of how a proposed change or policy benefits all ALPA pilots and strengthens the As-sociation. While the emphasis is in on the “Association at large,” my job as EVP is also to directly represent the interests of the Delta pilots, through input from the MEC, to the Association while remaining mindful of the greater good of the Association and its membership.

I occasionally hear complaints that the line pilots don’t or can’t make a differ-ence at the national level. My experience is that is not the case. A recent example:

In the spring of 2013, members of Council 66 (NYC) together with Council 20 (DTW) submitted LEC resolution(s) to amend the ALPA Constitution and By-Laws language governing interim representative elec-tions (due to an unscheduled vacancy). The language at the time provided for a council-wide electronic election process for vacancies, which occurred prior to 365 days before the end of the term, and a special LEC meeting election (with only those actually pres-ent allowed to vote) to fill vacancies occurring with fewer than 365 days remaining in the term. The proposed resolution directed the EVP to present an agenda item to the Executive Coun-cil calling for an examination of the existing language and any recommen-dations for change. The MEC’s goal was to decrease the time remaining in a LEC representative term that still allowed for a council-wide electronic interim representative election.

(A note on representational governance at ALPA: while reps, EVPs, members of the Executive Board, and Executive Council exercise judgment on how they vote and amend a resolution, as opposed to being “directed” when considering adopting resolutions brought forward, the presenta-tion of those agenda items, once submitted or passed in the form of a resolution, is mandatorily passed on to the next level of governing body consideration.)

The two LEC (Council 20 and Council 66) resolutions were amended and combined into a single resolution to present the agenda item for consideration at the next Executive Council meeting (which normally meets four times each year). The Delta EVP at the time, First Officer Scott Smetana, presented the agenda item, and the Executive Council di-rected the Special Representation Structure Review Committee (SRSRC) to study the is-sue for impact and feasibility and report back to the Executive Council in October 2013. The SRSRC reported back with a favorable consideration recommending changing the window for a council-wide electronic elec-tion from 365 days to 240 days prior to the end of the term, and the Executive Council subsequently passed a resolution directing the SRSRC, ALPA vice president–admin-istration, and legal staff to draft proposed language changes to the Constitution and By-Laws for consideration at the Executive Board (all ALPA MEC chairman, meets twice each year) meeting in May 2014. The Executive Board approved the proposed

change; however, since any change to the ALPA Constitution and By-Laws requires a two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors (All MEC status reps, meets every two years), the resolution became an agenda item for consideration at the October 2014 BOD meeting. The resolution passed, and the ALPA Constitution and By-Laws were amended.

So a couple of line pilots who perceived a better way of doing business, working within and using the system we have in place, were able to implement change at the highest lev-els of the Association, and not only improve the process by which Delta pilots choose their representation, but how the entire As-sociation elects interim reps. Other pending resolutions have been submitted by pilots to their LECs and forwarded to the national governing bodies by their MEC—those will be agenda items at the next regularly sched-uled Executive Council meeting.

Far from being broken, the system does work, and works well as we constantly refine and improve the process of how our Associa-tion does your business. However, in order to change, you first have to participate to initiate any improvements. Please call your reps to discuss your concerns or offer suggestions, consider writing resolutions (your reps can assist you if you don’t know where to start), vote in every election, fill out surveys, and consider volunteering to help improve the pay, benefits, and work-ing conditions of your fellow Delta and all ALPA pilots.

I occasionally hear complaints that the line

pilots don’t or can’t make a difference at the national level. My

experience is that is not the case.


COMMITTEE REPORTS

We are about to enter negotiations for Contract 2015. Our job on the Communications Committee is to keep you informed from start to finish, and to that end we’ll be using all the tools at our disposal.

Know your ALPA number and password!Everything we publish about negotiations is going to be placed for your easy access at dal.alpa.org under a banner titled “Negotiations Contract 2015.” To read these publications, you must be able to log on to the website to get beyond the firewall. To do that, you must know your ALPA number and password.

If you don’t know your ALPA number, call Membership Adminis-tration at 1-888-FLY-ALPA and select option 3. They can provide you with both your ALPA number and a password. If you know your ALPA number but not your password, go to dal.alpa.org and look in the top right-hand corner for “Forgot login?” That

DAL MEC | Communications

Under One BannerBy Captain Tim ParkerDelta MEC Communications Committee Chairman

brings you to another page with several options for password reset or recovery, depending on what you need.

Plan on our using social media extensively to keep you apprised— you’ll find all of our communications, including social media, at dal.alpa.org. You don’t even need to log in to the website. Look in the upper left-hand corner for these symbols:

In order from left to right are the Delta MEC pages for Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, Instagram, RSS feed for articles con-cerning the aviation industry, and a link to sign up for PilotBlast, our text-notification service. Our new website is mobile-friendly, so you can access the information you need at any time.

Our goalWe want to deliver as much information as possible about your contract, your union, your airline, and your industry.

Our methodsAs mentioned, we intend to display all published material having to do with C2015 negotiations under one banner at dal.alpa.org.

You will receive frequent updates on the progress of negotiations. Beneath the text of every update, we’ll place a link to every article we have published concerning negotiations.

We have integrated social media into our repertoire. Again, it’s easy to find on the public page of our website, and you don’t need to sign in to access these pages. Social media is a great tool for spreading the word and raising awareness, but it often falls short of the full story. Be sure to get that full story—the nuance, detail, and critical thinking that should motivate the decisions you will make later—on the Delta MEC website.

Electronic bulletin boards (EBBs) are up and running in every pilot lounge, and we will use those in the same way we use social media. We have adjusted the message “run time” so that you can spend a minute or two with the EBB and get on with your day at work.

Expect to see box stuffers now and then for hard-copy communi-cations related to negotiations. Certainly when we reach an MEC ratified TA, the Negotiating Committee will produce a series of Negotiators’ Notepads to thoroughly explain all negotiated changes.

DON’T KNOW YOUR

ALPA NUMBER?

DON’T KNOW YOUR

LOGIN?Call ALPA Membership Services at 1-888-FLY-ALPA —select option #3 and select option #3 again.

Visit the site and choose “Forgot Login” in the top right hand corner.-

Call ALPA Membership Administration at 1-888-FLY-ALPA —select option #3 and select option #3 again.

As a rule, men worry more about what they can’t see than about what they can.

—Julius Caesar

https://dal.alpa.org




11WINTER 2015

COMMITTEE REPORTS

DAL MEC | Communications

These will be part of our effort to give you all the material the MEC has had available to them (except for negotiating tactical priori-ties) so that you may pass your own judgment on the agreement.

We will also be along for road shows to answer your questions, and host webinars which will be archived on our website so that any Delta pilot may view them.

What to expectEveryone is entitled to their own opinion, but no one is entitled to their own facts. We’re going to publish everything we can, as often as we can, without interfering with negotiations. We can-not help, change, or comment upon the rumors, crazy talk, and innuendo that always plague us during contract time, but we can answer your questions and show our work.

Before you feel your train running off the track with the sky certain to fall, proceed to dal.alpa.org, and read what we’ve posted for you. The best inoculation from misinformation is a careful study of the facts, and we will do our best to provide all the facts you need.

Everything we publish about negotiations is going to be placed

for your easy access at dal.alpa.org under a banner titled “Negotiations

Contract 2015.




COMMITTEE REPORTS

DAL MEC | Negotiating

In this article, we would like to give you a further explanation of the process that your Negotiating Committee uses in conjunction with the MEC in all negotiations concerning the pilot working agreement, including both Section 6 negotiations and the nego-tiation of letters of agreement and memoranda of understanding. We will also review the steps we have taken over the past year to prepare for Contract 2015, update you on our current progress, and give you a preview of what you can expect as we continue through the Section 6 process.

1. ReceiveThe committee starts by collecting information from the mem-bership. Last year we provided the membership a number of Negotiators’ Notepads that described and explained the Railway Labor Act, the negotiating process, and the role of costing in the negotiating process. We also published hard-copy versions of the Contract History and Contract Comparison. These publications are still available on the Negotiating Committee’s page of the Delta MEC website, getting the facts in front of the membership prior to the first step of our process.

Prior to distributing the survey, we also hosted a number of webinars that provided the membership an opportunity to give direct input on the content of the survey, which your elected rep-resentatives relied upon in crafting and vetting the final product.

We greatly appreciate every pilot who participated in the survey. It accurately reflected every demographic of our pilot group and provided valuable data on your goals and priorities. The results of the survey, along with your council resolutions, input from our subject-matter experts from the various committees, and your direct input to your elected representatives will form the core of the data that your representatives will use to create our contract opener. This is your direction to the MEC.

2. Analyze and ReportWe then perform a thorough analysis of that direction and pro-vide both the raw data and the analysis to the MEC so they have as much information as possible before the next step. Over the course of several meetings, the MEC discusses the findings and

The Steps We’re TakingBy Captain Matt Coons, Captain John Morgado, and Captain Kevin Powell Delta MEC Negotiating Committee

receives reports from labor attorneys, subject-matter experts, and members of the National Mediation Board. This is our cur-rent position in the process.

3. MEC Gives DirectionYour elected representatives discuss and debate until reaching a consensus on the priorities for the opening round of negotiations. This is a critical step, as the consensus of the MEC will be used to develop the direction to the Negotiating Committee that will become the contract opener. The entire MEC then reviews the contract opener before it is finalized. Once finalized, the Negotiat-ing Committee will begin negotiating with management for C2015.

4. NegotiateAfter receiving direction, we proceed with negotiations until either an agreement is reached that meets the MEC’s direction or, failing that, we return to the MEC for redirection. This process continues until we reach a tentative agreement.

5. Repeat from #3Keep in mind that this is not a one-time or one-way process. We live in a dynamic environment, and the Negotiating Committee continually updates the MEC during the course of negotiations, soliciting their guidance as negotiations proceed. The MEC will also provide additional direction to the Negotiating Committee as needed to accommodate new developments that could influ-ence our negotiations.

6. Tentative AgreementOur objective is to put a tentative agreement in front of you that meets your goals via the direction you have given the MEC. We will follow our process and, with your support and engagement, achieve a world-class contract.

13WINTER 2015

COMMITTEE REPORTS

DAL MEC | Contract Administration

Continued on page 14

Papers, Please . . .Unraveling the U.S. Passport, Russian Crew

Visa, and Chinese Crew Visa Notification of Expiration and Renewal Process

By Captain Hartley Phinney Delta MEC Contract Administration Committee Chairman

As a leading first-tier international airline with a presence on six of the seven continents, Delta Air Lines requires all of its pilots to possess a valid passport. However, some countries served by Delta require additional documentation. For example, the government of the Russian Federation requires Delta crewmembers to possess a Russian crew visa, and the government of China requires a Chinese crew visa.

The PWA provides for pay protection if the pilot has complied with the company’s application procedure completely, and the passport/visa has not been returned to the pilot. If you have questions about the application process or difficulty in scheduling time to complete the passport/visa process, contact your regional director or regional Operations manager immediately.

Keep reading to learn more about the notification and renewal processes for passports and crew visas.

Notification ProcessWhen a pilot’s U.S. passport or Russian crew visa is nearing its expiration, three iCrew pop-up notifications will be generated to alert the pilot of the document’s impending expiration:

hh 9 months prior to expiration: The first notification of expiration will appear when the pilot logs into iCrew. This notification can be removed by the pilot by acknowledging the notification.

hh 6 months prior to expiration: The second notification of expiration will appear when the pilot logs into iCrew. This notification may also be removed by the pilot by acknowledging the notification.

hh 4 months prior to expiration: A final notification of expiration will appear when the pilot logs into iCrew. This notification cannot be removed by the pilot and will remain until the pilot provides Crew Records with the updated U.S. passport and/or Russian crew visa information.

When a pilot’s China crew visa is nearing expiration, a nonremov-able notification will appear in iCrew 90 days prior to expiration. This notification will remain until the pilot provides Crew Records with the updated Chinese crew visa.

The long-range notification scheme gives the pilot significant and adequate notice that a renewal requirement is approach-ing. Pilots need to plan accordingly to renew their documents. If you believe that your situation cannot be resolved using the instructions and guidance provided here, you need to contact your regional Operations manager at your Chief Pilot’s Office or the Passport and Visa Program coordinator at 877-325-2359 for additional assistance.

Renewal ProcessThere are two methods available to renew your documents. First, pilots may take the responsibility of document renewal completely upon themselves. Second, pilots can utilize the company-provided CIBT services to renew their documents. In certain circumstances, an individual’s efforts along with the utilization of CIBT may be most effective.

Primary (Regular) and Secondary U.S. Passportshh Renew on your own:

For same-day passport application processing, pilots can go directly to any of the National Passport Processing Centers. DeltaNet’s Passport and Visa Services website (located on the Flight Operations page under “Pilot Tools”) will provide all the information necessary to accomplish a same-day U.S. passport renewal.

hh Appointments can be made by calling 1-877-487-2778.

hh Keep in mind that the company will only reimburse the cost of your passport photo and the associated processing fee.

Renew with CIBT:hh CIBT processing will take approximately 10 business days

from the date that a pilot’s application is received.

hh DeltaNet’s Passport and Visa Service site provides instructions on how to renew your passport via CIBT. The FedEx overnight/next-day airway bill is also available here.


COMMITTEE REPORTS

DAL MEC | Contract Administration

The Chief Pilot’s Office or FedEx store will provide you with a next-day envelope.

Russian Crew VisasCurrently, only NYC 765- and 7ER-category pilots are required to have the Russian crew visa. The Russian crew visa is valid for 21 months and is placed in the secondary U.S. passport. It can only be obtained through CIBT. The Russian crew visa renewal process normally corresponds with the renewal of a pilot’s secondary U.S. passport. A pilot has two options for the renewal process:

1. Utilize CIBT to process both the secondary U.S. passport and the Russian crew visa.

2. Renew the secondary U.S. passport on your own and utilize CIBT to renew the Russian crew visa.

Renewal of both secondary U.S. passport and the Russian crew visa using CIBT:

hh For CIBT to process a secondary U.S. passport application, the pilot’s primary U.S. passport will also be provided as proof of citizenship. The secondary U.S. passport will be completed approximately five business days from the date it is received. The new secondary U.S. passport and the original primary U.S. passport will be returned with instructions to sign the secondary passport and return it to CIBT to complete the Russian crew visa application.

hh CIBT will return your Russian crew visa approximately 11 business days from the date the new secondary U.S. passport is submitted to the Russian Federation Embassy.

hh Proper planning is essential. At a minimum, this process will take approximately 16 business days before a Russian Visa is returned to a pilot.

hh Furthermore, while your secondary U.S. passport is being processed, you will not have your primary U.S. passport for at least five days.

