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News broke Monday afternoon that the union representing Delta Air Lines pilots voted to authorize a strike against the airline.
“The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) which represents 15,000 Delta Air pilots said on Monday afternoon that more than 96 percent of its members turned out to take part in the poll and of those, 99 percent voted in favor of authorizing strike action,” wrote Paddle Your Own Kanoo’s Mateusz Maszczynski.
So, is it time to cancel your Delta trips and start booking with other carriers — if your sole concern is your vacation being disrupted by a Delta pilots strike?
I wouldn’t (and I’m not). This very likely won’t affect any holiday trips — or anything for several months.
And that’s if a strike even comes to fruition.
“… any possible strike action is still a long way off,” Mr. Maszczynski notes, “and many analysts see these types of ballot as a negotiating tactic rather than a credible threat.”
Reuters David Shepardson and Rajesh Kumar Singh explain, “The board must first decide that additional mediation efforts would not be productive and offer the parties an opportunity to arbitrate. If either side declines, both parties enter a 30-day ‘cooling off’ period, after which pilots and management can engage in self-help – a strike by the union or a lockout by management.”
I checked in with a trusted Delta source and gauged this person’s opinion. The cooling off period (if the situation even comes to that) is when my contact believes issues could be resolved.
“I think we’ll see [something] similar to Alaska (Airlines) where they passed the vote, and during the cool down period Delta pilots will finally get a contract,” my source said.
This person also pointed out that pilots at Endeavor — a wholly-owned subsidiary of Delta —are apparently in line for nice pay hikes.
Now, this isn’t to say Delta pilots won’t strike. But for now, it seems as though the sky won’t fall — and Delta pilots will continue flying planes up in that wild blue yonder without any problems.
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I don’t for a second believe that 99% of Delta’s pilots casting a ballot in the union strike election actually voted for a strike. Even Putin doesn’t get 99% in his “election.”
Well. You are an idiot!
Don’t make me turn this car around.
Why? What information have you gotten that makes this seem fraudulent? I would love to see it and be more informed on the matter.
It’s probably worth emphasizing that this will affect the “main lines” only. Delta Connection flights operated by the regional carriers would not be affected.
@Lee – Unless connecting to a Skyteam partner (or a connection flight only) that would not help most very much.