Do I sense a Queen of the Skies fan?

Try having your pay check and pension plans chopped to hell. Be glad he was happy. If anything humor is a good thing esp. during times such as those in which many if not all of Delta's employees are going through right now. Some of the most professional and by the book pilots that I know are MAJOR hard-asses and the last thing that they would do is let a joke or two slip during their PA stuff. I would take the humor over these guys, it's like riding on ConAir...

Thanks again.

UA777222

What a tempest in a teapot!!! I think if you were to poll the passengers on that flight who heard what the pilot said, the majority would have gotten a chuckle out of it.

I guess it would have been more humorous if he added ' and thank you to those on board for paying the remaining 65%' ????????

Now that's funny!!!!!

J

The one thing I've found from flying in the USA a lot this year is that the pilots tend to have a great sense of humour and personally I thought this was quite funny.

Earlier in the year we flew DTW-ORD on NW and (typically) we were delayed in DTW due to bad weather in Chicago. Our stand was needed by another aircraft so we got pushed back and had to wait on the taxiway by the runway. But instead of just taxiing to to our waiting spot which was pretty close to our gate we went the long way around and the pilot gave us all a guided tour of DTW, pointing out interesting sites such as the car park (the largest in America or something like that), the cargo terminal etc, all with comedy commentary. It certainly made the delay pass much more quickly. At the end the pilot exclaimed the tour would have been so much better if we could have seen anything as it was 8pm and dark at the time!

Pilots have a sense of humour. Yes it was unprofessional by the DL pilot but who cares. Its good that he can make a joke out of a 35% pay cut because I know I wouldn't.

And besides that, this is an airline pilot and a member of ALPA, he will never allow his plane to be operated in anything but the best possible way to keep his passengers and crew safe.

An airline pilot and a member of ALPA?
So what? Just because he is those things doesn't absolve him of his obligation to separate his professional duties from the contractual dealings his union has with the company.
He will never allow his plane to be operated in anything but the best possible way to keep his passengers and crew safe?
Spare me the BS! Another airline pilot, member of ALPA, and employee of the same company let his good natured joking get in the way of his performance of his duties with disastrous results.

http://www.airdisaster.com/download2/dl1141.shtml

http://members.aol.com/geo13/crm.htm

The lessons about CRM learned from DL 1141 showed that that kind of behavior has no place in the cockpit of a commercial airliner. I would assume(I don't know because I wasn't in the cockpit) that the conversation between the pilots for most of the flight centered around the paycut. Most pilots think they are good enough to allow conversation about matters totally unrelated to the performance of their job. I've seen pilots get rather worked up heatedly discussing some issue totally irrelevant to their task at hand while in flight. This is what happened to DL1141 and is what could have happened to the flight I was on. The rules about cockpit management that came about because of Dl 1141 are ignored every day. These seemingly innocuous conversations allow the mind to wander and can lead to distraction. As CapatainGomes said Also, there's no doubt pilots, like all humans, are imperfect. It is therefore imperative that such imperfections are cut to a minimum in a professional environment.
Another way to look at it is this: Do you think that he would have made that announcement if GG would have been on board and he'd known about it? How about if there had been an FAA inspector in the observers seat? I think not unless his side business was going really well.


DL757Md; How was the flight? Was the service good? Smooth landing? Fine - Then, the pilot wasn't disgruntled

The flight was OK. Service was great (nothing to do with the pilots, everything to do with the FAs). Landing was pretty rough but I've been through worse. OK maybe disgruntled was too harsh. But unprofessional and poor judgment are definitely labels I would attach to his behavior.

Seriously dude, take a chill pill. How would you feel if your salary was cut by that much? You should be happy for him that he can maintain at least the slightest sense of humor in lue of his company's current situation. If you're really that personally affected by his statement then you should be a little more compasionate. Just relaxe and worry about your own life.

