ASA/Delta mainline relations

[jetstewus]

I am furloughed from a major and will be interviewing with ASA in a few days.

Does anyone at ASA or Delta have any information on the working relationship between the two carriers? I know from experience that mainline people can sometimes resent their regional partners for moving into cities that were previously theirs. I am just curious how the ASA and Delta people view each other...what kind of atmosphere there is. Thanks for any info.

 

[DLFlyer31]

From the passenger perspective, ASA is the worst of all DL''s regionals.

On-time performance stinks, half the time they can''t find a gate and the other half of the time they can''t find the plane. Customer service is poor and that''s being nice. Unless you''re being reaccomodated on Airtran, being sent to Concourse C in ATL is a punishment for DL flyers.

Now to be fair, the customer service at the ASA out-stations tends to be better than in ATL and the FA''s generally provide decent service. Even in ATL I can''t totally blame the ASA folks. I''m sure the poor pay and DL''s excessive RJ growth w/o better investment in facilities has put a lot of strain on the employees at ASA.

I don''t know how pay/benefits compare, but if you can I''d recommend Comair and SkyWest.

 

[deltaflyboy]

I work for Delta at HOU and used to work for ASA at BQK. It has been my experience that Delta Mainline, ASA, Comair and our other regionals get along. At HOU I deal with mainline from ATL, ASA from DFW and Comair from CVG and we have no problems between the different crews or with the Delta station agents dealings with the regionals. The underwing at HOU is contracted to Delta Global Services (that is where I am) so we have a great mix of the Delta Family of companies here and no problems.

Good Luck with ASA!!

Wayne
HOU

 

[RJStud]

When we have DAL pilots on the jumpseat they always seem to be good people, and we get along just fine. I have had the same experience on their jumpseat. We have hired 13 furloughed DAL pilots since 911, and three have quit because they can''t live on our first year pay ($19.00) per hour (something to consider).

The problems in ATL are the result of the trash ASA hires to work our ramp and service the aircraft. It is frustrating to work with these idiots, but I enjoy my job here inspite of this aggravation. You would likely end up in DFW, where the ramp works great, so don''t worry about it.

Yes, the mainline pilots resent us when we take over one of their city pairs. Who can blame them, but we really don''t have any say in the matter, we just fly where DAL sends us, just like they do.

We have hired about 60 furloughed pilots from other carriers,. That is how I got here too. I''m glad I chose ASA, it seems to have a lot of stability right now.


Good luck!

 

[luv2fly]

I would have to say the relationship between ASA and Delta is a good one. That being said, the relationship between Delta and Comair is another story. There is alot of resentment between the pilot groups. The Delta MEC asked the Comair MEC to pass a resolution allowing for the preferential hiring of furloughed Delta pilots to the bottom of the Comair list. The hiring would in no way affect the career potential of Comair pilots. In return, the Delta MEC would pass a resolution supporting the preferential hiring of Comair pilots when the occasion arises again. The Comair MEC decided to decline such a resolution causing much resentment from the the Delta pilots. Keep in mind, this resolution is simply that... a resolution. Comair management would still be free to hire whoever the wanted, so the the snubbing by the Comair MEC has not sat well with the mainline pilot group. In addition, the RJ Defense Coalition(RJDC) is largely viewed as being a group supported by Comair pilots. If I am not mistaken, the leader of the RJDC is in fact a Comair pilot. For those who are unfamiliar with the RJDC, it is a group of Comair and ASA pilots who are suing ALPA over the legitimacy of scope, and dual representation. The matter is currently being disputed in court.
When Delta does hire again one day, you can''t help but believe their actions will severely hurt those that wish to move on to the mainline operation.