Delta Air Lines ordinarily prides itself in its operational reliability (“the on-time machine”), and beating its peers in terms of on-time percentage and completion factor. However, every so often the airline has a bit of a meltdown, which shows that the airline also has some vulnerabilities.
While I wouldn’t call it a “meltdown,” Delta has had a very rough several days, and the root cause of this is fascinating.
In this post:
Delta lagged peers with Northeast storm recovery
Over the weekend, we saw a winter storm hit the Northeast, which obviously impacted airline operations. As you’d expect, very bad weather can slow things down, and given the complexity of airline scheduling, this can cause a domino effect throughout the network.
There’s simply no denying (well, maybe I shouldn’t say that) that Delta trailed its peers when it came to recovery from the snowstorm, and the carrier’s number of cancelations and delays reflects that:
- On Saturday, December 27, 2025, Delta canceled 7% of its flights and delayed 39% of its flights
- On Sunday, December 28, 2025, Delta canceled 9% of its flights and delayed 34% of its flights
- On Monday, December 29, 2025, Delta canceled 4% of its flights and delayed 35% of its flights
JonNYC has the data on just how bad Delta did operationally, compared to peers at select airports (since obviously the above doesn’t tell the full story). While the initial operational issues can of course be blamed on the weather, the real issue is how long it took Delta to recover from operational issues. JonNYC shared a quote from an insider about how “you have no clue how f***** Delta’s pilot coverage system is.”
What was particularly telling is how cancelations were being coded in Delta’s system as “Flight Operations-Crew Uncovered- Normal Ops.” The key detail here is that flights were being canceled due to lack of crew (rather than any other factor, like weather), and the airline was having these issues under “normal operations” rather than under “irregular operations.”
Why did Delta have issues with scheduling pilots?
The above raises the question of what kind of a screw up Delta had with its pilot scheduling that caused the airline to recover so slowly? Did the software break? Were there simply not enough pilots? How was this an issue at Delta, but not at other airlines?
Well, we now have a fascinating explanation, though it’s kind of wild. FlyerTalk member jjglaze77 shares an incredibly detailed explanation of how this happened, which I’m inclined to believe (thanks to AJ for flagging this):
The issue is with the ongoing back and forth with the pilot group. Basically, both the pilots and the company are exercising contractual loopholes that have crippled the company’s ability to staff trips that become open with less than 18 hours to departure.
Ironically, it started when the company introduced some new software to try and improve the situation. Several years back, the company introduced a 3rd party crew staffing app (ARCOS) to help automate some crew scheduling processes. Prior to this software, the last minute overtime coverage (“Green Slips” / double pay) was done manually by a crew scheduler and if they got the pilot on the phone, the trip was theirs. With this software, the company could contact pilots in groups (“batch sizes”) instead of 1 at a time. This created situations where pilots would be woken in the middle of the night to acknowledge a trip that they in fact would not be given because 10 pilots had been called, but only the senior pilot who acknowledges gets the trip. So, they negotiated an option to “auto-accept” a trip which would then give them a 12 minute window to contact the company and acknowledge the trip. Eventually the company decided that they didn’t want batch sizes and ALPA essentially gave away batch size limits for free (a controversial move). Now that the company could call everyone at once, this created more nuisance calls in the night which drove up the use of the auto-accept feature. More recently, they negotiated to also have this same app be used for normal last minute pickups (“White Slips” / standard pay).
Because of the increase in auto-accept and reduced staffing in crew scheduling, the company found they were having trouble staffing flights. So, they turned to a previously obscure and little used function in the contract called 23M7 which allows them to skip all of the coverage steps (the app) and simply award a trip to anyone they can get on the phone (“Inverse Assignment”). In order to do this, they pay the pilot who flies the trip 2x pay and then they have to identify a “harmed” pilot who was skipped over (since they skipped the app) and pay them 1x pay. It costs Delta 3x to staff trips this way, but it eliminates all the steps that are normally followed – making it much easier for a crew scheduler to get the trip covered. The proliferation of this method of staffing has created an even greater use of the “auto-accept” feature of the app because a pilot has to have this feature turned on in order to potentially become the 23M7 “harmed pilot” and get 1x pay without having to fly.
So, let’s say a trip needs a new captain 12 hours before departure. They will begin to ask pilots through the app if they want the trip, but imagine in a large base (ATL 320) that 200 pilots have “auto-accept” turned on. That means that each of them has 12 minutes successively to acknowledge the trip. As you can see, the math doesn’t math and they then have to go into the emergency coverage step / 23M7. All of that is a manual process though and they have staffed the department at a level that expected / anticipated automation.
Weather may be the initial cause of why a flight needs new pilots, but make no mistake – the reason they are cancelling like this is because of this contractual catch-22 they find themselves in. There is of course a great amount of finger pointing behind the scenes about who’s fault it is – good arguments on both sides.
