Well, goodbye NATCO

[derg]

I guess we're back to getting accosted outside of Spondivits and I need to dust my old speech about "My brotha, I know you SAY you're a Katrina evacuee, but it's been years and my pocket change clearly isn't enough for you to get anything other than a rock of crack".

During the last month, we have talked about rapidly rising fuel prices and added cost pressures as a new reality that is a permanent part of our business. Therefore, we must permanently change our business to maintain consistent profits even in a permanent high fuel cost environment. That reality requires the most efficient use of our assets and investments. We are moving quickly and aggressively to make needed changes to our business. This includes previously announced plans to reduce capacity this fall by 4 percent, retire 140 less efficient aircraft and look across our business for opportunities to trim costs.

Since 2009, we reduced our facility footprint at 170 airport locations and 10 cargo locations across the system, saving more than $80 million annually. We’ve worked with our airport partners to consolidate concourses in several locations to better match our facilities with our flight schedule. And where we have vacant buildings – such as the former Delta Technology building in Atlanta, the former Comair headquarters in Cincinnati and Building A in Minneapolis/St. Paul – we are aggressively working to sell those buildings.

We have identified additional opportunities to consolidate our facilities in Atlanta and Minneapolis/St. Paul, including:

Selling the Atlanta Reliability Center, a transaction scheduled to close later this summer;
Consolidating our Minneapolis/St. Paul flight attendant training center, pilot training center and flight simulator facilities to Atlanta; and
Consolidating our Minneapolis/St. Paul TechOps Engineering and Technical Support teams to Atlanta.
While we no longer require the MSP Training Center (formerly known as Building N), the Building C Tower, and Hangars 5 and 6, we will continue to need the skills and capabilities of all our flight attendant facilitators, pilot instructors, simulator support employees, engineers and technical support employees. Jobs will be available for all of these employees who are interested in relocating.

We expect this process to begin this year and continue through 2012, though each division will have different timelines based on business needs to ensure a smooth operation.

The return or sale of excess facilities will provide cost savings and will remove these surplus assets from our balance sheet. We must focus our $1.3 billion in annual capital investment on airplanes and airport facilities. In addition, as part of closing Building N, Delta will also reduce our total debt by repaying the outstanding loans with the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC). These cost savings will allow Delta to maintain our competitive cost structure while continuing to invest in the airplanes, tools and technology you need to deliver a reliable operation and excellent customer service, as well as in the products and services that provide a superior travel experience for our customers.

We’re firmly committed to Minneapolis/St. Paul. The hub is strong, secure and is a critical part of Delta’s domestic and international network. Our operation and other facilities in Minneapolis/St. Paul remain unchanged. Our airport customer service, cargo, and reservation sales and customer care agents, pilots, flight attendants, aircraft maintenance and information technology professionals will continue to call Minnesota home. The Delta Connection and Regional Elite Airline Services headquarters, cargo facility, and maintenance, repair and overhaul work will continue in Minneapolis/St. Paul as it does today.

Even with these changes, we’ll continue to have more than 12,000 Delta and subsidiary employees living and working in Minnesota, and more than 480 average daily departures from our hub. We’ve continued investing in the facilities where our people work and in the airport experience for our customers. Employees in Building C now are working in fully renovated office space with new workstations, break areas and an on-site café. Our customers have experienced significant investments to our airport lobby, including additional self-service and staffed check-in facilities, flight information screens and directional signage. We’re also working with the MAC to introduce a new food and beverage program on Concourse G next year, offering creations from local chefs that will feature products from local farmers and breweries. These investments are another crucial component of our long-term success.

Additional details about the facility consolidation will be available on DeltaNet and from your leader. Thanks for all you do every day. Because of your hard work, we are well positioned to face this new reality of high fuel prices and cyclical changes.

 

[Nick]

I heard it really came down to the heating bill in Eagan vs. the air conditioning bill in Atlanta.

That's too bad, really. They'll lose lots of very experienced and knowledgeable yet laid back instructors who live in the area and might not justify flying down to ATL to teach for a bunch of days in a row and then fly home, when they previously just drove to Natco to teach class or sims for a month alternating between line flying and that.

I remember how bustling it was when I was an intern on the third floor in 2005 in what used to be NASAP program. Although some cutbacks had recently been made (the pilots had just taken a 15% paycut, pre-BK) and some staff were laid off, the place was still quite busy as it was all Northwest's training right there.

Where are they going to find room for all of the sims? That A-330 sim is one of two in the USA if I remember correctly.