If you'd bother to read my profile you'd see I am a Delta AMT. For those that might think that I'm pilot bashing, I'm not. Delta pilots as a whole are one of the most professional groups of people I've had the pleasure of knowing. But this guy wasn't being very professional that day. I am very personally affected by his statement. His company is my company. If he drives even one customer away with his 'humor' it affects me! Judging by the posts critical of his comments, It's not hard to imagine that a large portion of the pax didn't think that what he said was appropriate. It's not inconceivable that some of those would choose a different airline next time because of this. People already have little brand loyalty with airlines. Why give them any more reason to fly someone else? He could have kept his mouth shut and those people that might choose to leave Delta because of his 'joke' would have instead respected him for his modest, graceful, and professional handling of the difficult situation they already know that he is in. BTW I have had my salary cut (not as much as his but I have to worry now about keeping my 3 bedroom house with 4 kids in it-I think he'll be doing considerably better than that), I've had my benefits cut for years while he has had no cuts in benefits and raises. We are losing 1600-2000 mechanics. I doubt you'll see the pilot group shrink that much. I am going through the same rough times that he is. But rest assured when I go out to work on a plane I own it. If something happens to it because of something I did wrong I am responsible. It's a responsibility that I don't let the situation of the company interfere with. I would never say anything to a customer that might have the slightest chance of causing them concern for their safety or to question my judgment. Nor do I gossip about my company and how it treats me while I'm working. Even though I can joke about it, it still pisses me off too much and distracts me away from what I should be doing. You need to compartmentalize in a job as critical as mine and this Dl pilot's. After all peoples lives are at stake. If you don't believe me, ask a survivor or a relative of a victim of DL 1141.

Dl757MD

It won't matter about the Pilots sense of humor if the company finds out. Delta does not have a sense of humor when it comes to professional conduct during the transport and handling of passengers.

Dl757MD.....From my conversation with the 4 DL crews on my layover last week, I would argue you will see the pilot group shrink even more than the AMT group at DL.

The pilot group has not had any cuts in benefits and raises, as you said because they are represented by ALPA and they have a contract. If my feeble memory serves me correctly, only the pilots and dispatchers are represented at DL. Therefore, all the other groups can have their pay and working conditions changed at the company's discretion. The company had no choice but to negotiate with ALPA. So, there is a difference.

With respect to your comments about CRM, please don't equate the DL1141 with the comments in SLC. First of all, as the references you point out mention, management's approach to cockpit discipline is much different now than it was for DL1141. To quote you Most pilots think they are good enough to allow conversation about matters totally unrelated to the performance of their job. I've seen pilots get rather worked up heatedly discussing some issue totally irrelevant to their task at hand while in flight. This is what happened to DL1141 and is what could have happened to the flight I was on. First of all, it didn't happen and secondly, to make such generalizations like you did really is an indefensible position. It would be like me saying most AMT are unprofessional. Both you and I know that statement is false, just like your generalization.

Spare me the BS! Another airline pilot, member of ALPA, and employee of the same company let his good natured joking get in the way of his performance of his duties with disastrous results I really think that statement is funny. Where were the disastrous results? Poor judgement? Perhaps that might be a little overboard, certainly not good. But, did he drive through a CB? Did he go off the end of the runway? Was anyone injured? Certainly the answers are all no. He got you from point A to point B safe and sound. Nothing more, nothing less.

I would ask you are there sour grapes?

I would have chuckled to myself if I was alone or laughed with my mates if I was with them!

If a president of a country can get up and make a joke or two on TV, if fox news anchors can crack jokes, about their own nation and about other nations they haven't even been to....why can't an airline captain make a funny on the PA? It doesn't matter if the joke was funny or not...i think it's part of the job to add your personality into your tasks...that's when the best comes out of most of us. Being a robot and not having a sense of humor sucks! I mean if you were a pax on that flight...how many of you would be DIRETLY offended by the content of his joke?? NONE i HOPE bc we wouldn't have been the one who took a pay cut...way to go captain...showing that he can take a pay cut and still joke about himself in a funny, non insulting way!
Obviously he can deal with his pay cut, seeing as he's at work and flying...i don't think this industry is going down just because someone wasn't pedantic over the PA! I guess people actually listened bc the typical we're at flXXX overhead XXX was getting boring!  