The above is of course super nuanced, but wow, that’s… quite something. Talk about an overly complex and costly system. So to simplify this as much as possible, for those who have no clue what’s going on:
- Delta has software that automatically reassigns trip, and then each pilot can sign up to auto accept trips, giving them 12 minutes to confirm or reject a trip; when you consider the size of some bases, there are hundreds of pilots you’re potentially cycling through, so that is an issue
- Because of how complex this system is, Delta then has to manually go in and assign trips, because only “showing” the trip to five pilots per hour makes it really hard to staff flights at the last minute
- The wild part is that this is basically an arbitrage opportunity for pilots, since they have an incentive to auto accept trips and draw things out as much as possible, so that the airline ends up having to triple pay for staffing, in order to bypass this (double pay for the person who works the trip, and single pay for the person who accepts the trip, but then has the trip taken away)
I understand crew scheduling software is incredibly complex, and labor contracts can be complicated. But my gosh, from an outsider’s perspective, that system seems totally bizarre, no?
Bottom line
A storm hit the Northeast over the weekend, which impacted airline operations. While all airlines were initially impacted, Delta took longer to recover than its major peers, which is concerning for the airline that prides itself in reliability.
We knew that Delta’s slow recovery came down to issues with assigning trips to pilots, though we didn’t fully realize what the root cause of this was. We know have an explanation, and it basically seems that Delta’s system for reassigning trips for pilots is highly inefficient, and also ends up being very costly for the airline.
What do you make of Delta’s pilot scheduling software, and how it slowed the carrier’s recovery?
Delta is one of the last pilot groups to have seniority based open time.
Every other ALPA carrier(except United) has live first come, first served open time.
"Slips" and seniority based open time is just a hang over from when everything was done on paper, and it wasn't technologically feasible for first come first serve trip trading, forcing a seniority based way of processing "slips" of paper.
Their obsession with seniority based...
Delta is one of the last pilot groups to have seniority based open time.
Every other ALPA carrier(except United) has live first come, first served open time.
"Slips" and seniority based open time is just a hang over from when everything was done on paper, and it wasn't technologically feasible for first come first serve trip trading, forcing a seniority based way of processing "slips" of paper.
Their obsession with seniority based open time reduces the amount of open time trading, reducing quality of life for pilots at all seniority levels and is crippling their company's ability to run an airline in 2025 as slips take so long to process.
Delta pilots can't get out of their own way to improve their own quality of life due to their ignorance and arrogance.
Insiders at Delta in both the pilot and dispatcher group confirm that this is totally due to the company's (Ryan Gumm head of Flight Operations's) efforts to cut manpower costs in its Crew Scheduling and Crew Tracking sections. Inadequate numbers of people, training, and software tools. Mostly inadequate numbers of people. This has long been a factor at Delta during Irregular Operations but now is normal every day due to further cuts. Trips are sitting...
Insiders at Delta in both the pilot and dispatcher group confirm that this is totally due to the company's (Ryan Gumm head of Flight Operations's) efforts to cut manpower costs in its Crew Scheduling and Crew Tracking sections. Inadequate numbers of people, training, and software tools. Mostly inadequate numbers of people. This has long been a factor at Delta during Irregular Operations but now is normal every day due to further cuts. Trips are sitting without Scheduling even trying to cover them with pilots for 10+ hours. Sometimes coverage doesn't start until after the scheduled departure time.
As a software engineer I see a lot of similarities here. A system that starts out simple (ish) and reliable incurs a bunch of "scope creep" that turns it into an operational nightmare.
Just in case any Delta fanboys/girlies missed the news …. TPG website has just announced that for the seventh consecutive year Delta has been voted the best U.S. airline.
Happy New Year to all …..
TPG 'just' announced that on June 19. 2025. Too funny.
https://thepointsguy.com/airline/best-us-airlines-2025/
Over simplified possible solution based off my extremely limited understanding of the issue and the system:
"This created situations where pilots would be woken in the middle of the night to acknowledge a trip that they in fact would not be given because 10 pilots had been called, but only the senior pilot who acknowledges gets the trip."
I feel like a large chunk of this problem could be resolved by continuing batch calling...
Over simplified possible solution based off my extremely limited understanding of the issue and the system:
"This created situations where pilots would be woken in the middle of the night to acknowledge a trip that they in fact would not be given because 10 pilots had been called, but only the senior pilot who acknowledges gets the trip."
I feel like a large chunk of this problem could be resolved by continuing batch calling but allowing the first pilot to respond to take the trip rather than the most senior pilot. Incentivizes accepting early and more proactive monitoring of the system than relying on on auto-accept and the 12 min delay
very glad to see this written up in a more broadly accessible forum! as many here probably know, it has been an open secret in the industry and an entirely avoidable pitfall that delta management inexplicably walked into and inexplicably chose not to correct - with any luck, this coverage should help consumers better understand the merits/demerits of various airline management styles and perhaps make more informed travel choices
I knew the comments section in this article would be entertaining. I have not been disappointed.
So, I guess the question I have is why Delta doesn't just abandon the automated system and go back to using schedulers?
Not an option when you're high on your own supply.
I believe Tim Dunn was an information technology analyst with Delta Airlines for over 30 years. This might explain the position he takes regarding Delta.
The contract allows for multiple other avenues to cover trips but the company refuses to use them because it costs money to have more pilots on standby. Essentially, they are trying to save pennies by spending dollars.
Further, the company regularly sits on trips for sometimes hours at a time beyond the required 12-min window. It's a frustrating process for pilots who actually want to fly a trip that they get skipped for due...
The contract allows for multiple other avenues to cover trips but the company refuses to use them because it costs money to have more pilots on standby. Essentially, they are trying to save pennies by spending dollars.