Most of all, I hope they move and keep that original little 80+ year old simulator that's in the lobby. It's pretty cool to walk past that on the way in and then see all of the modern level D stuff that evolved from it years later.

 

[derg]

There are some open bays, I'm not quite sure how many though.

 

[derg]

I really preferred MSP over ATL for a number of reasons. Better hotel, better facility, better dining, it just felt more "homey" than the labyrinth of ATL.

MSP was show up, go upstairs, hang a right and everything was well marked.

ATL is show up, go up a few floors, find the Skyway, cross, go right or upstairs depending on what OC you were in, staircase/elevator and hope you're on the correct side.

MSP hotel was great. ATL hotel could care less if you're choking on a carrot.

 

[Minuteman]

"Delta Loves You"

and ILD

 

[derg]

When we would stay over at the Comfort Inn or Suites whatever it was, it would always go like this:

"Last name?"

"Taylor"

"Aint got no Taylors"

"Is there a Douglas?"

"Yehh..."

"Taylor Douglas?"

"Yehh..."

"That's me".

"Naw you said your last name was Taylor"

"First name is Douglas! Last name is Taylor!"

"You'wre gonna have to call crew accommodations"

I crap you not. Three straight years.

 

[Nick]

In Eagan at the Clarion or whatever it was probably "teehee, ohhh look at yah, ya look likeya coulda packed another jacket, this is Minnesoooota dontcha know?!"

Ah, Minnesota nice.




"There's a curling tournament on channel fourteen! . . . have a nice stay!"

 

[derg]

I forget the name of the hotel we use(d) but it was in St. Paul. And, there was a huge group of Curlers there for a national championship!

 

[1B9Pilot]

Last edited by Nick; Today at 19:46. Reason: added curling reference

Very precise
​

 

[Buzo]

I forget the name of the hotel we use(d) but it was in St. Paul. And, there was a huge group of Curlers there for a national championship!

That was the day I was leaving from 320 school, it was the world championships.

 

[Cav]

Going to be an interesting day at school tomorrow. Some good folks up here, sad for them

 

[JumpWake]

Awww bummer.

I was there as FOQA intern back in 2004 in the dungeon down there by the 330CPTs...that building was my first introduction to a major airline. Like Nick said, it was bustling, and such a great experience. I've got some great memories from all the sims I did there, and the people I met.

 

[KLB]

When we would stay over at the Comfort Inn or Suites whatever it was, it would always go like this:

"Last name?"

"Taylor"

"Aint got no Taylors"

"Is there a Douglas?"

"Yehh..."

"Taylor Douglas?"

"Yehh..."

"That's me".

"Naw you said your last name was Taylor"

"First name is Douglas! Last name is Taylor!"

"You'wre gonna have to call crew accommodations"

I crap you not. Three straight years.

Although it may not be in the right order, atleast they spell your name correctly! "The Company" mispells my name from time to time. So I usually have to start with my name and then work through all of the variations.

 

[derg]

Delta training centers to move
By Gita Sitaramiah
gsitaramiah@pioneerpress.com
Updated: 06/07/2011 10:09:27 PM CDT

Delta Air Lines said Tuesday that it will move its flight attendant training center, pilot training center, flight simulator facilities and some technical support teams from the Twin Cities area to Atlanta.

Early estimates are that a few hundred positions from facilities in Eagan and at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport will move to Atlanta, where Delta is based, an airline spokeswoman said. Jobs will be available for all the employees who are interested in relocating, Delta Chief Executive Richard Anderson told employees Tuesday.

"During the last month, we have talked about rapidly rising fuel prices and added cost pressures as a new reality that is a permanent part of our business," Anderson said in a memo. "Therefore, we must permanently change our business to maintain consistent profits even in a permanent high fuel cost environment."

Delta has 12,000 employees and subsidiary positions in Minnesota, close to the state employee levels for Eagan-based Northwest Airlines in 2008, when Delta acquired it and became the Twin Cities' dominant airline.

In order to close the airport facilities, Delta must pay back $175 million in outstanding debt on a $300 million loan made by the Metropolitan Airports Commission to Northwest in 1992, according to Pat Hogan, a spokesman for the airports commission, which runs the Twin Cities airport.

By repaying that debt, Delta is absolved of promises to keep employees here - though the airline's agreement

Advertisement
to have a minimum of 360 daily departures still stands, Hogan said. Delta currently has 480 average daily departures, according to Anderson's memo.
"Obviously, it's regrettable that Minnesota's losing some jobs," Hogan said. "For the airport financially, it has little impact."

Anderson said in the memo that the transition is to begin this year and continue through 2012, though each division will have different timelines, based on business needs, to ensure a smooth operation.