Who Cares Really? Time to un-twist your panties (or whatever) until you can genuinely smile again. Life is too short to be grumpy all the time.

IMHO, pilots and FAs can make jokes during the PA - but the jokes should NEVER involve internal company affairs like the new contract. It's not an appropriate topic of discussion for a PA, period. Whether or not the joke was funny or "goiod-natured" is completely irrelevant. Furthermore, had a FA said this instead of a pilot, he/she would already be fired by now.

all the other groups can have their pay and working conditions changed at the company's discretion. The company had no choice but to negotiate with ALPA. So, there is a difference.

I would ask you are there sour grapes?

First off there are no sour grapes. I already have expressed my admiration for the pilots at Delta as a whole. If anything I'm prejudiced to think that an individual pilot is top notch just because he is a Delta pilot. I usually give them the benefit of the doubt in my dealings with them at work. You can talk about union and non-union employee groups and how there is a difference all you like. But at the end of the day we all our Delta employees. We all have a vested interest in seeing the company through to profitability. I share the same disdain that most pilots I've talked to have for company management. However complaining about managements problems while doing nothing yourself, which is what the pilot group did until recently, many chanting "top pay till the last day", doesn't seem to me to have benefited anyone but the pilots.

First of all, it didn't happen and secondly, to make such generalizations like you did really is an indefensible position. It would be like me saying most AMT are unprofessional. Both you and I know that statement is false, just like your generalization.

Why do you think I'm making a generalization? I made a statement about 1 pilot from what I observed 1st hand of his handling of this situation. Hardly a generalization. And yes he got me from point A to point B without incident. But he did in my opinion put himself in a situation where there was the POTENTIAL for distraction from the duties he is responsible for.

Dl757Md

Dl757MD....Most pilots think they are good enough to allow conversation about matters totally unrelated to the performance of their job. That sure sounds like a generalization to me. Usually when someone makes a statement with "most" or "all" that is indicative of a generalization. The remarks in italics are a quote from reply 54, posted by you.

I guess I would disagree with your characterization of the "pilots did nothing". From what I have read/heard/been informed of by friends of mine at DL, there was a sort of impasse and the on going litigation about the pilot layoffs is what soured management. After all, ALPA did negotiate with management and both parties did agree on the contract. Sadly, egos seem to have gotten in the way.

This week in the UK, an easyJet pilot mad an in-appropriate comment on a flight from STN-BFS, he told the passengers that they were at 35,000ft and flying over Liverpool. Then he slipped up and told the passengers to hold on their wallets. Insinuating people from Liverpool are thieves!

The areticle from the Daily Mirror:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/allnews/page.cfm?objectid=14854251&method=full&siteid=50143

"ANGER AFTER PILOT'S GAFFE Nov 10 2004

THIS IS YOUR CAPTAIN SPEAKING .. WATCH YOUR WALLETS, WE'RE FLYING OVER LIVERPOOL

By Paul Martin

PLANE passengers were furious after the captain cracked a joke about Liverpool as they flew over the city from Belfast.

Half-way through the packed easyjet flight to Stansted, he announced: "Ladies and gentlemen we are at 35,000ft. Please hold on to your wallets, we're flying over Liverpool."

One passenger said: "I'm from Liverpool and I think it is a disgrace. I paid good money for my seat and don't expect to be slagged off by the pilot... easyJet is meant to be a professional operation."

Another added: "People were shocked, easyJet should have more respect for its passengers."

The gaffe also backfired on the cheap flights company which is one of the most successful operations in Liverpool, flying to 13 cities around Europe.

This year it has been running a campaign to help turn the city into a big tourist destination.

EasyJet said: "The pilot isn't the type to crack jokes in-flight but we do encourage jokes to make customers feel more comfortable.

"We think the passengers must have misunderstood him."

Philsquares

OK you got me there. It was a long night at work and I haven't been to bed yet. I made that statement based on the 4 times I've ridden jumpseat to go fix an airplane. 3 out of those 4 times the pilots were on their soapboxes and missed calls from ATC that I heard. I know that's hardly a scientific survey or a sound basis for what I stated. But there it is.