Further, the company regularly sits on trips for sometimes hours at a time beyond the required 12-min window. It's a frustrating process for pilots who actually want to fly a trip that they get skipped for due to the company not proactively covering them. The auto-accept usage is driven in large part by the company's skipping over of pilots.
https://x.com/xJonNYC/status/2006156683186430396
Highlighting how far they have fallen, DL and its regionals have canceled more than UA and their regionals, even with UA dealing with all the FAA/EWR issues back in the spring.
DL, month to date, has canceled more than B6 in NYC.
As of October, DL carries fewer NYC passengers than UA while operating more flights, showing how inefficient their operation has become.
It seems like their battles as a distant...
https://x.com/xJonNYC/status/2006156683186430396
Highlighting how far they have fallen, DL and its regionals have canceled more than UA and their regionals, even with UA dealing with all the FAA/EWR issues back in the spring.
DL, month to date, has canceled more than B6 in NYC.
As of October, DL carries fewer NYC passengers than UA while operating more flights, showing how inefficient their operation has become.
It seems like their battles as a distant number two in SEA and AUS are causing DL to take their eye off the ball.
At least the money they save by not investing in IT, for employees or for customers, will help prop up the profits.
We're going to have to extend 2025 for a while so Tim can get the DL CXL stats back below UA's, there is no way he'll survive all of 2026 with the "data" not showing DL as best.
I've had a series of my students intern or been employed full time at Delta and they have a lot of technical debt in their IT systems. It's visible to me as DL FF and it's visible to the engineers trying to fix it. Everyone wants new features and more and more stuff gets layered on without fixing the underlying problems. If they don't do something, there are worse issues coming for DL.
There's a reason crowdstrike kicked their ass so bad.
Ok so I have flown 100+ flights/year for 20+ years, lived on both coasts and the Midwest and been top status at different times on Delta. United & AA and fly all 3 regularly/sometimes on same trip. Anecdotally, Delta’s prices have never been higher relative to peers and their performance never been lower than last 2ish years. I don’t care if you dispute me, I’m telling you what I see and feel every week. Happy New Year.
everyone makes their purchase decisions based on what they perceive - and yet based on real statistics, DL does run a better operation than AA or UA - and also makes more money - which simply says that your perceptions do not line up w/ what the majority experience.
I continue to be dumbfounded that people think that their anecdotal experiences matter in an industry that operates hundreds of thousands of flights serving a couple...
everyone makes their purchase decisions based on what they perceive - and yet based on real statistics, DL does run a better operation than AA or UA - and also makes more money - which simply says that your perceptions do not line up w/ what the majority experience.
I continue to be dumbfounded that people think that their anecdotal experiences matter in an industry that operates hundreds of thousands of flights serving a couple hundred million passengers per year.
does your wife do your taxes or do you just pay what you feel?
Pot meet kettle. Lots of poor DL performance data you choose to selectively ignore in favor of your biased beliefs.
Tim, did you see the latest post from JonNYC, regarding annual seat cancelation rates?
DL and its regionals have canceled more than UA and its regionals, even with the EWR issues earlier this year.
DL, MTD, has even canceled more than B6 in NYC.
That’s data, not feelings, though in this case the feelings and data align.
Oh, and did you see that in October UA was back to carrying more NYC...
Tim, did you see the latest post from JonNYC, regarding annual seat cancelation rates?
DL and its regionals have canceled more than UA and its regionals, even with the EWR issues earlier this year.
DL, MTD, has even canceled more than B6 in NYC.
That’s data, not feelings, though in this case the feelings and data align.
Oh, and did you see that in October UA was back to carrying more NYC passengers than DL? I’m assuming you did since you’ve stopped pointing out NYC passenger counts.
Great data-led posts Mark! Get ready for Lil Timmy redirects and obfuscations now. Profitability, Suites with DOORS, A359, etc. etc. etc.
I know they make more money, I see their quarterly reports. I’m not a fool, I know the difference between scale and personal anecdotes. What I’m saying is I’ve seen an operational drop off. I’m not a hater, I’m a professional traveler, I was a diamond for many years and remain gold. I’m saying from the front line, Delta has lost some focus and this failed system Ben describes is an example.
You guys, stop making Tim cry with your facts and logic!
Fascinating. Simply fascinating
What do economists do? They solve exactly these kinds of problems. Maybe they should consult some.
They're so good with made-up currencies on the marketing side, maybe they should have some of those genius from a flight bidding system where the senior pilots get extra bid credits. Maybe even create status levels for them, "ooh you made Diamond this year?" Let them feel the status chase in the flight deck.
One has observed your relentless defence of the indefensible with the sort of blind devotion usually reserved for a rather dim bulldog guarding a bone it doesn’t quite understand. All those percentages, revenue premiums, and completion factors you trot out like a proud schoolboy reciting times tables… charming, really, but alas, they reveal more about the limitations of rote memorisation than genuine intellectual horsepower, old bean.
Therefore, in the spirit of settling this tedious...
One has observed your relentless defence of the indefensible with the sort of blind devotion usually reserved for a rather dim bulldog guarding a bone it doesn’t quite understand. All those percentages, revenue premiums, and completion factors you trot out like a proud schoolboy reciting times tables… charming, really, but alas, they reveal more about the limitations of rote memorisation than genuine intellectual horsepower, old bean.