Renewing your secondary U.S. passport on your own and renewal of the Russian crew visa using CIBT:

hh Please refer to the pilot’s renewal of a secondary U.S. passport process as described in this article.

hh Send the new secondary U.S. passport to CIBT. CIBT will return your Russian crew visa approximately 11 business

days from the date the new secondary U.S. passport is submitted to the Russian Federation Embassy.

hh Again, proper planning is essential. This process will take approximately three weeks before the Russian crew visa is returned.

China Crew VisasCurrently, all 777, 747, 330 categories, and 7ER categories in DTW, LAX, MSP, SEA, and SLC are required to possess a current Chinese crew visa.

hh Similar to the Russian crew visa scenario described above, the Chinese crew visa is only renewed through CIBT. However, the Chinese crew visa does not require a secondary U.S. passport. The Chinese crew visa is placed directly into the pilot’s primary U.S. passport.

hh A pilot’s primary U.S. passport must have a minimum of 30 months’ validity remaining and at least two blank opposing visa pages.

hh If these requirements cannot be met, then the primary U.S. passport must be renewed first. CIBT can process both the passport and visa applications, but it will take approximately 14 business days from the date your application is received to complete.

hh 14 business days translates into a minimum of three weeks, so plan accordingly.

These requirements are addressed on the Flight Operations page of DeltaNet. Go to DeltaNet’s Passport and Visa Services page, located under “Pilot Tools;” click on “Passport and Visa Services,” then click on “Russian Crew Visa” to get complete instructions and the CIBT application kit.

SummaryYour passport and visa are necessary to perform your duties as a Delta pilot. Early planning and engagement will give you the best opportunity to comply with the company’s application procedure. When applying for a passport or visa, it is essential to plan ahead. If you are having difficulty with the process or clearing enough time on your schedule, communicate with your regional director/regional Operations manager immediately. The Delta MEC Contract Administration Committee stands ready to help guide you through the process at 800-USA-ALPA or [email protected].

Papers, Please . . . Continued from page 13

Your passport and visa are necessary to perform your duties as a Delta pilot. Early planning and engagement will give you the best opportunity to comply with the company’s application procedure.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

15WINTER 2015


DAL MEC | Central Air Safety

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Preflight checklist

Pace and ProceduresBy Captain Flip ColmerDelta MEC Central Air Safety Committee

In just a few short years, Delta has become the model for our

industry, and for good reason. We offer an extraor-dinarily safe and

efficient traveling experience for our cus-tomers, surrounded by friendly employees who are proud of their company. Flight Ops’ emphasis on improving a variety of met-rics, from saving fuel to saving time, makes good business sense, and the pilot group’s execution of these policies has contributed significantly to Delta’s bottom line.

However, we all have come to understand and accept that unresolved distractions and operational pressures may result in a bad event. The historical answer to this has been to take as much time as necessary, prioritize the workload, expand the team, and avoid rushing.

I think we are looking at the problem the wrong way. We say that operational pressures and distractions can cause us to speed up, rush, stumble, and fail to priori-tize. In reality, perhaps it is our pilot culture of rushing that contributes to errors, mistakes, incidents, and mishaps. After all, distractions and operational pressures are everyday, every-flight occurrences, so maybe it is our trained responses to them that are the problem.

On today’s flight deck, it seems as though some pilots consider it a badge of honor to be able to get through a checklist speedily—to do the preflight inspection in a short amount of time, to rapidly load the FMS. How many line check pilots have witnessed a crew sounding like a machine gun when firing back and forth with chal-lenge and response in every one of our checklists? Whether it is doing the actual

preflight procedure, reading a checklist, completing the WDR procedure, fighting through task saturation, or inducing multi-tasking, rushing leads to errors, errors lead to mistakes, mistakes lead to incidents, and incidents lead to mishaps.

The standard admonition is to “slow down or stop the operation when necessary.” However, the crew that is already task-saturated, running at a “machine gun” pace, still thinks they are doing it right—right up until they have their mishap. They lack the objectivity at that moment to realize the predicament they are in. Few of us have been trained to pace the operation consistently or

developed the patterns needed to just stop. It is easy in hindsight to say that we should have slowed down. But this implies that multiple speeds are okay, so long as mistakes are not made.

A new approachI propose that we only have one speed during our operations: methodical.

hh Is everything going our way? Be methodical.

hh Are we late? Be methodical.

hh Is there weather? Be methodical.

hh Does the company want an on-time departure? Be methodical.

When you’re done doing the thing you’re doing, do the next thing. Linear progression of procedures helps eliminate mistakes by not doing too much at the same time.

15

MULTITASKING

COMMITTEE REPORTS



Pace and Procedures Continued from page 15

hh Is ATC giving contrary instructions? Be methodical.

We should only speed up the pace of operation under two circumstances: walking between gates to get to the next flight or walking to the food court. No one should rush a preflight to get an on-time departure. No one should rush through the second engine start and insertion of the WDR performance numbers to make a LATT. In our current operational culture, multitasking and speeding up the pace are believed to be good things. They are not. We cannot multitask and rush through 875,000 flights a year and always get it right.

Here’s an analogy from the competitive skydiving world. A group of four skydivers leaps out intending to do a sequence of formations. For each completed forma-tion, they get a point. When a team flies smoothly and is expeditious (methodical) in transitioning from formation to forma-tion, they do it in the shortest amount of time and get the most points. But when a team rushes, they bobble, don’t fly as cleanly as they could, get out of sync with each other, take more time to create each formation, and ultimately score lower. This leads to a skydiving training mantra:

hh Slow is smooth.hh Smooth is fast. hh Slow is fast.

Translated to our operation, the mantra becomes:

hh Methodical is smooth.hh Smooth is fast.hh Methodical is fast.

The first corollary of the mantra is this: don’t multitask or allow others to multitask you. With the arrival of two or more si-multaneous tasks, you must choose one to perform and briefly set the others aside to be done in sequence. Don’t plug in perfor-mance numbers while starting an engine. If studying ATIS, don’t commence an engine start until done. Do not ask the other pilot

to do anything while they are listening or responding to an ATC communication. If the captain seems to be giving multitask-ing instructions, it always means, “When you’re done doing the thing you’re doing, do the next thing.” Linear progression of procedures helps eliminate mistakes by not doing too much at the same time. So let’s collectively change the dialogue. Rather than say to ourselves after a mishap (or incident, mistake, or error) that we should have slowed the operation down, let’s say

to ourselves before anything ever happens, to paraphrase Winston Churchill, “Never, never, never speed up.”

The culture we’ve developed, varying the speed of our work, is inhibiting our ability to be effective monitoring pilots. Watch a crew that makes the reading of the preflight checklist sound like a machine gun. There is no way for the responding individual to actually assess the status of a switch or sys-tem if they are already answering the next query. For example, consider the parking brake on the 757. The checklist response is “set,” but for the brakes to be set, the handle has to be pulled and latched out, the light on the center console needs to be on, the EICAS message should be displayed, and the brake pressure gauge should show sufficient pressure to show the brakes are actually engaged. No one can do all of that while they are now answering the query

“thrust levers.” A methodical approach to our checklist reading will set a more appropriate pace for both pilots to follow throughout the flight.

Recent QCQ modules on effective pilot monitoring provide a great review of how it works. But as a crew, the ef-fectiveness of the monitoring can be dramatically improved if we simply pace the operation more methodically and avoid multitasking.

This discussion is not meant to increase latency or “dwell time.” Reducing latency and dwell time improves our pilot group’s profit sharing! Management’s ability to adjust our procedures and interactions with our other work groups affects latency and dwell time, and should be considered independently from our pace within the procedures. It can actually be reduced with the proper application of the methodical approach (remember the skydiving).

If the pace is methodical, it is easier to catch mistakes and avoid multitasking. When multitasking, it is much harder to monitor effectively. For example, if we are pushing back, the captain is supposed to monitor the push and monitor the first officer starting the motors. But if the first officer is also plugging in numbers, the captain will try to monitor that as well. What is going to be missed here? Does the captain miss the “set brakes” call from the tug driver? Does the captain set the brakes without looking outside to detect movement? Does the first officer insert an incorrect takeoff speed number or miss a drop in oil pressure?

What pace should we take through our workday? Imagine that we are tired and working in bad weather with all of the operational pressures and pop-up distrac-tions we can imagine. In these conditions, we won’t be perfect—nobody ever is. That is why we need to complete our procedures as linearly as we can and apply them methodically. Consider too that by planning proactively, we can sometimes

As a crew, the effectiveness of the monitoring can be

dramatically improved if we simply pace

the operation more methodically and avoid

multitasking.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

17WINTER 2015


anticipate potential bottlenecks and work around them, which is simply another way to avoid multitasking.

The more our procedures are performed linearly, the more it becomes our standard approach to all task-management issues, with reduced temptation to multitask. This is the way to prevent cascading multitask-ing from becoming a mishap. Eliminate it from the conduct of our procedures and our culture as a pilot group.

In a nutshell, there are two challenges for all Delta pilots. The first is to elimi-nate pilot-induced multitasking from our normal way of doing our jobs. We should go through the day linearly, rather than risk doing more than one thing at a time. The second is to always work methodi-cally within the constraints of our current procedures. These are simple and effec-tive ways to manage all of the distractions and operational pressures we face. This way, when the proverbial “stuff” hits the fan, we won’t have to remember to slow down because we are always working at our normal, methodical pace. Always.

E-mail [email protected] for more information.

It’s a simple and easy way to become more involved in your union.

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COMMITTEE REPORTS


DAL MEC | Economic & Financial Analysis

wages increase only 1.7% in December from a year earlier, below the recent trend of about 2% growth.

Consumer sentiment has reached its high-est level since January 2007, which can be attributed to improving job prospects and falling gasoline prices. Overall, the data point toward a gain of about 3.0% in real consumer expenditures during 2015.

European and Latin American Economic Growth looks WeakWhile the good news is that U.S. growth prospects have improved, the bad news is that this growth is offset by disappoint-ments in the Eurozone and Japan.

Despite relatively robust consumer spend-ing in the Eurozone (forecasts are for less than 1.5% growth), investment spending continues to disappoint and is currently 20% below the precrisis level.

-3%

-2%

-1%

0%

1%

2%

3%

4%

5%

6%

4Q15

3Q15

2Q15

1Q15

4Q14

3Q14

2Q14

1Q14

4Q13

3Q13

2Q13

1Q13

4Q12

3Q12

2Q12

1Q12

4Q11

3Q11

2Q11

1Q11

4Q10

3Q10

2Q10

1Q10

Source: BEA, Wall Street Journal Economic Forecasting Survey: December 2014.

−1.5

1.7

3.9

2.72.5

2.9

4.6

2.3

1.6

0.1

2.52.7

1.8

4.5

3.5

4.6

5.0

2.52.8 2.8 2.8

2.9

0.8

−2.1

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U.S. Ecomony Rebounds After 1Q DropU.S. Economy Rebounds After 1Q Drop

Economic and Industry OutlookBy Kye JohanningALPA Economic & Financial Analysis Department

2014 will mark the fifth straight year of profitability for U.S. passenger carriers—and the

industry is poised to post another year of profitability in 2015.

As of the writing of this article, full-year results for 2014 have not been reported. Instead, as we prepare to bargain a new PWA, this article focuses on the economic and industry environment that will serve as a backdrop to these negotiations.

U.S. Economic OutlookIs PositiveAfter a disappointing first quarter, the U.S. economy rebounded in the second and third quarter. 3Q14 GDP growth of 5% was the strongest growth rate in 11 years.

The growth was spurred by consumer spending on health care and restaurant meals, business investment in equipment and new software, and a rise in exports.

Fourth-quarter GDP growth is likely to be lower, as the summer months were supported by an unusually large increase in military spending. For 2015, GDP is forecast to grow around 3%.

The unemployment rate continues to decline, with the current rate at 5.6%. The economy added 2.95 million jobs in 2014, the biggest calendar-year increase since the figure topped 3 million in 1999. However, the increase in employment has so far not led to significantly higher wages. Private-sector employees saw their hourly

Global Economic Forcast

GDP Forecast 2014 2015 2016

World 2.4 2.6 2.9

Developed 1.6 1.9 1.9

Emerging 4.2 4.1 4.8

U.S. 2.3 2.8 2.6

Eurozone 0.8 0.9 1.2

UK 3.0 2.4 2.5

Russia 0.4 (3.0) (1.5)

Asia-Pacific 3.9 4.2 4.5

China 7.5 7.3 7.4

Japan 0.2 0.6 0.9

India 5.5 6.5 7.1

Latin America 1.0 1.2 3.3

Brazil 0.2 (0.5) 2.8

Mexico 2.2 3.2 3.8

Argentina (2.3) (2.0) 3.0

Source: HSBC

COMMITTEE REPORTS

19WINTER 2015



Japan’s economic performance continues to disappoint. Household spending is weak. Wages are not keeping up with prices, squeezing purchasing power; this, in turn, is putting a damper on production and investments.

In the emerging markets, the economies of Brazil, Argentina, and Russia are likely to contract next year. While China’s growth forecast is still above 7%, the forecasts have been lowered because of a slowdown in property investments (perhaps a sign of a housing bubble) and a slowing of indus-trial production.

Airline profits are expected to continue to increaseU.S. airline fundamentals remain favorable, especially in the domestic arena where demand looks strong. This demand will continue to lead to high load factors, which will increase the pricing power of the airlines. In addition, unit cost growth should remain low due to up-gauging and the drop in jet fuel prices. All of these fac-tors point to U.S. airlines posting record breaking margins.

The domestic market should continue to perform well because of the favorable supply/demand fundamentals. Domestic demand (in terms of RPMs—revenue passenger miles) is projected to increase 3.6% in 2015 and 4.0% in 2016. Meanwhile, domestic capacity (in terms of ASMs—available seat miles) is projected to grow at a slower pace of 3.1% in 2015 and 3.6% in 2016. This will lead to continued high load factors.

High load factors give the airlines pric-ing power. Real domestic airfares have increased 14% from 2009 through 2Q14, despite a 4% decline in real median house-hold incomes. In addition, high load factors allow airlines to focus on the high-yielding corporate travelers and to allocate fewer seats to lower-yielding leisure travelers.

Potential area of concernOne area of potential concern is the growth in capacity. While capacity is expected to grow slower than traffic, it is poised to outpace GDP growth. Historically, capacity growing faster than GDP has led to industry losses. Is this time different? Yes.

