Burnsie28 From United States of America, joined Aug 2004, 7101 posts, RR: 11 Posted (4 years 7 months 2 weeks 3 hours ago) and read 4232 times:
Due to the recent problems with short staffing, Northwest will cancel its second daily 757 flight DTW-FRA effective July 18. This will create more 757 flying hourse available. Also, Northwest in August will reduce its schedule by 90 flying hours a day (3% of domestic mainline) to accomodate for shortage. Also NW will retrain and begin hiring new pilots if necessary shortly. The airline will re-do its scheduling patters for pilots especially on bigger east coast cities so that if the event of bad weather it will have a very minimal effect on total operations.
"Some People Just Know How To Fly"- Best slogan ever, RIP NW 1926-2009
RoseFlyer From United States of America, joined Feb 2004, 7207 posts, RR: 50 Reply 1, posted (4 years 7 months 2 weeks 3 hours ago) and read 4134 times:
It sounds like this long run 757 flight is being scrapped because of the pilot time required for it and the fact that with so many thunderstorm delays throughout the Midwest and near NW hubs, pilots are timing out too often.
I personally wonder why this route was chosen. Could it be because the 757 struggled to operate the route profitably? I would guess it would be one of the worst performing routes for it to be cut, but it might have been so bad that they had to make up an excuse to cancel it. However less than three weeks notice is rather short. They will have some unhappy people having to change around their plans a bit.
If you have never designed an airplane part before, let the real designers do the work!
Laxintl From United States of America, joined May 2000, 18498 posts, RR: 51 Reply 2, posted (4 years 7 months 2 weeks 2 hours ago) and read 4063 times:
NW press release covering the 3% pull down including the FRA cancellation is covered in this indepth thread about NWAs recent operational problems. Northwest Planning Numerous Flight Cancellations (by Iowaman Jun 23 2007 in Civil Aviation)
From the desert to the sea, to all of Southern California
PSU.DTW.SCE From United States of America, joined Jan 2002, 6074 posts, RR: 32 Reply 3, posted (4 years 7 months 2 weeks 2 hours ago) and read 4063 times:
Combination of factors.....this second daily DTW-FRA 757 flight hasn't exactly been a stellar performer. It was added mainly to keep pace with LH. I doubt LH will fly double daily A330 next summer, but instead go with a single daily A340.
However, DTW-DUS & DTW-BRU 757 flights have been doing pretty well. BDL-AMS started tonight.
Actually, both LH flights out of DTW are performing amazingly. In fact the flights are performing so well that the second flight will continue to operate 5X per week in the winter.
Flighty From United States of America, joined Apr 2007, 6468 posts, RR: 3 Reply 5, posted (4 years 7 months 2 weeks 2 hours ago) and read 3984 times:
Interesting. The introduction of European 757 services may have been a key part of NW's faulty crew hours forecasts. Since NW had never done this, taken a domestic fleet and inserted a bunch of Europe flights on
PSU.DTW.SCE From United States of America, joined Jan 2002, 6074 posts, RR: 32 Reply 6, posted (4 years 7 months 2 weeks 2 hours ago) and read 3971 times:
I noticed that todays early LH DTW-FRA flight was operated with an A340.
I don't have privy to insider LH info, so thanks to your insight. I have no idea if LH is picking up business & higher yield traffic, or picking up el-cheapo leisure travelers with I believe has somewhat been the case with AF at DTW.
Bobnwa From United States of America, joined Dec 2000, 5596 posts, RR: 10 Reply 7, posted (4 years 7 months 1 week 6 days 17 hours ago) and read 3478 times:
Quoting RoseFlyer (Reply 1): It sounds like this long run 757 flight is being scrapped because of the pilot time required for it and the fact that with so many thunderstorm delays throughout the Midwest and near NW hubs, pilots are timing out too often.
In its statement Northwest mentioned that its pilots had been calling in sick in 80% higher in June 2007 compared to June 2006. I wonder what bug is going around that effects NWA pilots.
BOAC911 From United States of America, joined Sep 2004, 438 posts, RR: 0 Reply 8, posted (4 years 7 months 1 week 6 days 16 hours ago) and read 3341 times:
Expect F/C-Class O & D traffic to diminish slowly as Daimler divests itself from Chrysler.