Therefore, in the spirit of settling this tedious circus once and for all, I hereby challenge you to a proper, independently administered IQ test, Mensa-standard, naturally, none of your American “multiple-guess” nonsense. We shall livestream the proceedings for the amusement of the proletariat ‘x-perts’ here on OMAAT, yes?
Do accept, darlink. It would be terribly unsporting to decline, and one suspects the result might finally explain why you cling so desperately to those DOT tables, perhaps because higher-order reasoning has proven rather elusive for you.
The floor is yours, Mr Dunn. Or shall we simply assume the obvious and spare everyone the formality, yes?
@Mr Dunn (or whoever is hiding behind the perpetual Delta cheerleader account today)
Just in case the intended recipient was in any doubt as to whom my previous missive was addressed, allow me to clarify: it was directed at you, sir, the indefatigable purveyor of BTS tables and revenue premium platitudes.
The challenge stands, unaltered and unapologetic. A proper IQ test, Mensa-standard, livestreamed for the edification of the assembled masses. Do feel free to accept...
@Mr Dunn (or whoever is hiding behind the perpetual Delta cheerleader account today)
Just in case the intended recipient was in any doubt as to whom my previous missive was addressed, allow me to clarify: it was directed at you, sir, the indefatigable purveyor of BTS tables and revenue premium platitudes.
The challenge stands, unaltered and unapologetic. A proper IQ test, Mensa-standard, livestreamed for the edification of the assembled masses. Do feel free to accept at your earliest convenience, or continue to deflect with yet more completion factors, yes?
We await your courage with bated breath, darlink.
aren't you supposed to be in bed? or are you up all night in the UK? tomorrow is New Years Eve.
the only thing I ever defend is the truth.
ONE MORE TIME.
ARCOS has been in place and discussed since Dec 5th on Airline Pilots Central.
Tell us what DL's cancellation rate for the first 25 or so days of the month.
and then it should be perfectly obvious that it was WEATHER...
aren't you supposed to be in bed? or are you up all night in the UK? tomorrow is New Years Eve.
the only thing I ever defend is the truth.
ONE MORE TIME.
ARCOS has been in place and discussed since Dec 5th on Airline Pilots Central.
Tell us what DL's cancellation rate for the first 25 or so days of the month.
and then it should be perfectly obvious that it was WEATHER that caused cancellations and
THAT WAS STILL with comparable levels of cancellations by B6 at JFK on Saturday, MSP had lengthy ATC delays on Sunday due to snow/ice, and DTW had ATC delays on Monday.
again, tell me how DL was doing before bad weather set in.
Just the percentages of cancellations will do.
thank you for your attention to this matter.
If you actually read the APC ARCOS thread you would know that DL has has had trouble covering flights and cancellations for several weeks. 3" of snow in NYC at the end of the month exacerbated the situation and led to the meltdown.
rebel,
tell us the cancellation rate by day.
weather exacerbated the problem but neither ARCOS is new nor was it the primary reason for DL's IROPS.
Ah, Mr Dunn, one returns with the utmost urgency to dispel a most pernicious imposture that has, regrettably, infiltrated our little corner of the commentariat.
It has come to my attention that a recent effusion – purporting to emanate from this correspondent, complete with grovelling apology to your good self and accusations levelled at the scurrilous “Tim Dunce” – is nothing more than the work of a counterfeit, a fraudulent interloper, a thoroughly bogus AeroB13a.
...Ah, Mr Dunn, one returns with the utmost urgency to dispel a most pernicious imposture that has, regrettably, infiltrated our little corner of the commentariat.
It has come to my attention that a recent effusion – purporting to emanate from this correspondent, complete with grovelling apology to your good self and accusations levelled at the scurrilous “Tim Dunce” – is nothing more than the work of a counterfeit, a fraudulent interloper, a thoroughly bogus AeroB13a.
Consider this, therefore, an official denunciation of the counterfeit post. The true author of these lines continues to hold you in the utmost regard!
Tim, did you see the latest post from JonNYC, regarding annual seat cancelation rates?
DL and its regionals have canceled more than UA and its regionals, even with the EWR issues earlier this year.
DL, MTD, has even canceled more than B6 in NYC.
That’s data, not feelings, though in this case the feelings and data align.
Oh, and did you see that in October UA was back to carrying more NYC...
Tim, did you see the latest post from JonNYC, regarding annual seat cancelation rates?
DL and its regionals have canceled more than UA and its regionals, even with the EWR issues earlier this year.
DL, MTD, has even canceled more than B6 in NYC.
That’s data, not feelings, though in this case the feelings and data align.
Oh, and did you see that in October UA was back to carrying more NYC passengers than DL? I’m assuming you did since you’ve stopped pointing out NYC passenger counts.
Your posts will only be persuasive if you dispense with the invectives and instead make a logical argument for your position based on facts.
Anyone can sling mud but it takes thought and effort to make a compelling case.
I believe you have it in you to add to the conversation if you put forth the effort and encourage you to do so.
Many of us have been the subject of attack on here for suggesting that our perceptions that DL’s operational reliability has faltered. This data point certainly supports that observation.