There are fewer players in the industry today (4 major carriers today versus 10 major carriers in 2000). And carriers are focusing more on return on investment and returning capital to shareholders, rather than market share and fleet size.

But also no, this time is not different. The aircraft order book is at 20% of exist-ing fleet, which is significant even when factoring in retirements of aging aircraft. Furthermore, Southwest’s order book is 42% of its fleet, which could potentially cause disruptive growth in the domestic and near-international markets of the Caribbean and Latin America.

Falling fuel prices The dramatic drop in fuel prices over the past several months is a major develop-ment. For the full year 2014, jet fuel prices averaged $2.70 per gallon, down 22¢ from the 2013 average price. However, the full-

year average does not tell the whole story, as the drop in fuel prices really didn’t begin until about September.

On September 2, 2014, the price for a barrel of WTI crude oil was about $93; on January 12, 2015, the price was down to about $46—a drop of over 50%!

This price drop has come amid concerns about a worldwide glut of oil, as supply growth has outpaced demand and global inventories have piled up. In an attempt to maintain market share, Saudi Arabia has

Source: EIA

Real

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$40

$50

$60

$70

$80

$90

$100

$110

1/2/14 4/2/14 7/2/14 10/2/14 1/2/15

WTI Crude Oil Prices(per barrel)

Crude Oil Prices Have Dropped Dramatically

The U.S. airline industry is expected to post

another year of profits in 2015,

which will mark six straight years of

profitability.

COMMITTEE REPORTS



Operating Margins

2013 2014F 2015F 2016F

Spirit 17.1% 19.1% 28.0% 28.2%

Alaska 12.8% 16.9% 22.9% 21.9%

American 8.0% 12.2% 20.2% 21.0%

Delta 9.3% 13.1% 17.1% 19.9%

Southwest 8.1% 12.6% 17.3% 16.7%

Hawaiian 5.6% 9.5% 14.2% 15.9%

JetBlue 7.9% 8.7% 15.7% 15.7%

United 4.6% 7.3% 13.7% 15.4%

Total 7.7% 11.3% 17.4% 18.7%

Source: Morgan Stanley, 1/12/15

stated that OPEC will not cut output even if prices fell to $20/barrel. Part of OPEC’s problem has been the production of U.S. shale oil. Citigroup has estimated that the marginal cost of production for U.S. shale is about $40/barrel. It would likely take a prolonged period of sub-$40 prices before U.S. production is scaled back.

2015 outlookThe U.S. airline industry is expected to post another year of profits in 2015, which will mark six straight years of profitability. The latest forecasts have the 2015 operat-ing margins more than doubling what they were in 2013.

According to comments made at its December 11 Investor Day presentation, Delta is projected to deliver pretax profits “well in excess of $5 billion” in 2015. Delta reported that the revenue environment looked strong and stable. With the ex-ception of overcapacity in the Pacific, it is Delta’s view that overall capacity is in decent shape. Delta’s adjusted net debt should be less than $6 billion at the end of the year (down from $17 billion at the end of 2009).

The one negative to Delta’s 2015 forecast performance is the current state of its fuel hedge book. In December, the company stated that its projected fuel hedge losses were about $1 billion. Given the continued drop in fuel prices, and the fact that Delta’s hedge position does not enable the com-pany to fully participate in this drop, the hedge losses (measured at today’s prices) are likely worse. However, Delta will still benefit overall from lower fuel prices. It’s just that Delta will not benefit as much as carriers who don’t hedge or who have a smaller hedge book.

Economic and Industry Outlook Continued from page19

orIf your smartphone is equipped with a QR code-scanning application, scan this QR code to be directed to the sign-up application,

orClick on the PilotBlast graphic on the home page of the Delta MEC website http://dal.alpa.org.

DELTAMECAir Line Pilots Association, Int’l

PilotBlast

PilotBlast is FCC CAN-SPAM compliant. Your information will never be provided to any third party and we will only send reminders and information you request. You may update preferences or opt out at any time. Please remember that message and data rates may apply.

Do you wonder when your schedule is out?Would you like a heads-up for deadlines?Did you ever forget to bid a vacation?

You are busy. You have a lot to manage.But if you have a cell phone, we can help.PilotBlast allows you to “opt in” to receive targeted text messages that are of particular interest to you.

PilotBlast isone more wayyour union is making it easier for you to stay connected.We remind you about PBS and vacation bidding, preliminary schedule posting, AE/VD/MD bidding and awards, insurance enrollment deadlines and more. Local Councils may also use PilotBlast to communicate IROPS, parking or other local issues.

SIGN UP TODAY!http://bit.ly/18jW8Rt ][

http://my.textcaster.com/ServePopup.aspx?id=1813

COMMITTEE REPORTS

21WINTER 2015


DAL MEC | Scheduling

As the date for exchanging contract openers rapidly approaches, and many of our efforts are focused on negotiating the best contract in the industry, I would like to remind pilots that we have considerable resources devoted to enforcing our contract. This article summarizes the work, services, and documents produced by the Delta MEC Scheduling Committee.

The primary responsibility of the Schedul-ing Committee is to enforce the Scheduling sections of the PWA. These sections are where the rubber meets the road when it concerns pilot scheduling. The daily pressure of managing an enormous, global operation leads to inevitable mistakes and misapplications of the contract by Crew Scheduling. This in turn sometimes results in incorrect coverage of rotations and incorrect pay for our pilots.

We accomplish contract enforcement in the following ways:

hh Providing informational and educational resources for our pilots to help identify PWA violations when they occur.

hh Maintaining a staff of scheduling experts (all are former Delta schedulers) to answer pilot questions and research issues and document violations.

hh Resolving disputes by engaging the upper levels of Crew Scheduling and Crew Resources management to seek appropriate pay restitution when violations are found and look for solutions to improve future contractual compliance.

Scheduling Reference Handbook and Quick Reference GuideThe Scheduling Committee also posts and maintains the Scheduling Reference Handbook (SRH) and Quick Reference Guide (QRG) on the Delta MEC website. The SRH is a compilation of scheduling-related information that has been previously included in Scheduling Alerts and Contract Awareness Bulletins. We designed it to be downloaded and stored on computers, tablets, and smartphones and to function as a searchable PDF document. The vast majority of questions regarding scheduling issues can be answered with a quick search of this document. To download the SRH, click on the “Electronic Flight Bag” button on the Delta MEC homepage or use this URL: http://dalm.ec/SRH.

The QRG serves as a concise reference designed for pilots actively flying or serving in an on-call status. The QRG concentrates on FAR and contractual limits, pilot con-tractual responsibilities, and deciphering company paperwork. To download, click on the “FAR 117 Quick Reference Guide” button on the Delta MEC homepage.

Delta Pilots’ Scheduling Reference Handbook

Prepared by the Delta MEC Scheduling Committee

Version 3 November 2014

The MEC Scheduling Committee and the Resources Available to YouBy Captain Steve Uvena Delta MEC Scheduling Committee Chairman

These documents play a critical role in contract enforcement—they have been reviewed and accepted by the company, which means the guidance and content are not controversial. We believe that the more informed our pilot group is, the more likely we are to prevent contractual violations.

Pit CrewOur scheduling professionals are avail-able Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. eastern time, at 800-USA-ALPA, option 3. These subject-matter experts are capable of answering a wide variety of pilot questions. Additionally, they have access to DBMS, which allows them to research and document pilot issues to determine if violations have occurred. If an issue rises to the level of a potential pay dispute, the Scheduling Committee uses their research and documentation to engage the company on your behalf. The staff, affectionately known as “the pit crew,” represent another crucial part of contract enforcement by providing our pilots easy access to research and expertise in order to accurately de-termine their contractual rights. Many of the calls to the “pit” simply result in an explanation to the pilot because the scheduling issue raised was PWA-compliant.

Dispute ResolutionIf during our research we identify a situ-ation where we believe a pilot has been harmed by a contractual violation, we submit a dispute to Crew Scheduling management. Often, we are able to resolve the issue directly and get the pilot paid correctly. We have been very

http://dalm.ec/SRH

COMMITTEE REPORTS


DAL MEC | IT Committee

The MEC Scheduling Committee Continued from page 21

successful in recovering pay for our pilots when engaging the company on these issues because of credibility earned by thorough research and documentation of the issues that we contest. In other words—we ensure we’re on the right side of the contractual argument when we engage the company.

The process starts when a pilot brings an issue to our attention. Usually this is from a phone call to the pit crew or an

e-mail to a committee member or LEC representative. The pit crew and pilot members of the committee research and document the issue, and the Scheduling Committee vice chairman, chairman, or ALPA’s contract liaison seeks resolution from the company. Some disputes take a long time to be resolved, while others are resolved very quickly. Rarely do we have to proceed to an arbitrated grievance to reach a resolution.

Remember, there is no alert system for contract violations. All pilots should stay informed and engaged and act when they believe the company is not following the contract. For their part, the company is very receptive and professional in helping us resolve disputes and pay the pilot their due in accordance with the contract. We are committed on our end to helping you stay informed and to vigorously pursuing any perceived violations that are brought to our attention.

Your ALPA IT Committee has the follow-ing recommendations for all pilots:

hh As the electronic flight bag (EFB) rollout continues, pilots are encouraged to continue filing FCR/ASAP reports every time your device malfunctions or performs in a less-than-optimal fashion. The success of this program depends on your continued feedback, and in essence you are the beta testers.

hh Your ALPA Information Technology Committee continues to post electronic tablet tips on the ALPA website under the “Electronic Flight Bag” link: https://dal.alpa.org/Flight-Bag. These links can be quickly viewed prior to log-in and offer a single-site collection of EFB tips.

hh The PBS Committee reports that personal firewall and antivirus issues continue to be problems when using the PBS desktop application (DA). If you are having trouble getting the desktop application to work, check your antivirus and firewall settings. Even though you may not have changed anything in the DA, updates

to your virus protection software could cause the DA to stop working. Check the settings on your antivirus and firewall and consider temporarily turning them off if necessary.

hh EFB tablet update blackout dates can be found in the secure content locker under “supporting information.” Remember to check there before updating your tablet.

IT Committee RecommendationsBy Captain Silas Hart Delta MEC IT Committee Chairman

Should you have questions on this or any other IT-related topics, please contact us at [email protected].



mailto:DALPATech%40alpa.org?subject=

COMMITTEE REPORTS

23WINTER 2015

DAL MEC | Strategic Planning

With Greg Rizzuto’s election as MEC secretary, he vacated his position as Strategic Planning Committee chairman. MEC Chairman Donatelli has appointed me as the new chairman; subject to MEC confirmation in March.

Some background on me—I am rejoining the Strategic Planning Committee after three years of flying the line in Detroit and Cincinnati on the 757 and 737. I am partnering with Mike Hanson, who has extensive experience in the union, including as an LEC representative. I have worked in various union jobs in between line flying since 1998, and have worked as a team member on four different large-scale negotiations. Brad Caplan, who is currently the Delta Pilot Network chairman, will also be joining our committee.

We include numerous sources for our analysis and rely heavily on the professional economists from ALPA National’s Eco-nomic and Financial Analysis Department. Our committee meets regularly with counterparts from Delta management to discuss current events and finances at Delta.

Our primary focus now is to get ready for our upcoming Section 6 contract nego-tiations. ALPA has a structured process, developed over many years, to ensure that the MEC and their administration produce a contract that will be endorsed by the pilots. You have seen the beginnings of this process as your Negotiating Committee presented a great deal of information to you so you could make your own decisions

in completing the Contract Survey. This included the Contract History, Contract Comparison, and a summary of the Railway Labor Act process. That survey data will be presented to the MEC, and through a collaborative process be reduced to the contract opener.

The Strategic Planning Committee hosted a seminar in early January for the admin-istration members to gather information from a variety of sources, including a half dozen professional negotiators with over 150 years’ combined negotiating experi-ence. Our professional economist pre-sented an update on the macroeconomic environment and an industry update. We used this seminar to help provide the MEC with the information they need to establish their negotiating goals and priorities. The MEC was also presented a meeting plan and a structured process to finalize their comprehensive direction to the Negotiating Committee. Finally, the MEC was given a detailed briefing on the Railway Labor Act and the resources that become available to them under Sec-tion 6 that are not present under other negotiations.

The Strategic Planning Committee will continue to assist the MEC and the ad-

Assessing the Tactical SituationBy Captain Rich Harwood Delta MEC Strategic Planning Committee

ministration throughout the negotiating process. As we all know, our industry is never static and the tactical situation will be different three months from now than it is today. As we move through negotiations, the MEC will certainly be faced with deci-sions and inflection points where they will decide which negotiating path produces the optimum deal for the Delta pilots. Our committee will help them synthesize data and narrow options to assist in their decision making process.

A last note: one of the ancillary goals of this negotiation will be to expand the union team and bring new players to the table to continue our success. If you are interested in becoming more involved in the union, this is the time to step up. Any organiza-tion needs to be constantly committed to change and renewal in order to survive and better serve its members, and ALPA is no different. There will be plenty of op-portunities for volunteer work, and we all hope you will consider giving your time.

hhMacroeconomic environment

hhAirline industry economics

hhAirline industry trends

hhRLA negotiation updates

hhDelta route network planning

hhDelta’s finances

hhDelta’s fleet plans

The purpose of the Strategic Planning Committee is to provide the MEC with information that can help them make decisions. We gather information about a variety of topics, including:


COMMITTEE REPORTS

DAL MEC | Delta Pilots Charitable Fund

The Delta Pilots Charitable Fund

(DPCF) has been doing great work since

1999, but can do much more and is ready to step up to the next level. On January 21, 2015, the board approved $21,000 in grants, and also approved a plan to expand the children’s charity significantly.

“The Delta pilots have led for years by having their own charity—but we can do better,” said Kingsley Roberts, an Atlanta-based 737 captain and newly elected chairman of the DPCF board. “This charity changes children’s lives in our communi-ties. We’re going to step it up.”

The DPCF has donated almost $1.4 million to worthy causes in pilot bases, and other cities with concentrations of Delta pilots, usually in response to a pilot’s request. All DPCF funding comes from Delta pilots’ tax-deductible charitable donations.

Although the fund occasionally grants money to large national groups, DPCF focuses on smaller local charities where the grants make a significant impact and

change children’s lives, specifically in the com-munities where Delta pilots live. By staying local and “small,” the Delta pilots make kids’ lives better every day through the DPCF.