As for your insight on the negotiation process at Delta I can't argue with it. I was only relaying my assessment of the info I have had presented to me.

Dl757Md

Dl757Md....no problem, have had plenty of long nights myself. Just wanted to make sure you realized not all pilots are like that.

Cheers!!

Wow?!?!?!? I cannot believe people ACTUALLY have problems with that statement.

DOES ANYONE HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR IN THE U.S. ANYMORE?? I love my country to death, but we have the most paranoid, sensitive, overbearing, and cocky country. Who cares if the guy said....don't like it, fly with the other 10 'majors', free-market capitalism!! Find another business.

I'd like to take you into a room, lock you in it, and make you listen to the likes of Sam Kinnison, Dice, Robert Schimmel, Don Rickles, Richard Pryor, and not to mention Dave Chappell.

I'm not attacking you man, but "Frankie Says:RELAX!!!" I cannot remember who, but I heard someone say before "Life is a big joke...you come in crapping yourself, and you leave doing the same....you gotta learn to laugh"

Cheers,
GMUAirbusA320

[Edited 2004-11-14 15:51:15]

GMUAirbusA320

I think it was funny too. My point is that (remember I work for the same airline this pilot does) how do you think you are helping your company by opening it up to the perception that it's employees are unprofessional? I don't think that you are going to win back any more customers than you would have without the comment("you know I wasn't gonna fly Delta again but that pilot was so damned funny I'm gonna come back"), but you sure as hell are going to lose some customers for having made it("I'm already nervous about flying, sick of delays, not happy with my bags being lost, that's it. I'm never flying on Delta again"). I agree with you that people should lighten up but the fact remains that not everybody is going to.

I'd like to take you into a room, lock you in it, and make you listen to the likes of Sam Kinnison, Dice, Robert Schimmel, Don Rickles, Richard Pryor, and not to mention Dave Chappell.

Sounds great! A private comedy party. Can I invite some friends. Comedy is better when shared with friends......Are you paying? 

Cheers!
Dl757Md

[Edited 2004-11-14 16:06:11]

The bottom line is, he still is an employee of DL and you do not bite the hand that feeds you. Seriously, how many of you who actually have jobs, could keep those jobs if you started bashing your employer in public?

I hate it when people take stuff like this so seriously, it was just a joke and I'll bet that most of the people on board found it amusing. People get to easily offended today and need to lighten up, if he was crazy enough to do something unsafe with the aircraft that he was piloting because of a paycut then he wouldn't have made it as far as his commercial certificate, let alone a job with a major airline.

LOL..... I love when pilots make or crack a joke. I was on a flight from LAX-JFK and he was crakin jokes over the P.A. a lot when he would say our positioning. It was rather funny. The whole plane was laughing which was the even funnier part. But at the end of the day why do you worry.... All you got is a guy trying to make some laughs.

Althought that is one of the funniest things I have heard. Dl you have a point I think, had the Delta Managment been on board he could of had some trouble.

Why would they want to fire a pilot when they could look the other way to keep a pilot. When I begin sending in my resumes to airlines, Delta will not be on the top of my list and I don't think many other pilots will want to hire on with an airline in so much financial trouble. If they are not going to be short on pilots anytime soon let me know and I will shut up, but I think they should look at that side of it before they go off firing all their employees.

Lrockeagel

Delta currently has about 1000 pilots currently on furlough and it looks as though that number is going to increase greatly in the near future. I wouldn't waste the postage sending in your resume at this time but maybe after Aug 1, 2008 which is when the newly created Letter of Agreement #46(the new Delta-ALPA agreement that includes the $1bln in pay cuts and workscope changes) states that all currently furloughed pilots must be recalled by.

Dl757Md

GMUAirbus, finally someone with some sense...

jeez ppl it's a friggin' joke...no wonder why this country voted the way it did...

Again, it is not about whether the comment was funny or not!

I for one think it was hilarious had it been said by a passenger in the cabin, or in the pilot briefing room, or even in the cockpit for the benefit of the CVR, but this pilot took a cheap shot at his employer while standing on a soapbox in front of the employer's customers. I have no problem with humorous pilots and FA's, in fact I very much enjoy them. However, the issue here on this forum right now is was the pilot being a professional? The answer is "No!"