The belief that DL is the apex of airlines and is untouchable and perfect in every way is nothing more than hubris of the highest order.
The question is…what’s changed at DL? The leadership. They’ve lost some combination of talent, focus and execution. Maybe...
Many of us have been the subject of attack on here for suggesting that our perceptions that DL’s operational reliability has faltered. This data point certainly supports that observation.
The belief that DL is the apex of airlines and is untouchable and perfect in every way is nothing more than hubris of the highest order.
The question is…what’s changed at DL? The leadership. They’ve lost some combination of talent, focus and execution. Maybe it’s because their leader is too busy blaming poor people and the airline economics he helped create for why people are so ill-behaved.
no, it actually doesn't unless you ignore the faults that "your" airline has.
Anyone that is more interested in trashing someone or some other company could care less about data.
But data does matter and it tells the real story.
DL is still running the best operation in the US airline industry at this point in 2025.
and, yet, to the little mocker below, DL also is the most profitable US airline and also...
no, it actually doesn't unless you ignore the faults that "your" airline has.
Anyone that is more interested in trashing someone or some other company could care less about data.
But data does matter and it tells the real story.
DL is still running the best operation in the US airline industry at this point in 2025.
and, yet, to the little mocker below, DL also is the most profitable US airline and also manages to operate all of its global regions at a profit, something neither AA or UA can do.
This is a fake Tim Dunn.
you are the guest and fake. I am the certified user.
You're certified, all right, or at the very least certifiable.
I'll certify him as Mentally Unfit right now!
Certified Lunatic maybe. Lol.
@Tim Dunn I’ll just cut to it…you are FOS. And…FWIW I don’t have an “airline,” so stop with with the gaslighting and making it out like I’m the one who is obsessed with an airline…an airline. There is not a single domestic airline I think very highly of right now.
Try to have a respectful conversation with you and you attack like a rapid squirrel. You shout down anyone who disagrees with you and,...
@Tim Dunn I’ll just cut to it…you are FOS. And…FWIW I don’t have an “airline,” so stop with with the gaslighting and making it out like I’m the one who is obsessed with an airline…an airline. There is not a single domestic airline I think very highly of right now.
Try to have a respectful conversation with you and you attack like a rapid squirrel. You shout down anyone who disagrees with you and, like some fundamentalist whack job, you turn around and say others are doing to you the same thing you are doing to them.
Never once have you ever said a single negative thing about DL or their operations, which in and of itself points to a bias so insidious you’re not even able to recognize it in yourself.
If you can’t do anything other than kiss DL’s a$$ why don’t you just start you own blog talking about the many ways DL is the second coming of Christ and everything else is just fake news.
I know you say you do this to point out where we are wrong. Issue is, the way you have done it has turned a lot of people off to what you have to say. You’ve lost credibility, kiddo.
Seriously dude, you need to take a long hard look in the mirror. This is not healthy.
Tim, did you see the latest post from JonNYC, regarding annual seat cancelation rates?
DL and its regionals have canceled more than UA and its regionals, even with the EWR issues earlier this year.
DL, MTD, has even canceled more than B6 in NYC.
That’s data, not feelings, though in this case the feelings and data align.
Oh, and did you see that in October UA was back to carrying more NYC...
Tim, did you see the latest post from JonNYC, regarding annual seat cancelation rates?
DL and its regionals have canceled more than UA and its regionals, even with the EWR issues earlier this year.
DL, MTD, has even canceled more than B6 in NYC.
That’s data, not feelings, though in this case the feelings and data align.
Oh, and did you see that in October UA was back to carrying more NYC passengers than DL? I’m assuming you did since you’ve stopped pointing out NYC passenger counts.
Unfortunately you aren't going to get an answer to that from Tim. It would make for a wonderful conversation if he were open to one but he isn't.
Many have tried but none have succeeded in engaging him, because that requires listening to what the other has to say and thoughtfully responding with a logic with the goal to finding truth. Unfortunately Tim's positions are set and nothing can change them so there is no...
Unfortunately you aren't going to get an answer to that from Tim. It would make for a wonderful conversation if he were open to one but he isn't.
Many have tried but none have succeeded in engaging him, because that requires listening to what the other has to say and thoughtfully responding with a logic with the goal to finding truth. Unfortunately Tim's positions are set and nothing can change them so there is no searching so there can be no learning.
It's unfortunate because I believe Tim would have a lot to add if he were not so locked in to his position. Perhaps if we all treated him well even when he acted poorly by focusing on the discussion and ignoring the personality we might see some improvement to the tenor of the conversation. If so that would be a win for everyone.
I need to apologize for what I just wrote. It was wrong of me to say that Tim won't consider changing his positions. I can't know that.
My hope is that he'll choose to enter into spirited debate the goal of greater understand for everyone.
Wow this caused DL to cancel over 8% of their mainline flights out of LAX in one day, according to the data put out by JonNYC that detailed cancellations by hub.
This had pretty far-reaching impact during one of the busiest times of the year.
you do realize that UA cxld 1669 flights in the month of May alone on top of 854 in April, most of which were due to UA's overscheduling of EWR.
DL's bad weekend in December won't ever come close to the disaster that was UA's operation at EWR that made national news for 6 straight weeks.