The first quarter’s grants went to these five charities, four purely local and one a local chapter with a pilot connection:

hh The Bell Center in Birmingham, Ala., for early intervention for children with special needs.

hh AVPRIDE of Fayette County, Ga., toward after-school educational and safety programs.

hh The House of Providence in Detroit, Mich., a therapeutic home for minor wards of the state of Michigan who have little prospect for adoption.

hh The Florida Hemophilia Association to fund an educational symposium for children to help them understand and manage their bleeding disorders.

hh The Connecticut Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for research into the causes and cure for the most common fatal genetic disease in the United States.

Promoting health, education, and welfare of America’s most valuable resource—

Please consider making a donation today!

For more information, visit the Delta Pilots Charitable Fund at deltapilotscharitablefund.org or e-mail us at [email protected].

our children.

Each quarter, the DPCF board reviews grant requests and allocates a portion of donations to fund those requests while the remaining funds are saved and accumulated to fund a major grant every few years. Past major grants included a children’s hospital ambulance and playroom, vans for a children’s center, and a YMCA camp’s adventure area and perpetual scholarship endowment to benefit underprivileged kids.

The DPCF board wants to expand its giv-ing—and its donor base—to reflect the growing size and diversity of the Delta pilot group. In January, the board took steps to begin that process by adding a position for each pilot base. DPCF volunteers will speak to Delta new-hire classes, represent DPCF at local council meetings, and spend time in the lounges to increase pilot knowledge and donations.

“We know we just need to do a better job of getting the word out,” said Roberts. “And we intend to. Delta pilots are a gen-erous bunch.”

More information, contacts, grant applica-tions, and donation forms are available at www.deltapilotscharitablefund.org.

DPCF Expands, Spreads Your GenerosityBy First Officer Shannon O’Neal

http://deltapilotscharitablefund.org

mailto:dpcf%40alpa.org?subject=

http://www.DeltaPilotsCharitableFund.org

WINTER 2015 25

Dear DPCF Board members,

First, I want to thank you for the donation of the playroom at the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando, Florida (Pediatric Cardiac Unit). My understanding is that you created this room some time ago and I wonder how many times since then the families that have benefitted from your donation have reached out to say thank you.

Secondly, I wanted to tell you a bit of our story: Our youngest daughter, Mae Davey, was diagnosed in utero as having a ventricular septal defect (a hole between the two bottom chambers of her heart). On December 19, 2014, my husband, family, and dear friends faced the hardest day of our lives as Mae went into open heart surgery at 11 mos. of age to have that defect repaired. If you have not been through anything like that, you cannot begin to imagine the fear in our hearts. That surgery (from kiss goodbye to kiss hello) took 7½ hours, but we were surrounded by love, support, and encouragement the whole time. As we spent time in the pediatric cardiac ICU with our daughter over the next 3½ days, I was absolutely thrilled to see the sign posted outside of the playroom that it was sponsored by the Delta Pilots Charitable Fund. My husband is an aircraft mechanic for Delta Air Lines (in Baltimore, though we live in Orlando) and just seeing that sign made me feel like the Delta family was there with us, just another sign that we were in the right place, with the right team for our baby.

Thirdly, I wanted to share a photo of our amazing miracle girl with you all so that you could see just one child who benefitted from your donation and the family warmed by it as well. In the five weeks since her surgery, she has gained nearly three pounds and has grown nearly two inches! She is thriving and we feel as if the weight of the world has been lifted from us.

We learned a number of lessons while we were in the pediatric cardiac ICU, but not the least of which was to say thank you to our Delta family who supported this amazing hospital and program long before we ever knew we would need it someday.

Thank you again,

Scott, Catherine, Emma (11), Olivia (8), and Mae (now 1)

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COMMITTEE REPORTS

DAL MEC | Delta Pilots Charitable Fund


COMMITTEE REPORTS

PilotPartisanWe are ALPA. We are

Stay informed. Stay engaged.Advancing a pilot-partisan agenda in Washington, D.C., and Ottawa

Safety Is and Always Will Be Our Number One Priority

Posted on January 27, 2015

Securing the safety of our nation’s aviation system is our industry’s top priority. In order to maintain our standing as the safest air transport system in the world, we rely on a multilayer approach to security, using numerous strategies that all play important roles. One of those critical layers is the Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) program.

Since 2003, the FFDO program has been tremendously successful as a strong, ongoing deterrent against hijacking threats. FFDOs are cargo and passenger pilots who volunteer their personal time in order to receive the training required to become deputized FFDOs, and these pilot volunteers pay a portion of the expenses associated with the program. In total, thousands of ALPA pilots flying for cargo and passenger airlines have volunteered their time defending our airspace, securing nearly a million flight segments every year without any personal compensation.

The FFDO program is a proven and cost-effective component of transportation security in this country and has often been praised by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for the additional layer of protection it brings to air transportation.

2015 Congress Must Ensure Fair Competition for U.S. Airlines

Posted on January 14, 2015

It’s a new year and a new Congress. ALPA is making it clear to both new and incumbent lawmakers that we expect—and will accept nothing less than—fair competition in the global marketplace for our airlines.

In the face of business models such as Norwegian Air International (NAI), which seek to gain marketplace advantages by dodging national tax and employment laws and circumventing international air transport agreements, our U.S. government leaders must defend a free marketplace.

NAI has applied to the U.S. DOT for a foreign air carrier permit that would allow it to fly to and from the United States and compete directly with U.S. airlines on long-haul international routes. Its business scheme has the potential to affect each and every ALPA member. Mainline pilots’ jobs would be directly threatened by the out-of-balance competitive advantage that foreign competitors would receive under the business model. Moreover, the jobs of ALPA professionals…

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http://www.pilotpartisan.com

27WINTER 2015

COMMITTEE REPORTS

DAL MEC | Government Affairs

New Congress, Continuing Calls to ActionBy Captain Dino Atsalis Delta MEC Government Affairs Committee Chairman

On January 6, the 114th Congress began its first session, welcoming 67 newly elected senators and members of the House of Representatives. As the new Congress gets to work, so does your Government Affairs Committee, armed with the strong support of our fellow pilots. The Delta pilots have led the rest of ALPA with their example, participating in Calls to Action, as district advocates, and as ALPA-PAC contributors. Your vigilance and participation is crucial to our continuing success on Capitol Hill.

Legislation introduced previously in the 113th Congress will be reintroduced, and last year’s issues are still in play. Your advocacy as a constituent and stakeholder in the airline industry continues to influence our legislators and government officials. We need you to spread the word on Calls to Action—talk to your fellow pilots and let them know about this critical tool in promoting pilot interests. At the time of this writing, we have three Call-to-Action items:

1. Deny NAI By the time you read this article, the Department of Transpor-tation (DOT) may have already rendered a decision on the Norwegian Air International (NAI) application for a foreign air carrier permit. ALPA has taken the lead on this issue, and taken everyone involved by sur-prise. Grassroots action and a lot of time on the Hill have shown positive results; many senators and members of Congress have supported us with letters to the DOT, which rejected NAI’s application to operate under an exemption. The recent “cromnibus” spending bill also helped our cause, but NAI’s full application is still pending.

We need your help to put this in a box and bury it. Click the Call to Action; pick up the phone. Believe us—it makes a huge difference when all 12,000 of us do it! Grassroots action by stakeholders has given policy makers the backstop they need to resist the pressure to allow flag-of-convenience schemes.

2. Export-Import Bank Reauthorization The Ex-Im Bank’s two-year re-authorization was set to expire at the end of September 2014. Prior to the mid-term election recess last September, Congress authorized an extension while also agreeing to resolve the Bank’s reauthorization by the end of June 2015. Despite the pundit rhetoric, the Bank still plays a key role in getting American products (other than wide-body aircraft) to market, and simply shutting it down probably won’t happen.

ALPA continues to support the mission of the Export-Import Bank, and we will continue to push for reforms to accompany the upcoming reauthori-zation with the goal of ensuring that the Bank actually is the lender of last resort that it is intended to be. We will visit the Hill in late February on this issue, and your support from the local districts would serve as a force multiplier.

3. FFDO Funding Federal Flight Deck Off icer (FFDO) program funding in the 2016 budget is another priority, and the Call to Action for this is actually a message to President Obama. The president’s 2015 budget blueprint cut the funding for the FFDO pro-gram, and also eliminated staff positions at the Trans-portation Security Administration that are critical to maintaining the program. This is simply unsatisfactory, and needs to be addressed in the president’s budget for the 2016 fiscal year. We have been successful in maintaining funding through previous budget autho-rizations, but this has always come at the price of our direct involvement as stakeholders. Make the call, and preserve this cost-effective and successful program that keeps our cockpits secure.

#DEN

Y

NAI

The above descriptions of the Air Line Pilots Association PAC are not a solicitation to contribute to the PAC. Only ALPA members, ALPA executives, and senior administrative and professional staff personnel, and their immediate family members living in the same household, are eligible to contribute to ALPA-PAC. ALPA-PAC maintains and enforces a policy of refusing to accept contributions from any other source. ALPA members may learn more about ALPA-PAC and about contributing to ALPA-PAC by entering the members-only portion of www.alpa.org.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

29WINTER 2015

DAL MEC | Government Affairs

FAA Reauthorization As you may remember, the U.S. airline industry experienced sequestration and operation under 23 short-term exten-sions over a number of years before Congress enacted the current FAA reauthorization in February 2012. That reauthorization will expire at the end of this fiscal year, September 30, 2015. No one in Washington wants to revisit the painful experi-ence of multiple extensions, so last November the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee got the reauthorization process rolling with a hearing involving the full committee. ALPA’s goal is an on-time, long-term FAA bill with sustainable funding levels, and no extraneous or non-germane provisions. ALPA also has a laundry list of items to check off in the next FAA bill:

hh Continue NextGen development and implementation.

hh Prevent weakening of safety standards, especially with regard to training and qualification standards for pilots at FAR 121 carriers, and flight-time/duty-time regulations.

hh Ensure safe integration of unmanned aircraft, imposing the same standards as commercial aircraft if they occupy the same airspace, especially for collision avoidance. Pilots and controllers must be able to see them on their displays.

hh Eliminate the flight-time/duty-time carve-out for cargo carriers.

hh Install secondary cockpit barriers on our aircraft.

hh Set lithium battery packaging standards and limits on quantity.

hh Ensure automatic acceptance of voluntary safety reports.

hh Ensure authorization and funding of Human Intervention Motivation Study programs.

Delta’s Seattle-Haneda Service: In mid-December 2014, the DOT issued a “Haneda 2014–Insti-tuting Order” that provides an outline for the DOT’s reopening of the Haneda route case, where the northwest region could lose Delta’s service between Seattle and Haneda if the DOT awards the route to either American or Hawaiian. Following the procedural schedule in the order, on behalf of the Delta pilots, Delta MEC chairman Captain Mike Donatelli filed documents to the DOT docket in support of Delta Air Lines retaining the route between Seattle and Haneda.

Captain Donatelli and committee representatives also met early in 2014 with DOT representatives to discuss the importance of full access to Haneda, Tokyo’s close-in airport, which is currently restricted to four slot pairs for each country’s air carriers under the U.S.-Japan open skies agreement. To help Delta keep the route, the committee coordinated congressional support—letters addressed to DOT Secretary Foxx—from the full Washington state delegation as well as from Alaska and other states in the northwest. With Delta resuming operations to Haneda at the end of March, a decision is expected before the end of February.

As you can tell, the work doesn’t ever really stop on our com-mittee, and the game-changer for us has been the growing and steady support of line pilots taking the time and trouble to speak up on the issues affecting our profession. Support from the districts—especially in the form of ALPA-PAC participation—has made the difference in promoting our policy objectives. I thank you for your support, and hope that I have shown that what we do is worth much more than the time and trouble. The first lesson of the Hill is patience; the second lesson is that when good people work together they can accomplish anything. These fights are ours to win, all we have to do is keep faith with each other, speak from the heart of our professional authority, and back the PAC!

Delta at Sea-Tac.

Leadership from the Cockpit http://leadershipfromthecockpit.com

Pilot Partisan http://pilotpartisan.com

New Congress, Continuing Calls to Action Continued from page 27

ALPA’s Blogs

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COMMITTEE REPORTS

DAL MEC | Investor Relations

A recent Forbes article questioned Delta’s decision to purchase the Trainer Refinery based on what can best be described as the author’s own far-reaching assumptions. In this article, I will attempt to highlight some of the benefits of the refinery and its impact on Delta’s bottom line.

After a series of ne-gotiations, Delta pur-chased the Trainer Oil Refinery from Phillips 66 for $180M. Delta was also able to secure $30M in grants from the state of Pennsylva-nia to bring a dormant facility online, providing a much-needed boost to employment in the Philadelphia area. The Forbes author assumes that Delta was entering into the refining business as another source of revenue; however, the reality was that Delta purchased the refinery to ensure the continuity of the jet fuel supply to its major hubs in the New York area. This acquisition also provided some level of control over Delta’s largest single expense—jet fuel—which accounts for over one-third of its operating costs.

The Trainer facility went online in September 2012. Delta, through its subsidiary Monroe Energy, is able to refine 185,000 barrels per day, of which 40,000 barrels are jet fuel. Because it is physically impossible to refine 100 percent jet fuel from a barrel of oil, the Trainer facility also produces 145,000 barrels per day of nonjet products, the majority of which is gasoline and diesel. Because Delta purchased the refinery primarily for jet fuel, Monroe Energy developed a creative solution for the large amount of gasoline that it produced on a daily basis.

Agreements were negotiated with other oil companies—such as Phillips 66 and Trafigura—allowing Monroe to exchange the gasoline produced at Trainer for jet fuel throughout the United States and a limited number of international locations. This, in essence, establishes virtual refineries at Delta’s major hubs. These agreements effectively provide Delta with a cost advantage in its

Trainer Refinery, Delta’s Secret WeaponBy Captain Douglas RalphDelta MEC Investor Relations Committee Chairman

Delta purchased the refinery to ensure the continuity of the jet fuel supply to its major hubs in the New York area.

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Delta’s Trainer Oil Refinery.

31WINTER 2015

COMMITTEE REPORTS

DAL MEC | Investor Relations

jet fuel price without having to invest in any additional infrastruc-ture. When Trainer’s production rate is paired with Monroe’s exchange agreements, Delta is able to meet approximately 80 percent of its domestic fuel needs.

