In sourcing ground handling

[bagboy]

The VP of airport operation stated that in any station were NW main line exists and DAL is outsourced, mainline NW will be taking over all ops. In a station were DAL is mainline and NW is outsourced, DAL will run the show. If stations that are outsource by both, they will remain farmed out. What does DAL consider "outsourced"? With larger DAL stations like SFO outsourced to DGS, is it assumed that mainline will take over operations from them or does DAL think of DGS as mainline?

 

[wings396]

DGS is a contract vendor, so that wouldn't classify as Mainline. I think that they are referring to any station that is currently staffed by either DL or NW employees on the ramp. It is sad to think of how many jobs were lost at all Airlines over the past few years due to outsourcing. AA was one of the first ones to kick off this trend with their W/O vendor AMR. I know that NW lost a ton of small stations a few years ago, just as US did due to contracl language that permitted outsourcing. I have seen first hand how the operatation goes downhill after being taken over by the lowest bidding vendor. As far as i know, SWA is about the only airline that staffs all of their stations with their own people, and they are wise for doing so. Hopefully this move will make it possible for a lot of people to get back to work in their home stations again.

 

[bagboy]

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You know that DGS is a vendor, and I know that DGS is a vendor, but does DAL consider DGS a vendor?

 

[wings396]

Sure they do, those people are not mainline employees. I have known people who lost their mainline jobs when their stations were contracted out, and they had to start over again with DGS. The only difference between DGS and any other vendor, is that they are owned by DL just as AMR is be AA. It was a clever way to screw your own employees out of a job in favor of lower paid employees with crap benefits. Get rid of your people, and pay a new company that you own to hire people for 1/2 the wage. To sum it all up, DGS is just another contract vendor that just so happens to be owned by the parent corp. Taking money out of one pocket, while putting it in another nothing more. I would imagine that some DGS employees are former Mainline in these common stations, and hopefully they will be recalled.
The only exception that I recall about DGS, is that some of their Mgmt. people retained Mainline status to oversee the station operations.

 

[Kev3188]

I received further clarification on this, and for all intents & purposes "mainline" means just that...

If you happen to hear "Delta Connection" mentioned, they are lumping DGS into that group along with Skywest, Comair, etc.

Also, along with that memo, if a city is M/L for NWA & Comair (above and below wing) for DL, then mainline will take over. The handful of cities that are in that situation would include: MSN, GRB, GRR, FNT & 2 others I can't think of at the moment.

 

[wings396]

Kev, that sounds pretty solid. I know that at my former station, DL flip-flopped between DGS and Comair a few times over the years. Over at US the W/O Piedmont operator does a majority of the outsourced stations. I know that US also used FSS in a few, but they got rid of them when their contract expired. The Parent Co. prefers to utilize a W/O vendor so that they still retain a certain amount of control.

 

[fdex727]

I received further clarification on this, and for all intents & purposes "mainline" means just that...

If you happen to hear "Delta Connection" mentioned, they are lumping DGS into that group along with Skywest, Comair, etc.

Also, along with that memo, if a city is M/L for NWA & Comair (above and below wing) for DL, then mainline will take over. The handful of cities that are in that situation would include: MSN, GRB, GRR, FNT & 2 others I can't think of at the moment.

Hey Kev,
In cities such as GSO, where mainline DL handles above wing, DGS below for DL and 9E handles all NW functions. Who will handle the ground operation now. Also, what is the time frame for all of the aforementioned changes. With integration activity already taking place just curious.

 

[Airlinelifer]

FedEx, a couple of examples:

If both Delta and Northwest farmout the ramp, it stays farmed out. I was laid off from MIA when NW farmed out above and below wing, and I had to bump into FLL. Delta has their above wing staff in MIA, but Comair handles the ramp. NW vendored out above and below wing, so the merged Delta in MIA will have mainline above wing, and the ramp farmed out.

At RSW, NW has above and below wing, Delta has above wing only, so the NW ramp will take in RSW after the merger.

 

[fdex727]

Any word yet on who is preferred as far as contractors go. Where DGS and 9E/XJ compete I assume DGS will win out. GSO will be completely contracted out except for CO who handle both above and below wing functions.