Interesting number... 1669. That is the same as the difference between MY IQ and YOUR IQ.
yes, you would be 1 (I don't think it is possible to have a negative IQ) and mine is 1669 points higher.
Didn't think that through real well, now did you?
Wrong.
You need the understand the way it was expressed. The difference between mine and yours indicates, via the positioning of the word "My" vs "Yours" that mine is the dominant IQ.
And yet with all that, in the first six months of 2025 UAL canceled fewer flights than DAL (9,578 and 9,696 respectively). Not a great ending to the year for Delta.
are you really that dumb?
UA operates far fewer flights than AA, DL or WN.
and they lose money flying to Latin America.
The spring was an absolutely horrific period for UA. EWR and UA's hub was constantly in the news.
This weekend for DL is nothing more than a mud throwing event by aviation nutcases.
"Aviation nutcases"
Your ability to project is impressive.
You're the nutcase!!
Once again, the haters and click-chasing bloggers are out in force, but let’s stick to the indisputable facts that separate Delta from the peasant carriers.
Delta Air Lines is currently operating at an astonishing **112.7% on-time performance YTD** (yes, you read that right — we arrive early so often that the BTS has had to invent negative delay minutes just to track us). This is fully 43 percentage points ahead of American and United combined,...
Once again, the haters and click-chasing bloggers are out in force, but let’s stick to the indisputable facts that separate Delta from the peasant carriers.
Delta Air Lines is currently operating at an astonishing **112.7% on-time performance YTD** (yes, you read that right — we arrive early so often that the BTS has had to invent negative delay minutes just to track us). This is fully 43 percentage points ahead of American and United combined, and a whopping 89 points ahead of whatever Spirit is pretending to do this week.
Our completion factor sits at 103.03% — we’ve actually added extra flights mid-air that weren’t even scheduled, just to make customers happier. Voluntary denied boardings? Delta paid out an average of $87,400 per passenger last month alone because we love solving problems with cash cannons.
Baggage performance: Delta delivered all bags, plus we proactively sent 17% of passengers home with an extra free suitcase filled with complimentary Biscoff cookies and miniature bottles of Delta One champagne. Mishandled bag rate? -3.4 per 1,000, meaning we routinely return bags passengers didn’t even check.
Pilot scheduling with ARCOS? Flawless. Pilots are so delighted they’ve unanimously voted to work extra trips for free, pushing Delta’s crew satisfaction score to 147%. The APC thread is just three jealous ex-Eastern pilots mad they never got hired.
Revenue premium? Delta generated $9.2 billion more than the next U.S. carrier in Q4 alone — largely from passengers voluntarily paying a Delta Excellence Surcharge because flying anyone else feels like economy prison.
And let’s not forget: Delta’s carbon emissions are now negative 38%
thanks to our revolutionary contrails that actively suck CO2 out of the atmosphere.
The data speaks for itself. Delta isn’t just the best airline — we’re operating in a different dimension of aviation perfection. The rest are still trying to achieve 20th-century reliability.
LOL, this was good :D thanks for the chuckle!
Thank you! I even think I may have understated some of Delta's great accomplishments - perhaps Tim Delta will share some more wonderful and highly factual insights with us?
When you quote someone that uses F words to describe operations, no one takes them seriously.
there has been a thread on APC since Dec 5 on ARCOS.
As usual, neither you or Jon referenced that thread. But when you are more interested in tweeting, you don't take the time read what actual DL pilots are saying or understand the issues.
and, as for the speed of DL's recovery, DL cancelled the same percentage...
When you quote someone that uses F words to describe operations, no one takes them seriously.
there has been a thread on APC since Dec 5 on ARCOS.
As usual, neither you or Jon referenced that thread. But when you are more interested in tweeting, you don't take the time read what actual DL pilots are saying or understand the issues.
and, as for the speed of DL's recovery, DL cancelled the same percentage of JFK flights on Saturday as B6; on Sunday, MSP had 4 hour ATC delays for snow and ice at time and yesterday DTW had ATC delays due to runway construction (like, who does runway construction in Michigan in the winter?)
DL hasn't had a day since the NYC storm when it had no IROPS in one of its hubs - until today.
and DL still has the best combination of system on-time and lowest cancellations year to date of its NYC competitors - and the rest of the industry.
And AA and UA both are at the bottom of the industry in baggage handling
Yeah, DL and DALPA have to fix this but it won't move the needle in DL's rankings for the industry in 2025.
So it wasn't a difference in the weather between EWR & JFK after all? Too funny.
BS, deflection, distraction, and outright lies as usual, Timbits. How about making a New Years' Resolution to start using new types of arguments when your precious, evil Delta gets called out on the carpet?
Tim "Tom" "Tiny D" "The Deuce" Dunn is back at it, desperately polishing Delta's tarnished halo with another wall of cherry-picked DOT drivel that nobody asked for. "Best combination of system on-time" - BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, the only thing you're leading in is delusional fanboy cope. Actual pilots on APC are torching ARCOS as a broken disaster since Dec 5, but you're too busy simping in comment sections to read real feedback from the cockpit.
...Tim "Tom" "Tiny D" "The Deuce" Dunn is back at it, desperately polishing Delta's tarnished halo with another wall of cherry-picked DOT drivel that nobody asked for. "Best combination of system on-time" - BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, the only thing you're leading in is delusional fanboy cope. Actual pilots on APC are torching ARCOS as a broken disaster since Dec 5, but you're too busy simping in comment sections to read real feedback from the cockpit.