Delta has taken an additional step to further reduce costs by entering into a five-year contract with a logistics company to bring Bakken crude to the Trainer facility by rail. Under this contract, Trainer currently receives approximately 50,000 barrels per day by rail, which will soon increase to 65,000 barrels. In addition to this long-term contract, Monroe also negotiated limited term deals with other suppliers in the region to receive additional domestic crude. Monroe has also leased a “Jones Act” ship, which makes two trips per month from the Gulf of Mexico to Trainer, carry-ing 300,000 barrels per trip. Before these initiatives, Delta was sourcing West African and North Sea crudes at a delivered cost of approximately $4/bbl higher than the domestic crude coming from the Bakken fields.

One claim used in the Forbes article questioning Delta’s purchase of Trainer states that Delta already had a $0.09 advantage prior to the refinery acquisition. This was (presumably) based on a single data point, possibly taken from a fuel hedge position, and was not a consistent cost advantage throughout the year. The article claims that Delta continues to lose money on the refinery while ignoring the fact that the refinery has been profitable for the last three quarters, making it profitable for 2014. The author also states that Delta inherited “invariable environmental liabilities hidden in the dirt under the plant, a figure the airline refuses to share.” Anyone familiar with the purchase of such a facility would know that a benchmark of soil conditions was taken at the time of acquisition and remains the responsibility of the previous owners.

Delta measures the relative expense of jet fuel by comparing it to the low sulfur diesel price. As the supply of jet fuel coming into New York Harbor declined due to refinery closures, this price spread increased, meaning that jet fuel was becoming more expensive. The most obvious benefit, totally ignored in the ar-ticle, was that following the Trainer restart, this diesel-jet spread

Trainer Refinery, Delta’s Secret WeaponBy Captain Douglas RalphDelta MEC Investor Relations Committee Chairman

This acquisition also provided some level of control over Delta’s largest single expense—jet fuel—which accounts for over one-third of its operating costs.

improved by a sustained 2 to 3 cents per gallon on average. It should be noted that Delta consumes approximately 4 billion gallons of jet fuel per year, which means that for every penny of reduced cost, Delta nets $40M. Therefore, a 3 cent decline in the cost of jet fuel will save Delta $120M. While it is true that all airlines have benefited from the spread’s downward movement, Delta benefits from this decline to a greater degree because it is one of the largest consumers of jet fuel in the Northeast. In ad-dition to the price decline, the refinery is now profitable, which is a benefit for Delta that is not shared with our competitors. When all of the previously mentioned factors are added together, it is easy to see how the Trainer acquisition greatly contributes to Delta’s bottom line.

Aerial view of Delta’s Oil Refinery, Trainer, Pennsylvania.

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COMMITTEE REPORTS

DAL MEC | Retirement & Insurance

The change from the world of defined benefit retire-ment plans to one of defined contribution plans has brought some level of security, but it also comes with a heavy level of responsibility. As employees, we now

carry the burden of ensuring that our retirement funds are properly invested and adequate for our future in retirement. That can be a daunting task, especially as our 401(k) accounts grow.

In the Spring 2014 issue of the Widget, the R&I Committee discussed the need to make a plan. You can create that plan on your own, or you can engage a third party to craft and possibly implement a plan. The bookstore shelves are chock full of “how-to guides” and there are more than a few financial advisors willing to help you invest your money.

Before rushing off to your local bookstore or Stockbrokers “R” Us, take a look at what is available through your 401(k) account and via your union membership. Most of this is offered at that very attractive price point—free!

Fidelity Fidelity provides three levels of help. Let’s start with the most basic.

Lifecycle FundsThe Delta Pilot Savings Plan (DPSP) provides 27 core funds (plus BrokerageLink). These funds are categorized into four “tiers”—lifecycle, money market, index/sector funds, and a brokerage account. While perhaps not obvious, the lifecycle funds are really

a managed investment program. Lifecycle funds operate with several premises:

hh The fund will provide an appropriate level of diversification.

hh The risk level will be appropriate for the planned retirement date.

Lifecycle funds are designed so that you can place your entire DPSP account into the fund that corresponds to your planned retirement date, and not incur undue risk. These aren’t a flashy investment. You won’t enjoy Warren Buffet–style returns, but that isn’t the goal. The goal is to get you safely to retirement.

Financial EnginesOutside of the Lifecycle Funds, Fidelity relies on a company called Financial Engines to provide independent investment advice. Fi-nancial Engines (FE) is one of the larger independent investment advisors. While completely separate from Fidelity, your access to FE’s guidance is through Fidelity’s NetBenefits website; look for the link toward the bottom of the NetBenefits home page.

For do-it-yourselfers, the Financial Engines online advice option provides a recommended investment mix using the core funds in the DPSP. The mix of funds is based on parameters that you provide (income goals, level of risk tolerance, planned retirement age, etc.). The recommended investments will (and should) change as you approach retirement. You will need to periodi-cally monitor the recommendations and make changes when necessary. You will have two chores to ensure you are tracking

Tools for Managing Your 401(k)By Captain Mark Shanahan

Delta MEC Retirement and Insurance Committee

Before rushing off to your local bookstore or Stockbrokers “R” Us, take a look at what is available through your 401(k) account and via your union

membership. Most of this is offered at that very attractive price point—free!

33WINTER 2015

COMMITTEE REPORTS

DAL MEC | Retirement & Insurance

the online advice recommendations. First, set your contributions to match the recommendations. Second, periodically rebalance the DPSP account so total investments match the online advice recommendations. Financial Engines assists by providing you an e-mail message option to advise you when rebalancing in needed.

If you aren’t inclined to actively manage your account, you can enroll in Financial Engines Professional Management service, and it will actively manage your account. This includes distributing your contributions to the proper investment, and rebalancing those investments to maintain the planned mix. There are several important caveats to this service.

hh It is “all or nothing.” All of your DPSP funds (except those in BrokerageLink) will be actively managed by FE; you can’t place part of your DPSP funds into a lifecycle fund and have FE manage the rest. You won’t be able to change fund investments on your own unless you cancel the service.

hh If you hold Delta stock within the Delta Stock Fund in the DPSP account, that stock will be sold as part of the rebalancing. Delta stock held in BrokerageLink will not be sold.

hh FE’s Professional Management is the one service that is not free. A fee is charged based on the total value of your DPSP account (BrokerageLink assets are not included in this fee). The fee structure is:

It is important to note that FE operates as a fiduciary (that means their decisions must be in your best interest). They don’t offer investments for sale, and their fee is based on a percentage of account value.

Charles SchwabYour ALPA membership offers another source of investment-planning advice. Through ALPA National we have a preferred provider relationship with Charles Schwab’s Executive Services team. Here are some key benefits about Schwab’s service:

hh This service is provided by a small group of advisors dedicated to ALPA pilots. They are educated on the specifics of the DPSP and understand the nuances of retirement planning in the pilot career.

hh You don’t have to have an account with Schwab. The Executive Services team will provide an analysis and

consultation regardless of whether you have funds at Schwab.

hh The Executive Services financial consultant can help you develop a plan. If implemented outside of a Schwab account, the plan may be more broadly based. That is, it may recommend x% in a category of funds versus recommending a specific fund.

hh While Schwab does not represent this service as meeting the “fiduciary” standard, you can ask for an individual advisor that is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP). A CFP must meet the fiduciary level of care when providing advice.

Note: While this article focuses on advice available for managing your DPSP account, Schwab provides a range of services and discounts to ALPA pilots with a Schwab account. The February 2013 issue of Air Line Pilot highlighted these benefits. (See the ALPAToolBox column on page 30. The archived issue is acces-sible through www.alpa.org/epubs.) If you are a Schwab account holder and wish to utilize Schwab’s services for managing those accounts, a range of services are available.

This program has a dedicated website (schwab.com/alpa) and a dedicated phone number (877-648-4719), which you can use to schedule your no-fee consultation.

Disclosure: The Charles Schwab Corporation and its affiliates are unaffiliated with ALPA.

Third-Party FirmsThe Fidelity options look good. The Schwab advisor was nice and knowledgeable. But, Warren Buffet is your next-door neighbor and has convinced you to let him manage your money. Can he access your DPSP account or BrokerageLink account as a third-party advisor?

The answer depends on the account:

hh DPSP and the core funds? NO. He cannot

hh BrokerageLink? YES. He can

Note: A Charles Schwab consultant may not act as a third-party advisor in your Fidelity account.

To authorize an advisor to trade in your account, contact Fidelity and request a Limited Third-Party Trading Authorization and Indemnification Form.

The tools and resources at Fidelity and Charles Schwab are designed to do one thing—help you move forward with an investment plan. This has been just a broad overview of those tools. If you need more “how-to” guidance, contact Fidelity, Financial Engines, or Schwab. Your R&I Committee is here to assist as well.

DPSP Account Balance Annual Program FeeUp to $100,000 0.45%

$100,000-$250,000 0.35%

$250,000-$350,000 0.20%

Above $350,000 0.15%

http://schwab.com/alpa


Title Continued from page x

FEATURE ARTICLE


At 48 years old, I thought I was the picture of health. I had a physical and EKG completed just over a month ago and my primary care physician said my numbers looked the best they have looked in four years! My blood sugar was under the 100 mg/dL limit, my cholesterol was below the 200mg/dL limit, and every parameter on my complete blood count was in line!

January 5, 2015, started like any other day—running errands, working in the house, and picking up the kids. While waiting at the bus stop for my middle school–age child to come home, I felt a warm sensation similar to someone placing a ThermaCare heat pack on the left side of my chest. It was nothing alarming, but I called my wife anyway and explained my concern.

To her credit, she told me to me leave the bus stop, go home, chew two aspirin, and wait for her to arrive. By the time she made it to the house 10 minutes later, she said that I was complaining of a sharp pain in my chest similar to a fire poker being pushed in one spot. I was agitated and pac-

What Do You Mean, I Had a Heart Attack?By First Officer Dale Horton

ing around the kitchen. She loaded me in the car and we started toward the hospital emergency room. (I have little recollection of these events!)

We had barely made it to the end of the street when I went into full cardiac ar-rest! I’m painting this picture so you can be aware of how quickly heart issues can

escalate. You must be aware of the signs and symptoms of cardiac problems, and remember that this can happen to an otherwise apparently healthy individual!

From the time I felt the warmth on my chest to full cardiac arrest was a total of 30 minutes. Think about that for a minute—within the space of an Andy Griffith Show rerun, I had gone from healthy, happy 48-year-old to full cardiac arrest.

Living in Florida, the heat part was not alarming. I had turned off the car and was waiting for my son to arrive from school on a very warm day. I had been working at the house, doing manual labor, and could easily have been experiencing a mild heat exhaustion, possibly my body just needed to cool down. I had any number of excuses.

But I remained in constant contact with my wife, and her immediate recognition of my symptoms was the first step toward saving my life.

By the end of our street, as I was in full cardiac arrest, she started immediate CPR, assisted by a Good Samaritan (who also happens to be an ExpressJet captain and fellow ALPA member) and kept up the CPR until paramedics could arrive. You see, a lot of things had to fall into place for me to be here writing this down: recognition, knowledge, action, timing, co-incidence (right guy, right time, right place).

I have no history of heart disease in my fam-ily. I eat a healthy diet (the flight attendants on international flights help with that as we usually get chicken as our default choice), and I exercise regularly with intensity. This whole thing happened very quickly, but did not manifest itself in what I have been taught are the classic signs and symptoms.

Heart attack symptoms vary widely. You may have only minor chest discomfort while someone else has excruciating pain.

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35WINTER 2015

COMMITTEE REPORTS


DAL MEC | Hotel

RESOLUTION 1 Address our most challenging hotels

LAX-S Four Points SheratonThis hotel has received a consistent flow of negative FCRs. Many of those concern the transportation situation, although a signifi-cant portion also address the property’s poor quality. We desire a better location, including reliable transportation, and our top goal is to move to a property that better addresses our crews’ layover needs.

The best way to help us (and your fellow pilots) is to continue to submit an FCR every time you have issues at the Four Points

SAN Wyndham BaysideThis hotel continues to be the only disapproved hotel where Flight Ops has elected to place pilots. We continue to get a steady stream of negative FCRs addressing this property. This hotel ranks #2 in complaints behind the LAX Sheraton Four Points. We will continue to seek a better property for our layover in SAN.

RESOLUTION 2 Improve pick-up and travel timesWe want to eliminate the confusion generated by “sign-in” sheets at our hotels; the sheet says one thing, but the reality is often different. Times are often changed so that vans can “double up” with additional crews, and courtesy vans are notorious for run-ning on a schedule that is incompatible with the times shown on the sheet. We want to see the time listed match the time you actually go to work.

The other issue is the travel time itself. In New York City, we continue to see pilots arriving at the airports 1+15 to 1+40 prior to pushback. Delta uses the “worst-case” times to ensure op-erational reliability. That’s all well and good, but nobody likes the situation when they have a pickup at 0620 for a 0845 pushback and then they find themselves arriving at EWR or JFK at 0645.

The root cause of both these problems is an issue with Delta technology. Corporate Travel Services (CTS) has the ability to adjust the pick-up times by the time of day (so midday should be shorter than rush hour), but they cannot adjust for day of the week (so it is not uncommon that on weekends and holidays you will almost always be early). We have been able to identify

the solution for this issue and will continue to pursue a software upgrade that enables CTS to more accurately set the pick-up times. When this happens to you, please file an FCR and let your LEC reps know about the problems as well.

Update from DAL 44Finally, I’d like to switch gears and print a portion of an article written for an upcoming Delta Council 44 Roar newsletter by that council’s Hotel chairman, Captain Joe Standridge. I feel it is timely and deserves the wider distribution the Widget offers:

New Year’s Resolutions for 2015By Captain Tom Tinsley Delta MEC Hotel Committee Chairman

Consensus Building

It’s New Year’s Day, and tonight I’ll fly the redeye from McCarran International back to Hartsfield Jackson Inter-national. Happy New Year! If you haven’t had a layover in LAS, the hotel is decent. It’s in a location that, while not on the strip, is very close. It features a nice workout facility, the rooms are quiet and sizeable, the beds are comfortable, and there are numerous dining options. It’s not the Bellagio by a long stretch, but it’s clean, quiet, and comfortable. All in all, most Delta pilots would agree that the hotel is fine.

So what makes a property acceptable to the Delta pilot?

When we conduct a site visit to a new or existing market, this is the most commonly asked question by the staff at the hotel we’re inspecting. My response is pretty straight-forward—we want to be promptly picked up and checked in. We want the hotel to be clean, quiet, and secure. We want the room we’re occupying to be at a comfortable temperature regardless of the temperature outside. We want free WiFi, a wide array of food choices, and a fully equipped exercise facility.


