Delta Air Lines Inc. is in better competitive shape than its executives portray and has performed so well recently that it doesn't need any of the $325 million or so in cuts it is seeking from its pilots, the pilots union sought to show Tuesday.
The dispute between the nation's third-largest airline, which is operating under bankruptcy protection, and its pilots escalated as they began a new round of picketing at airports.
The 6,000-member pilots union at Delta has vowed to strike if the company is allowed by an arbitration panel to impose the long-term pay and benefit reductions _ a labor action that the airline's chief executive has said would bring its demise. Already, the threat of a strike may be affecting passenger flight bookings in April and May, company executives acknowledged Monday.
At Tuesday's hearing before the arbitration panel, a pilots union economic expert asserted in lengthy testimony that in a cutthroat industry replete with nimble low-cost airlines, Delta faces less competitive pressure than other big carriers. In addition, a strategic five-year business plan put into effect in 2004 has resulted in "significant" cost reductions compared with the rest of the industry, said Ana McAhron-Schulz, the union's director of economic and financial analysis.
Money Sense
The dispute between the nation's third-largest airline, which is operating under bankruptcy protection, and its pilots escalated as they began a new round of picketing at airports.
The 6,000-member pilots union at Delta has vowed to strike if the company is allowed by an arbitration panel to impose the long-term pay and benefit reductions _ a labor action that the airline's chief executive has said would bring its demise. Already, the threat of a strike may be affecting passenger flight bookings in April and May, company executives acknowledged Monday.
At Tuesday's hearing before the arbitration panel, a pilots union economic expert asserted in lengthy testimony that in a cutthroat industry replete with nimble low-cost airlines, Delta faces less competitive pressure than other big carriers. In addition, a strategic five-year business plan put into effect in 2004 has resulted in "significant" cost reductions compared with the rest of the industry, said Ana McAhron-Schulz, the union's director of economic and financial analysis.
Money Sense