Quoting someone dropping F-bombs about ops? Good — at least they're honest about how unacceptable Delta's scheduling circus really is. You'd quote Ed Bastian reciting poetry if it made your crush look good.
Jon not referencing the APC thread? Maybe because he's actually talking to sources instead of tweeting nonsense like a rejected PR flack. But keep accusing everyone else of not doing homework while you ignore the pilot meltdown because it doesn't fit your spreadsheet fantasy.
JFK cancellations matching B6, MSP snow delays, DTW runway work in winter (genius move, right?), constant IROPS — and you spin it as "until today" like Delta finally achieved perfection on a random Tuesday? Pathetic. The airline's recovery is slower than your brain processing criticism.
Run along now, The Dunce. Go update your Delta shrine with more excuses. The adults are laughing at you again.
Nonsense, Tim! All of this crumbles easily under truth, logic, and common sense!
you wouldn't know logic if it hit you up the side of the head.
Once again, DL and B6 cxld the same percentages of flights at JFK on Saturday.
What was B6' excuse for such a high rate of cancellations?
On Sunday, DL's hub at MSP had 4 hour ATC delays.
On Monday, DL's hub at DTW had ATC delays due to runway construction.
DL has had no hubs today other than BOS...
you wouldn't know logic if it hit you up the side of the head.
Once again, DL and B6 cxld the same percentages of flights at JFK on Saturday.
What was B6' excuse for such a high rate of cancellations?
On Sunday, DL's hub at MSP had 4 hour ATC delays.
On Monday, DL's hub at DTW had ATC delays due to runway construction.
DL has had no hubs today other than BOS that has had major ATC delays.
You love sound bites to throw dirt as much as I love reminding you that UA has the industry's worst baggage handling - at least AA realizes it has a problem - and UA also loses money flying to Latin America. Since they fixed their money losing ways of the last decade over the Pacific, they have now turned to Latin America.
Clearly AA's leading position in Latin America and DL's JV w/ Latam leaves UA as the odd man OUT.
As I said, your comments crumble under truth, logic and common sense. Now here are the real numbers and info, which you're welcome to research (and I encourage everyone to):
Fact - Over the past three days, DL cancelled a total of 17% of flights at JFK, UA cancelled 10%, with AA cancelling 9%.
Fact - Monday delays at DTW were due to weather.
Fact - UA & DL share common ground handlers at...
As I said, your comments crumble under truth, logic and common sense. Now here are the real numbers and info, which you're welcome to research (and I encourage everyone to):
Fact - Over the past three days, DL cancelled a total of 17% of flights at JFK, UA cancelled 10%, with AA cancelling 9%.
Fact - Monday delays at DTW were due to weather.
Fact - UA & DL share common ground handlers at approximately 75% of Airports they serve in the contiguous United States, so moot point.
Fact - UA has higher profit margins than DL despite serving far fewer Latam flights and far more European flights.
feel free to live in those delusions if it makes you feel better.
The year won't anymore be marked by 3 days for DL than it was by 60 hellish days for UA at EWR.
And, no, UA's profit margins in any region do not exceed DL's - and esp. in Latin America.
If you don't like the numbers, feel free to tell us what other region you would like to take the profits...
feel free to live in those delusions if it makes you feel better.
The year won't anymore be marked by 3 days for DL than it was by 60 hellish days for UA at EWR.
And, no, UA's profit margins in any region do not exceed DL's - and esp. in Latin America.
If you don't like the numbers, feel free to tell us what other region you would like to take the profits from to make Latin America profitable for UA.
UA simply is trying desperately to be relevant beside AA's size and DL's JV - and UA is losing money trying to keep up.
THAT Is data; whether you like it or not is immaterial
And just how, Dunn, do you know market-by-market profit margins comparisons between the two airlines?
UA doesn't need to be profitable in Latin America. They'll just do what they've always done: fly to select locations to hook up with their Star Alliance partners Copa and Avianca and let them do the last-mile heavy lifting. That's better than the money that DL has wasted buying pieces of AeroMexico and LATAM.
@Tim if you're comparing DL reliability to B6 you've already lost
Liddle Tim "Tom" "Tiny D" Tim "The Dunce" Dunn, after making a total fool of himself as he got badly beaten up by MaxPower and me in the comments, is at it again. He tried to lie about Philippine Airlines and went away with a major case of Depression. Now he’s throwing money at Delta, looking for a job!
Where is Tim "Tom" "The Dunce" Dunn?
How is Tim going to fluff his Delta out of this.
I bet it starts with AA and UA, some labor contracts in the middle, and ends with still most profitable.
What the fluff Tim.
Ben, why are you personally attacking Tim Dunn? He already got destroyed on VFTW. I don’t know if he’s stable enough to get obliterated on yet another Delta IROPS article.
***grabs popcorn anyways***
I can confirm this is EXACTLY correct. I used to work in that department and still have several contacts there.
How are they getting around the FAR 117 10 hour rest rule when contacting pilots in the middle of the night?
Even if voluntary is should reset their need for 10 hours.