Of course, I don't think any DL pilot is happy about the paycut, but professionalism is being able to leave your personal problems and issues at the door when you arrive at work. And, yes your payrate is a personal issue. Every employee orientation program covers this on day one, before any employee flips a burger, asks "do you want fries with that," or "paper or plastic."

Alitalia744:

That's exactly what I was thinking.


2H4

Oh come on, you guys have no sense of humor at all. I'd feel perfectly safe if I knew my pilot had a sense of humor 

This website alone, with all the blogs from people, regarding things like this that happen, could cost a pilot, flight attendant, or gate agent their job in my opinion. I bet money that airline execs frequent this site to check on things.

AA777jr

"And besides that, this is an airline pilot and a member of ALPA, he will never allow his plane to be operated in anything but the best possible way to keep his passengers and crew safe."

Correct me if I am wrong.... but weren't the America West guys who got caught wasted ALPA? Just because one is in a union does not mean he is obligated to be responsible.

The other question I have is how did his comments make his operation of the flight any less safe?

I think that guy's comments were funny and should be taken as such. If the pilot can joke about his pay situation, I think that gives us license to laugh with him.

I don't think it is a joke. It is a complaint about a pay cut being voiced to passengers being disguised as a joke. If someone says "you are retarded... just kidding" that doesn't make it a joke. I don't know what they put on the US comedy networks but if this is a good joke in the US then I picked the wrong profession. Here is some more great jokes for you then:

"Hello this is the pilot speaking, I hate my job and the f&*@ing airline and I mean that in the most loving and kind way possible... haha, just kidding"

"Welcome aboard, my pay was cut 35% so if you paid a discount fare today I want you to know I hate you and my life is no longer worth living, you'll be lucky if we make it to our destination.... just kidding"

"Hello ladies and gentlemen, I spent too frivolously when the going was good and now I have a huge debt to pay so in order to make some money to pay for my kids we are going to visit a tall skyscraper... haha, just a little a.net humor for you there folks, thanks for flying with us."

"Welcome aboard, the airline showed me what they think of me and now I'm going to show them what I think of them. Buckle up and enjoy the flight."

Everyone can play the "make a joke that sends a message of what you really are thinking" game. Lets all join in because some people on this forum actually believe that when you say what is on your mind and then disguise it as a joke it is really funny. It isn't a funny joke to tell all the passengers that your pay cut is on your mind. I don't even tell my relatives what my financial situation good or bad because its not their business. Why is this Delta pilot making his paycut the passengers concern? If his pay cut wasn't eating away at his mind he wouldn't have made this statement... that is why it isn't a joke.

[Edited 2004-11-14 20:21:20]

I bet money that airline execs frequent this site to check on things.

I only hope they don't make decisions based on the stuff they read.

Having or not having a sense of humor has nothing to do with the fact that the pilot made a comment that was inappropriate. I am sure some people do not find racist comments inappropriate but because most do find them highly offensive, people avoid making them.

Pilots like anyone are allowed to have a sense of humor. They should be allowed to express that sense of humor. There are ways to do that without hitting on pay issues and topics relating to job performance.

There is one particular Captain that I have worked with on several occasions. I always seem to wind up as lead when I fly with him. I am ABSOLUTELY embarrassed by his clown antics and the non-stop PA's and his professionalism that comes across as something similar to a three ring circus. Whenever he is giving one of his 10 minute PA's I have to go into the aisle (although I want to hide in the galley) so the passengers do not think it is me. And the passenger always let me know what they think...I find more are turned off by it than find it funny.

So, unless it is funny to everyone ditch the attempt at the humor and be professional and do your job.

My two cents,
Cheers,
NWADTWFA

So...a cashier can make a joke? A medic can keep up his sense of humor to help a patient? A teacher can joke around with his students? But a pilot can't joke? Give me a break.