What Do You Mean, I Had a Heart Attack? Continued from page 34

New Year’s Resolutions for 2015 Continued from page 35

A quick Google search for heart attack signs and symptoms resulted in a Mayo Clinic list including:

hh Chest discomfort or pain

hh Upper body pain

hh Stomach pain

hh Shortness of breath

hh Anxiety

hh Lightheadedness

hh Sweating

hh Nausea and vomiting

The Mayo site continues: Most heart attacks begin with subtle symptoms—with only discomfort that often is not described as pain. The chest discomfort may come and go. Don’t be tempted to downplay your symptoms or brush them off as indigestion or anxiety.

The Hotel Committee is given access to all FCRs relating to lodging. It is common for an FCR to start with, “This is the first time I have complained,” and the company is fortunate that so many of us just want to fly their trips and go home. Consequently, when you see a large number a complaints about one particular property, you can be confident there is a problem.

Your Hotel Committee is composed of about 20 vol-unteers representing every base and almost every seat position, from the top of the seniority list to the bottom. We have spent a great deal of time considering what makes for a proper layover, and in our reports to the MEC we have shared our ideas for changing the pilot working agreement to improve our layovers.

The hotel industry has quietly gained traction in pricing power as the economy has improved. As hotel contracts renew, the old price points don’t buy as much as they used to. The Hotel Committee’s concern is the PWA, which serves as the framework for everything we do. When you notice that a hotel isn’t suitable, please do your part by submitting an FCR and e-mailing your LEC reps; this closes the loop on the problem and focuses the attention of our union.

Thank you for your support, and sweet dreams!

Don’t “tough out” heart attack symptoms for more than five minutes. Call 911 or other emergency medical services for help.

If you don’t have access to emergency medical services, have someone drive you to the nearest hospital. Drive yourself only as a last resort, if there are absolutely no other options.

Heart attack symptoms vary widely. For instance, you may have only minor chest discomfort while someone else has excruciating pain. One thing applies to everyone, though: If you suspect you’re having a heart attack, call for emergency medical help immediately.

Among all of these symptoms, I felt only warmth, not a classic indicator by the medical definition and only 30 minutes from first indication to full cardiac arrest. I say this to underscore the last statement from the Mayo Clinic: call for emergency medical help immediately! Never ever assume “this cannot happen to me.”

There are plenty of medical cases of heart attacks happening to youthful individuals. Cases in point, two people with whom I have crossed paths were less than 40 years old when they had their cardiac event. Danny Wilson is a firefighter and absolute fitness nut. He had the same thing happen at the age of 39. Sarah Klena, who was a schoolteacher to my children, active individual, and marathon runner, had a heart attack at the age of 31. She was turned away from clinics and hospitals multiple times until finally her troponin levels (which detect heart disorders) began to elevate. You can read her story at http://heartattackat31.blogspot.com. She has been featured on the Doctor Oz show as well as Good Housekeeping magazine.

I was eager to get this information out and published in the Widget, as February is American heart month. What better time to begin an awareness campaign among my fellow Delta pilots that what happened to me can certainly happen to any one of us?

Remember, heart issues can escalate very quickly so seek help im-mediately; know the classic signs, but be aware that each individual manifests differently (particularly in women)—you may have no signs at all. Even if you have no history, think about early heart screening and preventive measures you can take on behalf of your heart. Do all the other standard stuff—get your blood checked, take your statins if that is what you and your doctor have agreed upon, keep yourself in shape, watch your diet. And even after having done all that, never, ever, ever think this could not happen to you! I did and I almost paid the ultimate price! Glad to be here, and you can look for me back on the line, because life is good!

FEATURE ARTICLE

http://heartattackat31.blogspot.com

http://heartattackat31.blogspot.com

37WINTER 2015

COMMITTEE REPORTS

DAL MEC | Training


As growth has accelerated at Delta Air Lines, more pilots are entering training, and, on occasion, a pilot makes a misstep. When this happens, the pilot enters a program at Delta calls Special Training and Checking (STaC).

What is STaC?STaC is Delta’s method for complying with the FAA re-quirement (Public Law 111-216: Colgan Air) to maintain a program for monitoring pilots who demonstrate defi-ciencies or failures under Delta’s Advanced Qualification Program (AQP).

Where is the STaC program documented? It’s documented in the FOM, Part 2 (online version), Chap-ter 15. It is also available in the content locker. Additional background on this program is available at: www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/rulemaking/recently_published/media/RIN-2120-AJ00.pdf, beginning on page 55.

How does a pilot enter STaC?FOM Part 2 states the following: “Delta affords certain crewmembers the opportunity for additional training based on their performance.” Delta accomplishes this through STaC, which is a way to provide an additional training op-portunity to the pilot that focuses on any area in which he or she needs additional training. The deficiencies that may place a pilot in STaC are curriculum-based and listed below. More detailed information can be found in FOM Part 2.

Initial Qualification:

hh Failure to complete the maneuvers validation (34x) on the first attempt

hh Failure of the LOE (44x) on the first attempt

Continuing Qual (CQ), Special Requal (SRQ), or Normal Requal (NRQ):

hh Failure to obtain a satisfactory (S) grade on the first attempt of the Operational Systems Validation (SV)

hh Failure to be recommended for the MV or LOE

hh Failure to obtain a grade of “S” on the first attempt of the MV

hh Failure of the LOE on the first attempt

Line Flying:

hh Failure of an on-line evaluation

hh “Situation B,” the line check pilot judges the first leg of a line check to be “competent” but requires an additional leg(s) to reconcile any pilot performance

concerns

Management Discretion: hh Basically, any time a pilot’s “overall performance

and/or judgment merits additional management attention”

How do I know if I am in STaC?The instructor should clearly state that the pilot will be entered into STaC. In addition, the FOM states that any time STaC has been initiated, the chief pilot will issue a letter informing the pilot that he or she has been placed in STaC. The letter will explain why the pilot is being placed in STaC and describe the requirements necessary to complete any training or checking (in “Situation B,” a letter will not be issued, the pilot needs to ask if he or she will be placed in STaC). The type of training and/or checking a pilot receives is tailored to the area of deficiency identified by the instruc-tor. The STaC events will be accomplished within three to five months after successfully completing the event that caused the STaC.

FAQs on STaC By Captain Ed Mueller, First Officer Eric Schafhauser, First Officer Andy Luce, and Captain Steve BarnesDelta MEC Training Committee

Expect to have a Systems Validation (either operational or electronic) and, at a minimum, at least one day of simulator training. If checking is required, you’ll have one day of training followed by a second day of checking.

http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/rulemaking/recently_published/media/RIN-2120-AJ00.pdf



COMMITTEE REPORTS


DAL MEC | Membership

On a different topic, you may have noticed we have occasionally posted Vectors articles in reference to ALPA anniversary pins. National will complete a total audit of all ALPA carriers by this fall, and thereafter the process will be automated. Until then, if you have reached a five-year anniversary starting at 10 years and every five years after that, you can request new pins in a variety of ways. The easiest way is to go to dal.alpa.org, sign in, hover over “quick links,” select “MY ALPA,” then “ALPA Pin, Card & Ballot Request.” You can also e-mail [email protected] with your request, call ALPA Membership Admin-istration at 800-FLY-ALPA, or you can e-mail me at [email protected] and I will forward the info to National for you. Remember that any previous ALPA car-rier at which you were employed counts as total years of ALPA membership.

As retirements start to ramp up, many of you will be interested in knowing your projected seniority number each year until you retire. There is a graphic on the ALPA website that will show you just that. The numbers are approximate, and worst case as they assume everybody goes until normal retirement. Again, go to dal.alpa.org, and sign in. Below the large MEC banner, click on “My Page,” and there you will find two tabs. The default will be “Pilot Info,” and the next tab is labeled “Senior-ity.” Click on “Seniority” to see what your projected seniority number will be each

year until you retire. Also, while you are on the page, there are buttons on the right to update your address and web preferences.

The following is a year-end summary of 2014 new-hire demographic data:

Stats on Our New HiresBy Captain Bill SawtelleDelta MEC Membership Committee Chairman

Men93%

Women7%

Civilian: 509 (53%)

Military: 455 (47%)

2014 was a huge year for the Membership Committee. We welcomed 964 new pilots to Delta and our union in 29 classes, with the largest class being 76 strong. 2015 will start out with much larger classes than the beginning of 2014, and we expect 400 additional pilots on property by the end of April. There is no official number beyond that, but it very likely that this robust hiring schedule will continue. As of this writing we have 12,431 pilots on the seniority list.

TOTAL NEW HIRES964

FLIGHT TIME3,837,488(TOTAL HOURS)

Average 8,585

Least 2,300

Most 25,000

MILITARY BACKGROUND454(TOTAL)

Total Hours 1,581,517

Average 2,300

Least 1,500

Most 8,500

USAF: 347 (76%)

USN: 67 (15%)

USMC: 39 (8.7%)

USCG: 1 (.3%)

29 classes in 2014, including 964 new hires. There are two pilots who actually arrive on-property in January 2015, but have 2014 seniority numbers.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

39WINTER 2015

DAL MEC | Membership

BACKGROUNDEndeavor 188 (37%)* DCI ALPA

Compass 137 (27%)* DCI ALPA

ExpressJet 67 (13%) DCI ALPA

SkyWest 37 (7%) DCI

Air Wisconsin 13 (2.5%) ALPA

Republic 10 (2%) ALPA

Envoy 9 (1.5%)

JetBlue 6 (1%) ALPA

MAG 5 (1%) ALPA

Aarons Inc. 1

AirTran 3 ALPA

ASTAR 1

Atlas 1

Cathay 1

CommutAir 1 ALPA

Delta Private Jets 2

Emirates 2

Executive Air Share 1

Foresight Energy 1

Frontier 2

GoJet 1 DCI

Horizon Air 1

Linear Air 1

Malone Air Charter 1

NetJets 2

AGEYoungest

27 (August 26, 1987)

Oldest

61 (October 19, 1953)

Average

39 (September 29, 1975)

AeroSim TechnologiesAir Mekong (2)AlohaAir Cargo ExpressBoeingNetJetsRiverside ResearchCubic TechnologiesAvantairAvenge Inc.BemidjiBig SkyChampionCitationAirChicago ExpressCommuter Air TechnologyDynamic AviationEagle Aviation Resources GroupEmpire AirwaysFAA

Flight SafetyPakistani Air Force (Mirage drivers)German Air Force (2)Hawker Beechcraft/RaytheonIndependence AirMidwayIsland AirKalitta AirKitty HawkL-3 CommunicationsLeTourneau UniversityMiami AirSilverOmni AirPenAirPurdue UniversitySanford Air MedicalScenic AirlinesSegrave AviationSkyway AirlinesEaton CorporationU.S. CustomsWalt Disney CompanyHoneywellWipaire

OTHER CARRIERS AND COMPANIES OUR PILOTS HAVE WORKED FOR:

*Includes flows, SSP, and OTS (off the street)

North American 2 ALPA

Northrop Grumman 1

PSA 1 ALPA

Shuttle America 4 DCI

Spirit 1 ALPA

Southwest 1

United 1 ALPA

US Airways 1

Virgin America 2

XOJet 1

4 2 4Some new hires have come from some interesting backgrounds:


COMMITTEE REPORTS

DAL MEC | Training

FAQs on STaC Continued from page 37

What can I expect in STaC?In general, expect to have a Systems Validation (either operational or electronic) and, at a minimum, at least one day of simulator training. If checking is required, you’ll have one day of training followed by a second day of checking. STaC as a result of on-line evaluation failures, “Situation B,” or management discretion will generate training and/or checking as directed by the company.

If you find yourself in STaC, be prepared for your training when it occurs. You can find the specifics of what to expect in the FOM, Part 2, Chapter 15. The student copy of the Delta Instructor Guide (located on your fleet’s page on DeltaNet) contains cur-riculum information for each simulator session. You can also call the fleet managers for your aircraft, and they can verify what you’ll be doing in your training. As always, you can call one of the MEC Training Committee members or your LEC Training volunteers, and we can answer any questions. Make sure you are ready for your Systems Validation—either operational or electronic, as you’ll definitely be doing one or the other.

The best way to avoid STaC is to do what you should already be doing. Be prepared when you show up for training. Keep up with the latest procedural changes for line operation. Maintain proficiency in both automated and hand-flown flight. And finally, don’t let your life outside Delta keep you from maintaining the proficiency you need to do your job!

We would like Delta pilots to be aware that Delta, to the best of the Training Committee’s knowledge, is the only major airline that has a management-discretion STaC program. In the Training Committee’s opinion, management-discretion STaC must only be assigned for deficiencies in performance, and should not be assigned because of background differences, a personality conflict with the student, and definitely never punitively.

If you find yourself in management-discretion STaC and you truly believe it was not because of overall performance, please contact a Training Committee representative.

41WINTER 2015

COMMITTEE REPORTS

DAL MEC | Code Share

From a historical standpoint, the industry has many examples where managements have transferred (or attempted to trans-fer) jobs to foreign countries with lower labor expenses. In the mid-1990s, FedEx attempted to establish an off-seniority-list pilot base in the Philippines. FedEx’s plan was to avoid U.S. labor law protection and representation under a collective bargaining agreement. In 2000, Atlas Air Cargo sought to create an offshore staffing subsidiary, Atlas Air Crew Services, to fly international wet-lease operations with non-seniority-list pilots. Using bankruptcy set asides, United management briefly operated a joint venture with Aer Lingus in 2010, without United’s pilots, airplanes, or crews. ALPA was successful in shutting down each of these operations after ex-tensive negotiation and lawsuits, negotiat-ing hiring off-the-seniority-list pilots while limiting the off-list operations until attrition could wind down the alter ego entities.

The news for Qantas has not been as good. In 2004, Qantas management

started Jetstar Asia, based in Singapore. In 2008, the entity expanded by purchas-ing a significant part of Vietnam’s Pacific Airlines and rebranding itself as Jetstar Pacific. Through Jetstar entities, joint ven-tures now include Jetstar Japan and Jetstar Airways on Qantas’ own home turf. This includes Australia and New Zealand, as well as Hong Kong and China. In 2014, Qa-ntas’ plan included a 16 percent reduction in company employees. While announcing the news, their chief executive said: “the airline continued to see major opportuni-ties for its Jetstar subsidiary in Asia.”