 

[night-ice]

I was told today about a "conference call" that at TYS, where DL mainline handles the ticket counters, Comair handles the ramp for DL and Pinnacle handles the ramp for NW, that TYS is among the stations that will be bid out for the ramp..Mesaba, Compass, Pinnacle, Comair, etc..whoever the lowest bidder is will get the ramp...can anyone clarify? ugh!!

 

[UnionAMT]

DGS is a contract vendor, so that wouldn't classify as Mainline. I think that they are referring to any station that is currently staffed by either DL or NW employees on the ramp. It is sad to think of how many jobs were lost at all Airlines over the past few years due to outsourcing. AA was one of the first ones to kick off this trend with their W/O vendor AMR. I know that NW lost a ton of small stations a few years ago, just as US did due to contracl language that permitted outsourcing. I have seen first hand how the operatation goes downhill after being taken over by the lowest bidding vendor. As far as i know, SWA is about the only airline that staffs all of their stations with their own people, and they are wise for doing so. Hopefully this move will make it possible for a lot of people to get back to work in their home stations again.

Unionized workers and their labor unions fought to get everything that we used to have, because the nature of companies and the people that run them is greed.
Welcome to the generation of people who think that everyone else is supposed to do their fighting for them.
That's not pointing a finger at you personally. Labor union members spent days and months, in the past,walking picket lines, literally battling with companies and government troops. This generation thinks all they have to do is sign a card. For some, that's more courage then they have.

 

[Kev3188]

Hey Kev,
In cities such as GSO, where mainline DL handles above wing, DGS below for DL and 9E handles all NW functions. Who will handle the ground operation now. Also, what is the time frame for all of the aforementioned changes. With integration activity already taking place just curious.

According to what we've been told, GSO would be M/L DL above wing, and DGS below wing for both carriers' operations.

Any word yet on who is preferred as far as contractors go. Where DGS and 9E/XJ compete I assume DGS will win out. GSO will be completely contracted out except for CO who handle both above and below wing functions.

Not really. They've said that vendors will be "Delta Connection," but for purposes of this discussion, that can also mean DGS.

I'm pretty sure outfits like WFS & ATS will be gone if there's a W/O of some sort in the same city...

I was told today about a "conference call" that at TYS, where DL mainline handles the ticket counters, Comair handles the ramp for DL and Pinnacle handles the ramp for NW, that TYS is among the stations that will be bid out for the ramp..Mesaba, Compass, Pinnacle, Comair, etc..whoever the lowest bidder is will get the ramp...can anyone clarify? ugh!!

Same scenario as GSO... DL mainline above wing (for both), and connection carrier below. Who that might be? I have no idea.

Welcome to the generation of people who think that everyone else is supposed to do their fighting for them.
That's not pointing a finger at you personally. Labor union members spent days and months, in the past,walking picket lines, literally battling with companies and government troops. This generation thinks all they have to do is sign a card. For some, that's more courage then they have.

Well put.

 

[wings396]

Unionized workers and their labor unions fought to get everything that we used to have, because the nature of companies and the people that run them is greed.
Welcome to the generation of people who think that everyone else is supposed to do their fighting for them.
That's not pointing a finger at you personally. Labor union members spent days and months, in the past,walking picket lines, literally battling with companies and government troops. This generation thinks all they have to do is sign a card. For some, that's more courage then they have.

I agree with what you are saying, but please understand that a lot of that protective contract language was lost during 2 rounds of BK. The company pretty much got what they wanted from the BK court, and the union was powerless at this point. The outsourcing of union jobs became the norm once BK took place. I'm sure that Kev can confirm that this was also the case at NW. They lost many small stations as well.

 

[fdex727]

Well I have now viewed a letter given to 9E employees in GSO stating DL will indeed be taking over above wing activities. It also states below wing work will go out for bid in two weeks, 9E states they will attempt to keep all current stations open, but with companies like DGS and Jetstream in the running that appears unlikely.

I would now assume from this letter that RDU and CLT will be handed over to DL sooner since both are handled by outside contractors Swissport and ATS.

 

[night-ice]

Is this for *all* 9E employees at this time or just GSO? Just to think the merger hasn't even been officially approved yet...too bad NWA is not the one acquiring DL....