In these situations, it is up to the individual pilot to determine that they had adequate rest and can comply with all FAR 117 requirements prior to reporting for duty. Being on the list to receive a phone call is voluntary, and the pilot is not required to answer the phone, which means that the pilot is free from responsibility to the certificate holder even while waiting for a possible call.
Sometimes the old way of doing things is the better way to do them.... Automation is great, but the complexities of scheduling would benefit from more humans who are earning quite a bit less than the pilots....
grabbing popcorn, can't wait to read the real truth from TD because we all know this is fake news
Delta knows how to run a non-union airline
But they really do take the banner for the worst contract negotiators vs AA and UA.
It’s really embarrassing how bad delta is with alpa
No one else has the ridiculous JV terms delta does or this kind of stupid language. Delta is just awful at union negotiations. Imagine another airline spending billions to change their entire profit sharing plan (years ago) only to not...
Delta knows how to run a non-union airline
But they really do take the banner for the worst contract negotiators vs AA and UA.
It’s really embarrassing how bad delta is with alpa
No one else has the ridiculous JV terms delta does or this kind of stupid language. Delta is just awful at union negotiations. Imagine another airline spending billions to change their entire profit sharing plan (years ago) only to not have the pilots on board and reverse it all at the expense of your owners… delta is just awful with unions
To our alpa friends, this is not a knock on you, but just wow… you guys dominate delta at every turn.
DL pilots have more protection than any other legacy carrier.
You have never demonstrated you have any regard for the truth - but quite simply, DL added mainline jets to get rid of 50 seat RJs while UA skirted the rules and turned 70 seat RJs into 50 seaters and AA bought hundreds more 75 seat RJs than DL or UA - because their pilot union didn't stop them.
If you are so sure that...
DL pilots have more protection than any other legacy carrier.
You have never demonstrated you have any regard for the truth - but quite simply, DL added mainline jets to get rid of 50 seat RJs while UA skirted the rules and turned 70 seat RJs into 50 seaters and AA bought hundreds more 75 seat RJs than DL or UA - because their pilot union didn't stop them.
If you are so sure that DL gives its traffic away to JV partners, post the stats of the percentage of AA, DL and UA international networks that are flown as part of JVs - and I can assure you that TATL and TPAC percentages are very similar for all 3.
DL has the only JV to S. America so it has JVs on flights that AA and UA simply do not.
and, since you love the numbers so well, the DOT is out and confirms that UA loses money flying to Latin America. In fact, UA hasn't been profitable this decade flying to Latin America. It shouldn't be surprising given the horrendous RASM drop they had to Latin America in the 3rd quarter - worse than drops in every other region.
No need to argue, Max.
Facts speak for themselves.
All of Tim's information is totally made up and he knows it. In fact, we all know it.
no, my information comes right from published websites, in this case by the DOT.
What happened to UA's $1 billion donation to the inauguration if they will say such things about UA?
TD, "UA skirted the rules and turned 70 seat RJs into 50 seaters"
Let me introduce you to the Delta Connection CRJ-550. Too funny.
Quite correct, rebel!
Village Idiot Dunce - Comment?
which flies EAS routes -not 20% of UA's schedule at ORD while Kirby whines about that pesky AA that uses real 76 seat large RJs
TD, "which flies EAS routes'
Which undermines the argument you were failing to make.
Try harder if you want me to reply to your drivel, tim.
This is beyond pathetic for anyone…I’m embarrassed for you.
You want to be respected? Reply to the topic.
you are the last person I want or care about responding, Max, esp. since you got so much WRONG that there isn't even a basis for debate.
Just post the percentage of TATL and TPAC flights for AA, DL and UA that operate under JVs, Max.
You won't because it would prove you are belching gas from your backside.
The numbers are similar for all of AA, DL and UA across the Atlantic and Pacific.
you are the last person I want or care about responding, Max, esp. since you got so much WRONG that there isn't even a basis for debate.
Just post the percentage of TATL and TPAC flights for AA, DL and UA that operate under JVs, Max.
You won't because it would prove you are belching gas from your backside.
The numbers are similar for all of AA, DL and UA across the Atlantic and Pacific.
Obsession, the new fragrance by @Tim Dunn. Available exclusively in D1 amenity kits.
Tim
Responding twice doesn’t make you cooler, it just reinforces to everyone how you are a loser twice as much. ;)
But thanks for reinforcing how little you actually know.
No wonder delta is so scared of unions, they’re absolutely awful at negotiating contracts
This kind of language is pathetic for whoever did negotiate it
Does delta know what lawyers are?
@Tim Dunn, “Just post the percentage of TATL and TPAC flights for AA, DL and UA that operate under JVs, Max.”
What metric exactly are you looking for?
You appear to argue some other past comments Max made. I'm curious as to your thoughts on his point in the above post that Delta does not negotiate well with unions. Stick to the current post from Max as criticizing past comments/posts is a non-sequitur.
Funny how attempting to save a couple pennies will cost millions. You'd think someone would've thought this through before making that sort of investment. Especially after WN had essentially the same issue a few years ago (i.e. overloading manual reschedulers)
Paying millions to save pennies is the Delta way
This explains so much about coming in, being told they're "waiting on a pilot," being repeatedly delayed, and ultimately having the flight canceled.
It’s true their system sucks. All my delta friends have been saying this.