The scope provisions in our Delta pilot contract are unique in their complexity. The careful crafting of our agreements are driven by the need to secure gains in wages, work rules, and benefits, and ensure management does not move our work to other pilots. Our Master Execu-tive Council and committee structure have done very innovative work in reaching first-of-its-kind agreements. Our unique pace is driven by the need to proactively engage with Delta’s management team, as the Company reacts quickly to market opportunities. Your pilot working agree-

Delta confirms

$14 billion order

for 50 widebody

Airbus jets

—Reuters, November 20, 2014

Delta strikes pilot deal to keep

jobs from outsourcing to Virgin

—Bloomberg, December 31, 2014

International Scope— Watching It All Come TogetherBy First Officer Tom DilbeckDelta MEC Code Share Committee

“The January 2015 AE/Surplus is one of the

larger bids we have post-ed . . . we are experienc-

ing increasing demand for all mainline flying,

including the 744.”—Andy Hummel

GM–Flight Operations Crew Resources,

January 2, 2015

Scope essentially defines who is a “Delta pilot” and who performs Delta flying. The cornerstone of our career progression and pro-

tection is Section 1.C.1. of the pilot working agreement, which states inclusively, “All fly-ing performed by or for the Company or any Company affiliate will be performed by pilots in accordance with the terms and conditions of this PWA.” Traditional scope language has served well in a basic form at airlines like Southwest, where Company flying is easily defined. Delta Air Lines is a fundamentally different international business that engages in basic code-share relationships, joint venture agreements, and now equity (ownership) positions in international flag carriers. In such a complex business, how do we define our flying, thus ensuring career progression and protection?

Your international scope protection has been carefully crafted to maximize the flying

performed by Delta pilots by allowing the Company

to pursue profitable endeavors while at the

same time ensuring Delta pilots maintain a fair share

of Delta’s international business.


COMMITTEE REPORTS



ment is strongly complemented by ALPA’s advocacy for a sound national aviation policy and ALPA-PAC’s work on specific issues affecting Delta pilots. This includes: Haneda airport access, protecting Delta’s slots from American and other carriers who would like to take them away one at a time, and fighting Norwegian Air International’s flag-of-convenience scheme.

The untold story is how these protections begin with relationships. Almost imme-diately after learning of Delta’s intent to purchase Singapore’s 49 percent stake in Virgin Atlantic, our ALPA representatives met with our counterparts at the Virgin Atlantic Company Council of the British Air Line Pilots Association. They agreed that pilot unity would be maintained so as not to diminish career expectations by le-veraging one pilot group against the other. The product of an entire team’s work is the ratification of the first ever global production balance, codified in our PWA in the Virgin Atlantic joint venture letter of agreement. This agreement expands our 1 E. 3. and 8. protection tenfold, ensuring Delta pilots maintain our three-to-one size advantage over Virgin Atlantic and guarantees that, during a downturn, Delta’s flying cannot be transferred by dispropor-tionately shrinking its share.

This article seeks to provide you with a high level overview of our scope protec-tions as they apply to Delta’s interna-tional sales, marketing, and operations. The PWA remains the definitive source of this information, and provisions cited in this article have been simplified for length and readability.

Follow the MoneyOne way to better understand Section 1 is to follow the revenue flow. Your interna-tional scope protection has been carefully crafted to maximize the flying performed by Delta pilots by allowing the Company to pursue profitable endeavors while at the same time ensuring Delta pilots maintain a fair share of Delta’s international business.

Code-share arrangements pay the oper-ating carrier for the work they do. The United States is a profitable market. Each code-share partner maximizes its earn-ings by flying passengers on their own equipment whenever feasible. We should welcome the WestJet passengers who board our jet at New York LaGuardia, as these passengers are likely flying a leg on Delta they might not otherwise have purchased. This increased demand fills our jets, drives prices marginally higher, and further increases Delta’s profitability.

Delta’s current code-share partners are the 19 SkyTeam Alliance members, Alaska Airlines, GOL Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, and Olympic Air. Your MEC Code Share Committee monitors code-share metrics monthly per Sections 1 E. “Permitted Ar-

rangements with Foreign Air Carriers” and 1 O. “Permitted Arrangements Pursuant to the Alaska Marketing Agreement.” To drill down into Section 1 E. 2. a.-c., Delta is limited to selling, on a monthly average city-pair basis, no more than 40 percent of the passenger seats on any pair of flight seg-ments, 175 total seats (excluding Canada, Caribbean, Central America, Mexico) per flight segment, or 75 total seats (Canada, Caribbean, Central America, Mexico). The take away from this contract language is that when there is sufficient demand on

a route that can be flown with a Delta jet, the Company not only has an economic incentive, but also a contractual require-ment, to use Delta pilots.

Additionally, if the Company wishes to sell code-share tickets on overlapping routes Delta could have flown utilizing its Fifth Freedom rights between Japan and Asian cities, we ensure Delta operates at least 85 percent of the total aircraft block hours of Pacific flying during the previous 12-month period. While we have observed changes in Delta’s code-share offerings, the Com-pany has been well above compliance, typically flying 16 to 17 percent more than the minimum required.

Joint venture agreements are revenue- and/or profit-sharing arrangements where

the partners allocate and share revenues and/or expenses by mutual agreement. The U.S. DOT recognizes that joint ven-tures (JVs) may include blocked-space arrangements, long-term wet-leases, and circumstances where more than 15 percent of an airline’s available seat miles are affected. From a labor perspective, JVs are similar to a cross-border merger of carriers—managed as a common net-work, indifferent to which airline operates their jointly marketed product. This type of arrangement occurs when the legal

Section 1 E. 2. e. Pacific Flying Trends

International Scope Continued from page 41

100,000

125,000

150,000

175,000

200,000

225,000

250,000

4Q14 1Q14 2Q14 3Q14Rolling 12 Mo. Block Hours Required Block Hours

COMMITTEE REPORTS


and regulatory environment, pragmatic restraints, and other business consider-ations prevent or discourage full corporate mergers. In the airline arena, this concept is often referred to as “metal neutrality.” Absent contractual protection in our PWA, this type of arrangement presents the potential for the transfer of flying to the lowest-cost operator. However, with pro-tections in the Scope section of the PWA, Delta pilots can leverage international JVs, and JVs often provide opportunities for growth, profitability, and career progres-sion. Simply put, size matters. Network diversity and the ability to concentrate traffic flows amongst carriers lends itself to more robust networks and more profit-able international operations. The PWA contains general JV protections in Sec-tions 1 E. 3. and 1. E 8.–9.; it also contains specific provisions in Sections 1 N. and P. that establish production balance levels for the Virgin Australia and Air France/KLM/Alitalia joint ventures.

The Air France/KLM/Alitalia joint venture agreement, Section 1 P., was designed to ensure Delta pilots operate half of the ca-pacity in the long-term agreement among Delta’s European partners. Allowing for some flexibility, a 1.5 percent variance was agreed to, placing a bottom limit on Company flying at 48.5 percent. In June 2010, the European bundle of flying was made larger by the inclusion of Alitalia, reducing Delta’s actual flown percentage from 51.7 percent to 47.3 percent. The Company agreed to grow to 50 percent in the ensuing years. And because we measure compliance in EASKs, and Delta operates a large fleet of smaller 767-300ER aircraft, Delta’s share of the block hours has historically been higher. Typically, we have one-year measurement periods in these agreements to allow for seasonal travel flows, and one-year cure periods, but in this case the window was expanded to 36 months to allow Delta time to grow and the partners to adjust. The growth never occurred, as Delta chose to increase flying in the Pacific. While the recent trend is positive, the Company is not expected

to be in compliance at the end of the cure period on March 31, 2015, violating our agreement. While this noncompliance is being watched very closely, exact data will have to wait for the end of the measure-ment period.

The Virgin Australia Joint Venture Agree-ment, Section 1 N., measures weekly frequencies to ensure Delta pilots fly at least half the weekly round trips between the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Australia. We allow the joint venture the flexibility to grow with the trigger set at 21 weekly round trips, at which point Delta

would have to grow to 11 or more, should Virgin operate 22. During a downturn, Delta must fly at least 5 weekly frequen-cies and Virgin would have to reduce to 14 frequencies or less. The nature of the Virgin Australia JV commercial agreement

is that as Delta pilots perform more flying, Delta profits should increase.

Equity acquisition is not entirely unlike a joint venture, though there are significant differences. The commingling of assets and capital investment as well as the degree of the acquirer’s control can potentially be

PWA Compliance Measurement for Delta’s JV Flying

Virgin Atlantic Joint Venture, Section 1 R. Global Production Balance by Widebody Aircraft

Source: OAG (December 8, 2014 snapshot) and E&FA analysis

46%

47%

48%

49%

50%

51%

52%

53%

Mar-13 Jun-13 Sep-13 Dec-13 Mar-14 Jun-14 Sep-14 Dec-14 Mar-15 Jun-15 Sep-15

Delta JV EASKs as % of Total JV EASKsRolling 36 Month

51.5% upper band

50.0% target for AF-KL-AZ JV

48.5% lower band

Measurement date Cure date

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Delta

Int

l. W

ide-

body

Jets

Virgin Atlantic Intl. Wide-body Jets

DL at 141 AC (130B ASKs)

DL ASK change of ±12.5%Must maintain at least 68.02% of combined ASKs

VS at 38 AC (50B ASKs)

DL at ~124 AC and VS at ~41 ACIf DL were to shrink one more ASK

then VS would have to shrink from 41 AC to 38 AC

Once DL ASK shrinks more than 12.5%,must maintain at least 69.46% of combined ASKs


43WINTER 2014

COMMITTEE REPORTS



International Scope Continued from page 43

perilous for labor. Delta owns 49 percent of Virgin Atlantic, at least 15 percent of Aeroméxico, and around 3 percent of Brazilian carrier GOL. In addition to this equity interest, Delta maintains three seats on Virgin Atlantic’s Board of Directors, and one seat on Aeroméxico’s and GOL’s Board of Directors. If Delta exceeds a 25 percent equity interest in a foreign carrier protections, PWA Section 1 E. 3. prevents the Company from reducing block hours from our country to that of the foreign air-line, measured monthly, over a 12-month look-back basis.

The Virgin Atlantic Joint Venture Agree-ment, Section 1 R., takes our widebody production balance global, and maintains Delta’s three-to-one widebody fleet size relative to Virgin Atlantic on a global wide-body available seat kilometer (ASK) basis. Specific Heathrow protection includes 5,860 Delta flights yearly through 2020. Graphically represented, we see flat areas

where the percentages adjust; effectively creating an accelerated downside penalty should Delta reduce its flying. There is slightly greater flexibility to grow Virgin Atlantic with Delta growth.

If you allow the mixing of metrics and convert ASKs into (the more easily un-derstood) block hours, we can make some quick comparisons before and after the Virgin Atlantic JV agreement. Compared to the preexisting contract language, the Vir-gin Atlantic agreement protects 576,775 annual international widebody block hours. This far exceeds the 347,269 annual block hours currently protected in transatlantic joint venture language, and the 56,812 annual block-hour f loor between the United States and the United Kingdom (previously protected by Section 1 E. 3.). With this new production balance, Delta is practically limited to a 13 percent ASK reduction. Without this agreement, Delta could contractually pull down flying by 48

percent. Most importantly, this production balance means Delta pilots are guaranteed to share a growth ratio of at least 3 to 1 in good times, and have downside protec-tions in adverse circumstances.

The Big PictureDelta has used code sharing and joint ven-tures to add to its core route network, and it has gained additional important access to areas like Latin America and to London’s (tightly slot-constrained) Heathrow air-port. These agreements are creating more profitable flying for Delta Air Lines and, in turn, the Delta pilots. We are fortunate to now enjoy the tailwind of profitability alongside our historically collaborative re-lationship with the Company. Your Code Share Committee is continuously analyzing data and reporting to your MEC. We will continue to work toward advancing your career progression while ensuring our protections have strength to endure.

Widebody Scope Protections by Block-Hour Equivalent

Total Int'l Widebody Flying662,403 Block Hours

Virgin Atlantic JV 87%576,775 Block Hours

Air France, KLM, Alitalia JV 52%

347,269 Block Hours

Pacific Flying 27%181,424 Block Hours

COMMITTEE REPORTS

45WINTER 2015


During the last four years I have had the honor of serving as the Delta MEC Code Share Committee

chairman. We are the committee primar-ily responsible for monitoring our PWA for Section 1 compliance and reporting relevant data and metrics to the MEC on a regular basis.

I was hired in 2001, and after five short months on the property, was furloughed for the next five years. During my furlough, I saw mainline narrowbody pilot positions evaporate as the parent companies of airlines restructured and 50-seat regional jets became the industry darling. Ironically, as oil started its steady climb above $20/bbl, these high-CASM (cost per available seat mile) aircraft simultaneously infected the income statements and balance sheets of the parent companies and partially contributed to bankruptcy filings at most major carriers.

During the furloughed chapter of my career, I had an opportunity to work as a senior analyst in Delta’s Network Planning Department. Once new (post-bankrupt-cy) leadership emerged amongst Delta’s senior management team, I witnessed a paradigm shift—Delta made the decision to gradually return to being a mainline-fo-cused airline. While the majority of capac-ity (available seat miles) and aircraft block hours have historically been operated by the mainline, the proliferation of regional jets caused the majority of departures to shift to favor Delta Connection. It’s hard to fathom, but during the last decade, the ma-jority of Delta’s system-wide departures, and associated customer experiences (on a per-event basis), were flown by non-Delta employees, in an operation known for service problems.

When I volunteered for the Code Share Committee at ALPA, and later par-ticipated in the Contract 2012 Section 1 working group, I realized we needed to find a mechanism to reverse this trend. We needed to ensure that there was more mainline in the good times, and that, if another downturn occurred, both Delta and Delta Connection would share in the reductions. We developed the table now found in PWA Section 1 B. 46 f., Exception 1. This is the contract language that first

requires the addition of small narrowbody aircraft (such as 717s) at mainline, and then permits some additional 76-seat aircraft, and further mandates a larger and perma-nent reduction in 50-seat aircraft. It also triggers a minimum ratio of flying between mainline narrowbody (plus domestic 767) and Delta Connection aircraft, measured annually, and found in PWA Section 1 D. 9. This ratio also protects mainline flying should block hours be threatened during a future economic downturn. As you can

The Mainline Trifecta2014 Was the Year that Mainline Captured a Majority of the Capacity, Aircraft Block Hours, and (Now) DeparturesBy First Officer Sam MasonDelta MEC Code Share Committee

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

Jan-

11

Jun-

11

Nov

-11

Apr-

12

Sep-

12

Feb-

13

Jul-1

3

Dec-

13

May

-14

Oct

-14

Mar

-15

Aug-

15

Mainline vs. DCI Capacity 2011-2015(Millions ASMs)

MainlineDCI

Source: OAG monthly data


100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

Jan-

11

Jun-

11

Nov

-11

Apr-

12

Sep-

12

Feb-

13

Jul-1

3

Dec-

13

May

-14

Oct

-14

Mar

-15

Aug-

15

Mainline vs. DCI Block Hours 2011-2015

MainlineDCI


COMMITTEE REPORTS



The Mainline Trifecta Continued from page 45

50,000

70,000

90,000

110,000

Jan-

11

Jun-

11

Nov

-11

Apr-

12

Sep-

12

Feb-

13

Jul-1

3

Dec-

13

May

-14

Oct

-14

Mar

-15

Aug-

15

Mainline vs. DCI Departures 2011-2015

MainlineDCI

May 2014


imagine, this was a complicated concept to construct, negotiate, and ultimately explain to line pilots.