Since 2009, Delta has reduced its facility footprint at 170 airports and 10 cargo locations across its system, saving more than $80 million annually, Anderson said. He noted that the company is aggressively trying to sell vacant buildings, including the former Northwest headquarters building in Eagan

"While we no longer require the MSP Training Center (formerly known as Building N), the Building C Tower and Hangars 5 and 6, we will continue to need the skills and capabilities of all our flight attendant facilitators, pilot instructors, simulator support employees, engineers and technical support employees," Anderson said.

As the acquisition was being planned, Anderson told Pioneer Press editorial board members and reporters that the Northwest pilot training center in Eagan would stay. Doug Steenland, then Northwest chief, said there would be "zero job loss" from Northwest at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport as a result of the deal.

Gita Sitaramiah can be reached at 651-228-5472.

 

[derg]

Delta training centers to move
By Gita Sitaramiah
gsitaramiah@pioneerpress.com
Updated: 06/07/2011 10:09:27 PM CDT

Delta Air Lines said Tuesday that it will move its flight attendant training center, pilot training center, flight simulator facilities and some technical support teams from the Twin Cities area to Atlanta.

Early estimates are that a few hundred positions from facilities in Eagan and at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport will move to Atlanta, where Delta is based, an airline spokeswoman said. Jobs will be available for all the employees who are interested in relocating, Delta Chief Executive Richard Anderson told employees Tuesday.

"During the last month, we have talked about rapidly rising fuel prices and added cost pressures as a new reality that is a permanent part of our business," Anderson said in a memo. "Therefore, we must permanently change our business to maintain consistent profits even in a permanent high fuel cost environment."

Delta has 12,000 employees and subsidiary positions in Minnesota, close to the state employee levels for Eagan-based Northwest Airlines in 2008, when Delta acquired it and became the Twin Cities' dominant airline.

In order to close the airport facilities, Delta must pay back $175 million in outstanding debt on a $300 million loan made by the Metropolitan Airports Commission to Northwest in 1992, according to Pat Hogan, a spokesman for the airports commission, which runs the Twin Cities airport.

By repaying that debt, Delta is absolved of promises to keep employees here - though the airline's agreement

Advertisement
to have a minimum of 360 daily departures still stands, Hogan said. Delta currently has 480 average daily departures, according to Anderson's memo.
"Obviously, it's regrettable that Minnesota's losing some jobs," Hogan said. "For the airport financially, it has little impact."

Anderson said in the memo that the transition is to begin this year and continue through 2012, though each division will have different timelines, based on business needs, to ensure a smooth operation.

Since 2009, Delta has reduced its facility footprint at 170 airports and 10 cargo locations across its system, saving more than $80 million annually, Anderson said. He noted that the company is aggressively trying to sell vacant buildings, including the former Northwest headquarters building in Eagan

"While we no longer require the MSP Training Center (formerly known as Building N), the Building C Tower and Hangars 5 and 6, we will continue to need the skills and capabilities of all our flight attendant facilitators, pilot instructors, simulator support employees, engineers and technical support employees," Anderson said.

As the acquisition was being planned, Anderson told Pioneer Press editorial board members and reporters that the Northwest pilot training center in Eagan would stay. Doug Steenland, then Northwest chief, said there would be "zero job loss" from Northwest at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport as a result of the deal.

Gita Sitaramiah can be reached at 651-228-5472.

 

[E_Dawg]

After an 8hr block day I just waited 45 min for the hotel van in ATL. super awesome.

 

[derg]

I'm not looking forward to recurrent in ATL.

 

[SpiraMirabilis]

When we would stay over at the Comfort Inn or Suites whatever it was, it would always go like this:

"Last name?"

"Taylor"

"Aint got no Taylors"

"Is there a Douglas?"

"Yehh..."

"Taylor Douglas?"

"Yehh..."

"That's me".

"Naw you said your last name was Taylor"

"First name is Douglas! Last name is Taylor!"

"You'wre gonna have to call crew accommodations"

I crap you not. Three straight years.

I got one like this:

Clerk: 'We don't have a Michael with that last name, sorry.'

Me: 'There is someone else with my last name? Did they mis-spell Michael? My name is kind of rare.'

Clerk: 'No, it is.... Pilot Munson.'

Me, standing there in my uniform: 'I see.'

 

[H46Bubba]

Not really surprised at thtis announcement. Now that Southernjets is shedding that debt resposibility to the airport, it just starts the slow closure of all DN facilities except the maintenance hangar, cargo, and gate space.

 

[jtrain609]

CVG and MEM are next.