Everyone needs to chill out! It was just a joke people. Unless he sounded angry (doubtful) then how does "As you may be aware, the pilots at Delta have just taken a 35 percent paycut. So we will only be able to fly you 60 percent of the way to SLC today. We will land in Reno and you will be bussed the rest of the the way to Salt Lake City......Just kidding." in any way sound threatening? I mean come on. While I do agree that complaining to your customers is not in good taste, he wasn't doing that at all. That is totaly different (and this is true by the way), than having a TSA agent (in Reno), respond to you, when you say to your brother that the extra screening B/S is a waste of time, that "we'll see, when you airplane goes smashing nose-down into the ground, that's a waste of time." I mean, racist stereotypes are acceptable in society (like the famous black people liking fried chicken/watermellon), so why not these? (YES I AM BLACK, SO DON'T GO THERE!). Also, to the "they should fire him now people," Delta's not going to waste their time with a little incident like this. Big companies have much more important things to worry about than customer quality. Look at the anti-united site: http://www.untied.com and see how many cust. complaints got resolved...

I don't have problems with pilots cracking a joke but the joke shouldn't hit on his life problems and should be sensitive to the audience. A joke which talks about how you got a pay cut, have a terminal illness, lost a relative, etc and how this will result in negative repurcussions for the audience isn't really a good joke.

These are real jokes:


NW: "Ladies and gentlemen, before we begin taxi we up here in the flightdeck would like anyone who is sitting next to an empty window seat to please occupy that seat so as the competition thinks we're full."

F9: "In the event of a water evacuation, or an in flight pool party, your seatback can be used as a floatation device."

Notice how there is no mention of a personal issue, the jokes are not entirely negative, and there is no indication of anything but a good natured joke. The part about the water evacuation wouldn't have made a good joke if it was abnormal to mention, but the water evacuation was part of the normal pre-flight announcements and the joke was the added "in flight pool party". Both of these jokes end on positive notes "competition thinks we're full" and "pool party with a floatation device".

People, get over it! It was just a joke.  

[Edited 2004-11-14 22:16:07]

One of the reasons I enjoy flying with US airlines is that the flight and cabin crews are more fun than European ones (despite the location, I'm a Brit!). To me this is simply light hearted humour, and some people need to take a chill pill.

One of my favourites was a United F/A who announced at the end of a flight "Please make sure you take all of your belongings, as any that you leave behind will be auctioned off toward our Chapter 11 fund", and I particularly enjoyed a Captain (or might have been a F/O), airline unnamed, who when asked how he was just before boarding said "I'll be OK if I've remembered my pills".

Mike

Don't need to be a hardass all the time. Laugh once in a while. Christ.

OK, so why stop here, how about the gate agents when boarding the plane can make jokes about there cut in pay, and say we can only board the first 10% orderly and after that board like you want, as we had our pay cut 10%, the baggage people could announce around the correct baggage area that since they pay was cut 10% that they brought the luggage 90% of the way and good luck finding it?

I understand that he is pretty hacked off.

However, I do not think that spelling this out to the customers is very professional.

I also think that the timing was bad. A lot of passengers are nervous enough already, particularly just before take off.

I know that SouthWest makes a big play about being fun. Personally I want quiet boring professionalism, not a bunch of comedians.

It would have been best if he kept his views to himself.

That said, this is not a safety issue, and I do not think that sacking would be appropriate.

"And delighted to hear that bus drivers in Canada are paid the same salaries as pilots!! Canadian pilots mustn't be too happy though, especially to hear their skills are assumed similar to those required for driving busses!!!"

I'm not comparing their skills to driving buses. Don't read into the words too deeply there Sherlock.

A pilot is taught to fly a plane, a bus driver to drive a bus. There's hardly any difference. If flying is the safest way to travel, why do you assume its such a talent? Even my flight instructor has said on numerous occasions that flying is easier than driving.

Where you came up with the comment about pay, I'm not sure.

"Dumbest comment I have ever heard on this website. Those buses are advanced, right? I can't even believe you have the gull to compare the two to be honest with you"

Let me do what your friend did and reply with this:

Wow! You must be a Schizo seeing as how you're hearing the website talk to you.