Following our 2012 PWA tentative agree-ment, I spent many weeks in the lounges in Atlanta and New York, going over charts and graphs, presenting data, and explain-ing these concepts to pilots. There was one small problem—the glaring pie graph showing the majority of departures (then) still being flown by Delta Connection. I as-sured many pilots that our TA’s Section 1 language would remedy this disparity, and provide industry-leading scope protec-tions, while returning all three metrics to favor mainline (capacity, block hours, and departures).

I am happy to report that mainline now f lies the majority of all system-wide capacity, block hours, and departures. Though the actual pilot hiring occurred a year later than forecasted (2014 vs. 2013), and associated early delivery de-lays with 717 aircraft, the trend always remained positive. During many days in 2013, mainline departures exceeded those of Delta Connection. However, in

For pilots seeking support during diffi cult times.Physiological |Psychological |Medical Assistance

800-USA-ALPA800-872-2572

Ask to be transferred to PAN, or select option 7 after hours.All calls are strictly confi dential.

24/7Peer pilot will be located.

DELTAMECAir Line Pilots Association, Int’l

May 2014, mainline monthly departures finally exceeded Delta Connection. As a matter of record, June 4, 2014, was the last single day that Delta Connec-tion departures exceeded mainline. For your reference, I have provided an updated view of 2011–2015 for all three metrics (capacity, aircraft block hours, and departures). Note: 2015 data is OAG schedule-based data, and there could be some variance to what is actually flown.

This is good news for Delta pilots, and I would like to thank the hardworking volun-teers who participate in Section 1 planning groups and ongoing compliance monitoring. First Officer Tom Dilbeck is the committee vice chairman and has been appointed as the new chairman subject to MEC confir-mation in March. I was recently elected as the Council 48 chairman, and look forward to serving our pilots as a member of the MEC effective March 1, 2015.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

47WINTER 2015


DAL MEC | Committee Corner

Committee CornerLate-Breaking News Items from Your Delta MEC Committees

Aviation Security Threats abound. The Aviation Security Committee is constantly evaluating the latest threats to our work-

ing environment. Lately, these threats have come in the form of guns on our aircraft and credible threats being made to our aircraft while in flight. Security practices have changed, including an increase in random checking of pilots, cabin crews, ground personnel, and passengers. These checks may occur inside the secure identification area, and can include employee buses, jet ways, and crew rooms. If you are selected for screening inside the checkpoint, please make every effort to be cooperative; these folks have a tough job keeping us safe. Contact: [email protected].

Central Air SafetyVery recently, an experienced Delta crew did not meet stable approach criteria during an approach to

ATL in CAT III conditions. At approximately 700' and 180 knots, the captain initiated a go-around, but inadvertently disconnected the autothrottles instead of selecting TO/GA. With the aircraft still in approach mode and throttles now manual, the aircraft continued to descend on autopilot, resulting in a flap overspeed. This prompted the captain to reduce power, and at around 400', he disconnected the autopilot, momentarily raised the nose, then lowered it again—most likely influenced by the flight director, which was still in approach mode. Roughly 15 seconds later, while complying with an ATC-directed turn, a GPWS “sink rate pull up” and “too low, gear” warning sounded, and the aircraft arrested its descent at approximately 200' radar altitude.

Our automation guidelines are sound: “All pilot-induced lateral and vertical mode changes should be verbalized by the PF and verified by both pilots on the FMA.” Better FMA awareness, by either pilot, would have prevented the initial error and broken the near-mishap chain of events.

Every Delta pilot needs to occasionally practice hand flying to increase automation-mode awareness and sharpen basic cross-check skills. Partly in response to significant automation events like the one above, and involving every fleet at Delta, the Training Department is now incorporating manual flying skill SPOTs dur-ing each CQ cycle. While this is commendable, nine months is probably too long for most of us to go between manual practice sessions. ALPA suggests that at least once a month, in benign flight conditions, crews should practice hand flying the airplane. An excellent environment is above 10,000' in a VMC climb when workload is low. Prebrief the exercise so the pilot monitoring

knows what to expect, and occasionally turn the flight directors off to improve pitch and automation-mode awareness. Likewise, make FMA verification a conscious act, whether you are flying or monitoring. This sort of exercise will help you if you should unexpectedly encounter an event like the one described above; you will be better prepared to promptly intervene and hand fly back to a safe aircraft state. Contact: [email protected].

Delta Pilots Assistance CommitteeThe Delta Pilots Assistance Committee (DPAC) was established to acknowledge and deal with alcohol-

ism and drug dependency among pilots. DPAC has been a remarkable achievement, and has become a model for other airlines—returning thousands of pilots from many different airlines to the cockpit, to the benefit of both the individual and their airline. DPAC is composed of approximately 80 dedicated pilots throughout the Delta system who volunteer their time to assist their fellow pilots. These individuals have the knowledge and training to deal with problems in a confidential and caring manner. Contact: [email protected].

Delta Pilot NetworkThe Delta Pilot Network was active throughout the fall, setting up Contract 2015 Preflight Road Shows in

each base. In addition, Pilot Unity Building events are held ap-proximately every other week at the Holiday Inn North Atlanta Airport. These events give us an opportunity to meet and talk with pilots, listen to pilots’ concerns, and answer questions.

In addition, the Delta Pilot Network has been utilizing the call center at the MEC offices in Atlanta. Calls are made on a monthly basis to new hire pilots upon completion of training and OE. Volunteers are able to reach out and address our newest pilots’ issues and answer questions. The Delta Pilot Network also worked during our most recent IROP, including DPN 24/7 op-erations, and working to provide accommodations for any pilots who may have been stuck during winter storm Juno. Contact: [email protected].

Government Affairs In early December, concurrent with congressional orientation, ALPA started working with all 67 new

members of the House and Senate. The 114th Congress has an ambitious set of legislative priorities, including pending reautho-rizations for the FAA and the Export-Import Bank; ALPA was there at the beginning to educate and build relationships with all of these members as we promote pilot-partisanship.

mailto:Wolfgang.Koch%40alpa.org?subject=

mailto:Wolfgang.Koch%40alpa.org?subject=

mailto:DALPASafety%40alpa.org?subject=

mailto:Scott.Monjeau%40alpa.org?subject=

mailto:Brad.Caplan%40alpa.org?subject=


COMMITTEE REPORTS

Committee Corner Continued from page 47

DAL MEC | Committee Corner

During the 2014 cycle, ALPA’s Political Action Committee (ALPA-PAC) spent $2,662,581 supporting 313 federal candidates up for election in 2014. Of those candidates, 285 won—putting ALPA-PAC’s win percentage at 91 percent.

ALPA-PAC remains the most bipartisan labor PAC in the country. Of the 313 candidates we supported this election cycle, 128 of them are Republicans. Roughly 40 percent of our contributions over the past two years have gone to Republican candidates/committees. Our focus on pilot-partisanship has put us in a strong position to continue to find success in the new Congress. Contact: [email protected].

HotelQuick notes from the 2014 FCR file: About 5,000 FCRs were filed in 2014—it’s difficult to get the

exact count since some individual inputs are counted under multiple categories. Two cities that stand out are LAX-S Four Points Sheraton, which had 259 (in eight months) and the SAN Wyndham (214 in six months). FCRs are very important; submit an FCR every time. These help us remain in certain locations and make changes in others. Contact: [email protected].

IT EFB feedback needed! If your tablet or mount malfunc-tions or doesn’t perform as expected, please file an

FCR/ASR. We are essentially the beta testers, so no news means the product is working perfectly. If you are manually entering the route of flight into Jepp FD Pro, there is a “route extract” function in iCrew Mobile. To learn more, see https://dal.alpa.org/Flight-Bag for a short how-to presentation. Your ALPA IT Committee is actively engaged in future improvements for the EFB; our current product is merely the starting point of this new way of doing business. Comments to the IT Committee can be sent to [email protected].

JumpseatThe Jumpseat Committee’s page on the Delta MEC website has been revamped to include a list of FAQs

that you will find helpful for your commute. Captains, please check all documents (license, medical, company identification, 1P or 2P form) for all cockpit jumpseat riders. The verification code for Spirit Airlines is “nklist14.” JetBlue has discontinued the 800 number—all jumpseat listing must now be done online. They will reactivate the number during planned website outages. Questions? Send us an e-mail at [email protected].

MembershipALPA National has temporarily suspended the auto-matic mailing of anniversary ALPA pins while it per-

forms an internal audit that will be complete by the fall. If you have

reached a your 10-year anniversary as an ALPA member or any subsequent multiple of five after that, please go to https://dal.alpa.org, sign in, select “quick links” > “My ALPA” > “ALPA pin.” You can also call 1-888-FLY-ALPA, and select option 3 to talk with an ALPA Membership specialist, or e-mail [email protected].

NegotiatingThe Negotiating Committee continues to work with the MEC to develop the opener for C2015. We have

reviewed the results of the survey, including all text boxes and individual pilot input. We are processing input from all of the MEC committees to identify additional areas of the PWA for improve-ment. We are also analyzing the monetary value of each item that may become part of the opener with the help of the ALPA Economic and Financial Analysis team. With this information, the MEC will create a contract opener that prioritizes the goals of the pilot group and sets the course for a world-class contract.

Retirement and InsuranceWith the recent decision to open up a new health-care option, the R&I Committee is planning for bulletins and

webinars to explain the choices available. Work is ramping up on the Contract 2015 opener items. At the same time, we are planning for road shows and seminars with the goal of visiting each base at least once this year. As time permits, we will be working on updates to the webinars posted on the R&I page of https://dal.alpa.org. Contact: [email protected].

Strategic PlanningThe Strategic Planning Committee has been working with the negotiators, MEC officers, and the MEC to develop our strategic plan for Contract 2015 negotia-

tions. We recently conducted a planning seminar at the ALPA headquarters in Herndon, Va.; the MEC hosted several guest speakers with extensive negotiating and Railway Labor Act expe-rience to spur discussions about the MEC’s plan. Two additional meetings are planned for February and March to continue refining our plan moving forward. Contact: [email protected].

mailto:Dino.Atsalis%40alpa.org?subject=

mailto:Silas.Hart%40alpa.org?subject=

mailto:DALMECJumpseat%40alpa.org?subject=

mailto:Membership%40alpa.org?subject=

mailto:Mark.Shanahan%40alpa.org?subject=

mailto:Rich.Harwood%40alpa.org?subject=

WINTER 2015

COMMITTEE REPORTS

49

Mike Donatelli, [email protected]

Ed Havrilla, Vice [email protected]

Greg Rizzuto, [email protected]

Matt Geddie, [email protected]

Ken Rogers, Pilot [email protected]

Drew Massey, Executive Vice [email protected]

Delta Committee Chairs

Delta Master Executive Council AdministrationJim VanSickle, Executive [email protected]

Kevin Guilfoyle, Executive [email protected]

AeromedicalMark [email protected]

Aviation SecurityWolfgang [email protected]

CIRPJack [email protected]

Code ShareSam [email protected]

CommunicationsTim [email protected]

Contract AdministrationHartley [email protected]

CROTMatt [email protected]

Central Air SafetyScott [email protected]

DPCFKingsley [email protected]

DPACScott [email protected]

Delta Pilot NetworkBrad [email protected]

Dispute ResolutionEd Mueller [email protected]

Government AffairsDino [email protected]

HotelTom Tinsley [email protected]@alpa.org

IFOTEd [email protected]

Information TechnologySilas [email protected]

Int’l Affairs and AlliancesBren [email protected]

Int’l FlyingRon [email protected]

Investor RelationsDoug [email protected]

JumpseatMayur Satodkar [email protected]

MembershipBill [email protected]

MergerRich [email protected]

NegotiatingJohn [email protected]

P2PSteve Rose [email protected]@alpa.org

PBSAdam [email protected]

Pilot Assistance NetworkMark [email protected]

Professional StandardsTom [email protected]

R&IMark [email protected]

SchedulingSteve [email protected]

Strategic PlanningRich [email protected]

Strike PreparednessBrad [email protected]

System BoardMonty [email protected]

TrainingEd Mueller [email protected]

DELTA MASTER EXECUTIVE COUNCIL100 Hartsfield Centre Parkway Suite 800 Atlanta, GA 30354

Phone: (800) USA-ALPA | Local: (404) 763-4925 | Fax: (404) 763-4975 | E-mail: [email protected]

DAL MEC | Officers

mailto:Mike.Donatelli%40alpa.org?subject=

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mailto:Greg.Rizzuto%40alpa.org?subject=

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mailto:mailto:Jack.Casey%40alpa.org?subject=

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mailto:mailto:Matt.Coons%40alpa.org?subject=

mailto:mailto:Scott.Hammond%40alpa.org%0D?subject=

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mailto:mailto:Scott.Monjeau%40alpa.org%0D?subject=

mailto:Logan.Davis%40alpa.org?subject=

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mailto:Tom.Tinsley%40alpa.org?subject=

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mailto:[email protected]

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mailto:[email protected]

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mailto:monty.montgomery%40alpa.org?subject=

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mailto:DeltaMEC%40alpa.org?subject=

Age

Men 892(93%)Women 72(7%)

Youngest: Age 27Oldest: Age 61Average: Age 39

Total: 1,581,517Most: 8,500Least: 1,500Average: 3,522

Facebook: DeltaMECCommTwitter: @Delta_MEC_Comm

Military: 455(47%)Civilian: 509(53%)

Military Hours of Flight

Most25,000Hours

Average8,585Hours

Least2,300Hours

Total hoursof flight

3,837,488

2014 New-HireDemographic

MilitaryBackgrounds:USAF: 347 (76%)USN: 67 (15%)USMC: 39 (8.7%)USCG: 1 (0.3%)

http://DeltaMECComm

http://twitter.com/Delta_MEC_Comm

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