Delta Thumbs Nose at its Competitors
- Thread starter usa1
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WorldTraveler
Corn Field
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- Dec 5, 2003
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Good news, esp. about Delta, is unwelcome here for at least a couple reasons.
First, good news does not create controversy – and we know full well that this forum could not exist if it were not for controversy. The DL forum would have dried up and moved to obsolescence a long time ago if it weren’t for a few people like me who have played antagonist to those who wouldn’t give DL credit for what it has accomplished if their lives depended on it; you need only look at the UA forum to see what happens when there is no longer any opposing voice on a subject. Controversy sells and the DL forum is kept alive because of controversy and those who don’t mind creating it.
But it is also true that there are a lot of people who have built long aviation chat careers arguing against DL and they would not only have to admit that their position is no longer right but they would also have to acknowledge that those who have argued for DL were indeed right. And we know full well that some of those people will never admit that WT was right – if their last dying breath required doing so.
The facts are inescapable, however, that DL is winning and putting more and more distance between itself and its competitors because it came out of BK 5 years ago with a plan and the drive necessary to permanently change those things that had determined success or failure in the industry. IN an industry where labor turmoil is the norm and where this website exists based on employee discord, DL has not only navigated BK and a significant restructuring of its own operations without incurring labor backlash that has and is crippling competitors, but it also managed to acquire a carrier with legendarily difficult labor relations – and has managed to integrate it with virtually no change in DL’s historic labor relations policies. DL also has managed to rearrange the historic positions in some of the top global markets, including NYC, and has cemented its position with slot acquisitions sufficiently large that it is unlikely that any other airline can significantly affect market position. DL has recognized the threat to its business from continually rising and unpredictable fuel prices – and has taken steps that no other carrier can duplicate and get the same results. DL has decided that the historic pattern of buying new aircraft and using them for 20 years or less and discarding them is incompatible with balance sheet strength in the US airline industry and they are separating from their peers in changing the way they manage their fleet. They continue to take strategic steps that address their needs while putting their competitors on the defensive with few options.
At the same time, they have allowed no carrier to increase its position in any key markets and they are running one of the best airlines in the US from both an operational and financial standpoint.
So, yes, there are a lot of people who don’t want to see good news – and there are certainly a large group of people on this forum who don’t want to hear it from certain people.
First, good news does not create controversy – and we know full well that this forum could not exist if it were not for controversy. The DL forum would have dried up and moved to obsolescence a long time ago if it weren’t for a few people like me who have played antagonist to those who wouldn’t give DL credit for what it has accomplished if their lives depended on it; you need only look at the UA forum to see what happens when there is no longer any opposing voice on a subject. Controversy sells and the DL forum is kept alive because of controversy and those who don’t mind creating it.
But it is also true that there are a lot of people who have built long aviation chat careers arguing against DL and they would not only have to admit that their position is no longer right but they would also have to acknowledge that those who have argued for DL were indeed right. And we know full well that some of those people will never admit that WT was right – if their last dying breath required doing so.
The facts are inescapable, however, that DL is winning and putting more and more distance between itself and its competitors because it came out of BK 5 years ago with a plan and the drive necessary to permanently change those things that had determined success or failure in the industry. IN an industry where labor turmoil is the norm and where this website exists based on employee discord, DL has not only navigated BK and a significant restructuring of its own operations without incurring labor backlash that has and is crippling competitors, but it also managed to acquire a carrier with legendarily difficult labor relations – and has managed to integrate it with virtually no change in DL’s historic labor relations policies. DL also has managed to rearrange the historic positions in some of the top global markets, including NYC, and has cemented its position with slot acquisitions sufficiently large that it is unlikely that any other airline can significantly affect market position. DL has recognized the threat to its business from continually rising and unpredictable fuel prices – and has taken steps that no other carrier can duplicate and get the same results. DL has decided that the historic pattern of buying new aircraft and using them for 20 years or less and discarding them is incompatible with balance sheet strength in the US airline industry and they are separating from their peers in changing the way they manage their fleet. They continue to take strategic steps that address their needs while putting their competitors on the defensive with few options.
At the same time, they have allowed no carrier to increase its position in any key markets and they are running one of the best airlines in the US from both an operational and financial standpoint.
So, yes, there are a lot of people who don’t want to see good news – and there are certainly a large group of people on this forum who don’t want to hear it from certain people.