What difference does it make if the buses are advanced or not? When you step through those doors, the driver takes responsibility for you and your worthless life, but I doubt that you think so highly of him/her. There's no difference, face it.

Mark

"I think it was funny too. My point is that (remember I work for the same airline this pilot does) how do you think you are helping your company by opening it up to the perception that it's employees are unprofessional? I don't think that you are going to win back any more customers than you would have without the comment("you know I wasn't gonna fly Delta again but that pilot was so damned funny I'm gonna come back"), but you sure as hell are going to lose some customers for having made it("I'm already nervous about flying, sick of delays, not happy with my bags being lost, that's it. I'm never flying on Delta again"). I agree with you that people should lighten up but the fact remains that not everybody is going to."

dl757md-
Unfortunately, people can never understand a joke is the BEST remedy for the blues. I've been through many relationships in life because I "joke" too much. I'm sorry, but life is not meant to be taken seriously. Those who do die young. Those who are young at heart, live a much happier life. Yeah, the guy might not have said that, but who knew he was going to be on a plane full of stiffs. I had relatives that worked for Delta, and my cousin works for ComAir. Delta is WAY to serious. The fact that their concept of the "hub and spoke" system says a lot about them. They still live in the 1940's and 50's. I congratulate them on a successful business, but I'm proud that my generation can look past that, and TAKE A JOKE!!

As for the comedy party?!?!?!? Well, although I am 23 and still live at home (because I am finishing undergraduate later, due to me drinking WAY to much blue Kool Aid) we'll have to postpone that for a later date.

Regards,
GMUAirbusA320

I personally can't see what the problem is with the DL pilots announcement. Its called sense or humor and there is 100% no harm in that. I just wish more airline pilots would add humor to their "welcome aboard" speech. There is nothing better then having a good laugh, every once in a while

Delta currently has about 1000 pilots currently on furlough and it looks as though that number is going to increase greatly in the near future

Dl757, care to elaborate on this a little more? What kind of scuttlebutt is floating around the hangars? I'm interested...

In the pilot contract, there's a "no-furlough" clause, unless of justifiable reasons, such as the force mejure clause that was used post-9/11. This reason has even proven to be flimsy, as management tried to use that to take out 200 more pilots after the Iraqi war started...my dad was part of the 200, but was recalled after almost a year, thanks in large part to DALPA filing all those greviences. DL cannot go furloughing pilots as they see fit, unless another huge reason to justify force mejure were to happen...or BK happens, but that would more likely bring wage cuts than union layoffs. Now, all the nonunion people, that's a different story.

And now it's around 760 or so on furlough...do to some just leaving, and the recalls which have been happening as well..if anything, pilots are coming back.

DeltaGuy

I was in an European city last week for 3 days (layover). SA stays at the same hotel as the DL crews. In conversations I had with over 20 pilots, the one thing they all said was the cut in pay was just the tip of the iceberg.

There are substantial contractual work rule changes coming. The changes will result in a reduction of pilots. Apparently, the "no furlough" clause in the collective bargaining agreement was one of the things ALPA gave up. If I remember correctly, the only area of the contract that wasn't changed was the duty rigs. All of the other parts of the contract have substantial changes.

I think the Pilot should have stuck to his job & not crib to the pax who still had to pay 100% for the ride.
I think Company problems should stay in the company.
regds
MEL

As a passenger (one with over 1,000,000 miles on his rear-end in the last 10 years) I'd rather have a pilot with a sense of humor than one too arrogant to even contemplate a comment like this. I think it's hillarious! I'd have bought the guy a drink if I could. Those of you thinking it's hillarious, good for you; those of you thinking otherwise, time for your Ritalin pill!

All I Can say is this..

It's much better he can have a sense of humor about it then be TRULY disgruntled and bring a loaded weapon somewhere and start shooting.

I'm assuming the title reflects the posters opinion, rather then an article or something. Get over it.

Chris

Airlinelover-I think you forget that the pilot who brought a loaded weapon and started shooting (I'm assuming you are referring to the PSA pilot) was fired after stealing 68 dollars from the company. His credentials were not taken immediately, and as a result, under the rules at the time, he was able to skirt security, as he still had credentials.