PSU.DTW.SCE From United States of America, joined Jan 2002, 6074 posts, RR: 32 Reply 9, posted (4 years 7 months 1 week 6 days 14 hours ago) and read 3117 times:
Quoting BOAC911 (Reply 8): Expect F/C-Class O & D traffic to diminish slowly as Daimler divests itself from Chrysler.
This traffic is generally not flying LH or NW, as DCX operates its own private shuttle, an all business-class A319, 5 times weekly between PTK-Sttugart
HB-IWC From Greece, joined Sep 2000, 4175 posts, RR: 80 Reply 10, posted (4 years 7 months 1 week 6 days 14 hours ago) and read 3061 times:
Quoting DTW.SCE" class=quote target=_blank>PSU.DTW.SCE (Reply 3): Combination of factors.....this second daily DTW-FRA 757 flight hasn't exactly been a stellar performer. It was added mainly to keep pace with LH. I doubt LH will fly double daily A330 next summer, but instead go with a single daily A340.
However, DTW-DUS & DTW-BRU 757 flights have been doing pretty well. BDL-AMS started tonight.
Interestingly, NW/KL cancelled plans for a third daily AMS JFK rotation because of aircraft and crew shortages at NW. NW was supposed to operate AMS EWR with B752 right now, but cancelled this plan in order to operate a second daily FRA rotation. As a result, the third daily AMS JFK roundtrip was cancelled as KLM moved the equipment for that flight to the AMS EWR rotation. With the DTW FRA B752 roundtrip cancelled, NW could theoretically shift that capacity to anyway operate the third AMS JFK trip, as is planned for next winter, but given recent woes with its cockpit crews, I doubt that this will happen. NW will anyhow operate a third AMS JFK rotation with B752 starting this winter.
Carledwards From United Kingdom, joined May 2004, 258 posts, RR: 0 Reply 11, posted (4 years 7 months 1 week 6 days 10 hours ago) and read 2422 times:
Quoting Burnsie28 (Thread starter): Due to the recent problems with short staffing, Northwest will cancel its second daily 757 flight DTW-FRA effective July 18. This will create more 757 flying hourse available. Also, Northwest in August will reduce its schedule by 90 flying hours a day (3% of domestic mainline) to accomodate for shortage. Also NW will retrain and begin hiring new pilots if necessary shortly. The airline will re-do its scheduling patters for pilots especially on bigger east coast cities so that if the event of bad weather it will have a very minimal effect on total operations.
well this is typical really of the complete mis-managed organisation that NW is. If the management had have organised themselves properly and restructured, they would have the staffing levels to operate such flights. Instead another great American airline has been ruined, and future expansion is obviously out of the question for the forseeable future.
Does anyone know where this leaves the future prospects of other new NW routes to Europe?
Bobnwa From United States of America, joined Dec 2000, 5596 posts, RR: 10 Reply 12, posted (4 years 7 months 1 week 6 days 9 hours ago) and read 2114 times:
Quoting Carledwards (Reply 11): Does anyone know where this leaves the future prospects of other new NW routes to Europe?
What future routes would those be, trans-atlantic.
Quoting Carledwards (Reply 11): If the management had have organised themselves properly and restructured, they would have the staffing levels to operate such flights.
I would wager that given the right financial incentive, the pilots could fly the the original summer schedule, without any increase in headcount. It would be a near miracle.
AltairF28 From United States of America, joined Dec 2005, 134 posts, RR: 0 Reply 13, posted (4 years 7 months 1 week 6 days 9 hours ago) and read 2087 times:
That doesn't surprise me. The time for the second FRA flight (left DTW after 11:00 PM) meant that it was basically all O&D except for a few west coast cities (or people that were booked on the first flight and missed their connection), while BRU and DUS have connectivity eastbound. I was surprised they even started the second FRA flight-or at least I would have been it it hadn't been NW, who seems to have taken AA's place as the "let's start a flight that will probably under-perform purely for retaliation purposes" airline.
A detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons